Sugar is harmful to the brain

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The discourses of the science of nutrition have changed a lot over the years. With the latest research, it was discovered that one of the main enemies of health and obesity causes is sugar. However, many people do not know what the effects of sugar on the brain are, much more harmful than we could imagine.

In addition to being related to heart disease or diabetes, sugar causes several types of problems in our mind. In this post we will talk about which are the most worrisome. However, before entering into this matter, it is necessary to detach from some of the myths about that substance.

Does sugar do badly?

As they grew up, they bombarded us with a series of totally false ideas about food and nutrition. For example, the belief that the main risk factor for suffering from heart disease is the consumption of fat.

For a long time it was promoted that sugar was a totally harmless substance and without any harmful effect on health. However, in 2016 a survey revealed that the sugar industry bribed several researchers throughout history. Its objective? Hide the harmful effects of this substance, which we now know to be related to cancer and other heart diseases.

Perhaps the most disturbing are the latest discoveries about the effects of sugar on the brain.

Main effects of sugar in the brain

Cause vice

Despite looking like a myth, vice in sugar is a real problem. This disorder affects more and more people, who feel they need to consume greater amounts of that substance to feel good. In fact, the people who eliminated sugar from their lives talk about very unpleasant symptoms during the first days.

For example, by putting sugar aside, people may feel headaches, dizziness, muscle weakness, anxiety and pressure drops. Fortunately these symptoms are not permanent, they only last until the body adapts to function without the substance.

How does this vice work? To be absorbed by the body, sugar releases a large amount of endorphins in our brain. Thus, every time we feel less pleasure with the rest of the aspects of our life, and we need to ingest the sugar to feel good.

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Causes memory and learning problems

A study from the University of California on the effects of consuming fructose (a type of sugar found in vegetables, fruits and honey), revealed that it negatively affects the formation of synapses in the brain. That is, consuming too much fructose, our ability to learn and form new connections is reduced.

On the other hand, other research also showed that people who consume a lot of fructose have lower levels of FNDC. This substance, whose initials mean "neurological factor derived from the brain", has a fundamental effect on our ability to generate new memories and learn new information.

Even some studies suggest that sugar consumption may have a direct relationship with Alzheimer's disease. In fact, the medical community considered classifying this disease as type 3 diabetes.

It affects our mood

It is not only our cognitive abilities that are in danger. By ingesting glucose, our mood varies in extreme ways. Because of its effects on insulin in our bodies, sugar spikes can cause depression, anxiety and sudden mood swings.

In the long term, these effects can be even worse. When we eat glucose, our brain releases serotonin a neurotransmitter linked to pleasure. However, the reserves of this substance are not infinite: to be issued continuously, there will be less and less quantity in the brain.

Therefore, it is very difficult to feel positive emotions continuously for people who consume a lot of sugar for a long time.

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Prevent us from feeling satiated

Finally, recent research found that glucose "hijacks" our satiety mechanism. Due to this, the ingestion of too much of this substance will always make us feel hungry. This is closely related to the problems of obesity and overweight.

The problem is caused by the effect of sugar on oxytocin and its functions in the brain. One of the roles of this neurotransmitter is to warn our body that we are full. However, glucose prevents this function from being performed.

The intake of sugar has innumerable undesirable effects on our body. However, the consequences can be even more worrying about our brain. If you want to maintain good physical and mental health, try to minimize sugar consumption.