Why do we love sweets so much?

What we eat affects our ability to resist temptation.

Most people love sweets. Yet, excess sugar in our diet can lead to weight gain and obesity, type 2 diabetes, tooth decay, and many other health problems. We know that we shouldn't eat candies, ice cream, cookies, cakes, and drink sugary drinks, but some days we can't resist the urge.

Why is this so? What is happening with our body?

The point is that sugar consumption causes dopamine surges.

Dopamine is a substance produced by neurons signaling that something positive has happened to our body. When we eat sweets, the reward system is activated in the brain, namely, the mesolimbic dopamine pathway. Your brain memorizes this experience as something pleasant and encourages you to do it again. The dopamine spikes caused by eating sugar promote rapid learning to find more sugary foods whenever possible.

The bad thing is that we are surrounded by too many sugary, high-calorie foods. This means we don't have to search for them like our primitive ancestors did, since these foods are freely available. In terms of functional features, our brain is still not much different from that of our ancestors, and it likes sugar very much. So what is happening in the brain when we consume too much sugar?

Can sugar rewire your brain? To a certain extent, yes!

Our brain is constantly changing and reconfiguring itself thanks to such feature as neuroplasticity. Repetitive activation, i.e., excessive consumption of sugary foods, causes the brain to adapt to frequent stimulation, leading to an addictive behavior.

As a result, we tend to eat more and more sweets each time to get the same satisfaction we got in the beginning by eating a small amount of sweets (one candy), which is a classic sign of addiction.

The brain wants sugar and then even more sugar.

Besides needing food to provide energy for our bodies, many people experience acute food cravings, especially when they are stressed, hungry, or just looking at a tempting showcase of cakes. We need to restrain our natural reaction to this apparently delicious but harmful food. A network of inhibitory neurons plays a crucial role in controlling behavior. These neurons are concentrated in the prefrontal cortex, a key brain area involved in decision-making, impulse control, and rejection of immediate rewards.

Inhibitory neurons are a kind of brakes that release gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Studies on rats revealed that eating sugar-rich foods can affect these neurons. The sugar-fed rats also showed a decrease in their ability to control their behavior and make decisions. These findings lead to an important conclusion: what we eat affects our ability to resist temptation and could be the underlying reason why some people find it so difficult to change their diet.

As part of a recent survey, participants were asked to rate their urge to eat a high-calorie snack when they were hungry and after consuming a meal. People who regularly consume high-sugar foods rated their desire to eat a snack more intense, even when they were not hungry. The need for sweets is constantly getting stronger.

How to protect your brain from sugar?

The World Health Organization recommends limiting the consumption of added sugars to five percent of our daily calorie intake - in other words, 25 grams (six teaspoons) per day. Given that the average adult consumes 85 grams (20 teaspoons) of sugar per day, for many this means a radical change in diet.

Keep in mind that sugar is found in almost every product.

The important thing is that the brain's neuroplasticity allows it to recover to some extent when sugar intake is reduced, and physical activity can improve this process. Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids also have a neuroprotective effect and can promote the formation of new neurons.

It's not easy to break the habit of eating something sweet after every meal or adding double sugar and double cream to your coffee. Still, your brain will be grateful when you give these habits up. The first step is always the most difficult, but as you keep going, it will become easier to cope with sugar addiction.

It's all up to you!

 

Written by Petro Poliak, coach at Online Fitness Club