The Science of Sugar

Written by Aiman Khan

Photos from Unsplashed.com

Does sipping on a mocha Iced Capp while studying for an exam sound familiar to you? Or maybe you’d rather be finishing a family-sized pack of Oreos while binge-watching RuPaul’s on Netflix? Of course, staying quarantined when patio season is just around the corner could make anyone want to bury their grief in a pint of Häagen Dazs. 

Even if sugar makes you happy on the spot, research suggests it may not be the best choice for a long term diet. Here are some facts on how a sugar-rich diet can affect your body and mind, and what you can do to reduce your consumption.

Sugar on your brain

A sugar-rich diet can impact your brain in numerous ways, from brain fog to triggering addiction. While these claims may seem like myths, they are actually backed up by much scientific research.

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Sugar can be as addictive as a drug

A study published in PLOS One in 2007 revealed that sugar can be more addictive than cocaine, and can trigger the same reward system in our brains that drugs do. For example, eating a piece of chocolate makes the pleasure centres of your brain go into overdrive mode and produce extra dopamine (the feel-good chemical). Over time, the structure of the brain changes, so you’re less likely to resist temptation the next time you see a piece of chocolate. Just like a drug, the more sugar you eat, the more your brain will crave it. 

The truth is we simply do not eat sugar for the same purposes we eat the other food groups (vegetables, meat, or cereals): to stay healthy, feed our bodies and obtain the essential nutrients to study, exercise or work. Table and processed sugar do not help you do any of that. So, pure pleasure aside, there’s really no reason we should consume sugar-rich food. 

Sugar and brain performance

Diets high in sugar and fat can affect your cognitive abilities, including your memory. Research has shown that this kind of diet can lead to a decrease in the chemical BDNF in the brain, which is linked to new memory formation. 

Another study (that followed 5,189 individuals for ten years) found that a higher level of blood sugar was linked to cognitive decline and reduced executive functioning. It has also been shown to change our inhibitory neurons, found in our prefrontal cortex, that release the neurotransmitter GABA that regulates anxiety (among other functions), and plays a key role in decision-making and impulse control.

Sugar and psychological health 

It’s no secret that sugars fuel the brain, but too much of it can lead to a progressive decline in our mental faculties. Not only does it cause mood swings as blood sugar levels crash, but sugar can also block Vitamin B and chromium in our brains — two chemicals that help with mood stabilization. The Whitehall II study —an ongoing longitudinal cohort study of 10,308 individuals— correlated higher sugar levels in the body with higher incidences of depression. 

Studies have further shown that high glucose levels can cause brain shrinkage and exacerbate symptoms of anxiety. 

Sugar on your body

The effects of a sugar-rich diet are not just evident in your brain — your body can suffer too. Damaging internal organs, developing chronic diseases, or weakening your immune system are some of the downsides of consuming too much sugar.  

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Your immune system may suffer

A young and healthy immune system helps you cope with stress and stay active: the stronger your immune system, the better you deal with a cold or the seasonal flu.  

High-sugar diets affect your immune system, especially when the body is fighting bacterial infections (like food poisoning, pneumonia, or strep throat) and can impact the recovery process after an illness. Essential nutrients found in nourishing meals are also vital in recovery periods since the body needs to regain its strength as soon as possible. Unfortunately, high doses of sugar are not nourishing,  and they do not contain essential nutrients for this process. 

Liver and heart disease related to high sugar diets

Processed sugar consumption has been linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a disease with increasing incidence rates due, in part, to unhealthy lifestyles and diets rich in sugars and fats. Unfortunately, fatty liver disease can evolve into cirrhosis or cancer if it is not treated and if dietary changes are not made.

Sugar can also affect the heart, as it increases the risk factors associated with cardiovascular diseases like diabetes, insulin resistance, and obesity, among others. To maintain a healthy heart, it is not enough to exercise and refrain from alcohol or smoking, a healthy diet is critical. 

Sugar, obesity, and diabetes

Sugar-rich diets increase the risk of developing diabetes and obesity. Of course, you may think that the active student lifestyle— always on the run, always going out— can prevent the development of obesity, but that is not the case. Obesity can appear in younger patients too, and childhood obesity is becoming a growing issue in the Western world.

How diet changes start

Giving up on sugar or reducing its intake is not an impossible mission, but it can be quite tricky in the beginning – especially when the undergrad life does not accommodate a fixed meal schedule and involves lots of high-anxiety late nights. 

Here are some tips and tricks to help you reduce – or maybe even completely eliminate! – processed sugar from your diet.  These are 100% compatible with student life and are not drastic :

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 Try postponing the cravings. Of course, you’ll still crave sweets and that is perfectly normal. But if you want to decrease the frequency of cravings, engage in some other activity when they appear. For example, if you feel that you’d love to have some ice cream right now, postpone the desire for some time later and call up a friend, or go for a short walk. When you return, you may not feel the cravings anymore. Cravings happen in short-term memory, so distracting yourself is an easy way to trick your brain into forgetting your cravings.  

Shop wisely. If you can, avoid buying table sugar for your pantry. Instead of reaching for artificial sweeteners, give raw honey a try. Though still high in calories, honey has a better nutritional profile than refined sugar – it is rich in antioxidants and contains trace amounts of vitamins and minerals that you wouldn’t otherwise be getting from sugar. Of course, honey is still high in fructose, so moderation is key. But being naturally sweeter than sugar, you may even end up using less than you expect.

Try healthier alternatives. You can try (with moderation, of course) replacing sweet treats with dark chocolate and fruits, a piece of raw-vegan cake, or  a cup of yogurt with a tablespoon of honey and nuts. 4

Get plenty of rest when you have the chance. Sleep deprivation can lead to increased cravings: it contributes to increased production of the neurotransmitter Ghrelin (which increases your appetite) and reduces the output of Leptin (which suppresses the appetite). Sleep deprivation has a further domino-effect on processes in the body that raise the levels of a lipid called ‘endocannabinoid’, which makes the experience of eating more enjoyable (much like in a marijuana high). This can cause you not only to crave unhealthy foods when you are sleep deprived but also make you keep eating long after you’re full.

Remind yourself that you can still have a little sugar. You don’t have to cut sugar out entirely if you don’t want to. If you want to eat a piece of cake on your birthday or a McFlurry after a night out, go ahead! It’s okay to indulge once in a while. But remember, moderation is key, and in the long run cutting out sugar is more beneficial to you than satisfying cravings.   Sugar-rich diets do you no good and can cause serious health issues – not just somewhere down the line, but here and now. There is a world of healthier alternatives out there that won’t ask you to compromise on taste or quality, and do what food is supposed to do: provide you with wholesome nutrition so you can be the best version of yourself.

*Thumbnail Picture by Thomas Kelley (Unsplashed.com)