How Does Sugar Affect The Brain? (video)
Author: Nia Rouseberg
Time for reading: ~1
minutes
Last Updated:
August 08, 2022
When it gets into our mouths, sugar activates certain receptors that "detect" the sweet taste.
Our desire for sweets is aroused only by imagining or seeing a cake or a sugar temptation. The question is: why? What happens in our brains that makes sweets so irresistible?
Sugar is found in a wide range of foods and beverages. What amount of sugar is contained in a product we can determine from the label: glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, lactose, dextrose, starch - they are all forms of sugar .
However, sugar is not only found in pastries and desserts, but in yogurts, ketchup, dried fruits, canned foods, etc. Since we can find it everywhere, it is important to understand how it affects the brain .
When it gets into our mouths, sugar activates certain receptors that "detect" the sweet taste. Some of them are located on the tongue and send a signal to the brain stem, which from there reaches many areas in the forebrain. Different areas of the cerebral cortex process different tastes.
From there, the reward system in the brain is activated . It is also affected by drugs, sex, alcohol. However, over-activating this system can lead to loss of control and an unquenchable desire for more.
Sugar also activates receptors in the stomach and intestines after ingested food enters them. These receptors do not recognize the taste of food, but they send signals to the brain to "tell" that we are full or that the body needs more insulin to handle the extra sugar.
The main role in the reward system is played by dopamine - an important neurotransmitter. There are many dopamine receptors in the forebrain, but they are not evenly distributed. Substances such as alcohol, tobacco and heroin cause an over-release of dopamine, which in practice leads to addiction. Sugar affects the brain in the same way .
In this sense, sugar "behaves" like a drug when in large quantities. But if we eat a piece of cake from time to time, it will not hurt us.
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