{"id":3691,"date":"2018-05-01T12:03:07","date_gmt":"2018-05-01T17:03:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/innovativehomecare.com\/?p=3691"},"modified":"2020-12-07T16:27:48","modified_gmt":"2020-12-07T22:27:48","slug":"5-negative-effects-of-sugar-on-the-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/5-negative-effects-of-sugar-on-the-brain\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Negative Effects of Sugar on the Brain"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Too much of anything can be bad for your health, especially the sugar. And while most people are aware of sugar\u2019s negative effects on their waistline and heart, how it affects the brain is far less common knowledge. Although the brain does require a certain amount of sugar in order to function properly. This type is known as glucose and is found naturally in foods like fruits and grains. We list the 5 negative effects of sugar on the brain.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

1. Causes Cravings and Addiction<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

Sugar addiction is a real and growing concern for a large majority of the world\u2019s population. But how exactly does this happen?\u00a0The Huffington Post explains<\/a> that when a person consumes sugar. The tongue\u2019s taste buds become active and send signals to the brain, \u201clighting up reward pathways and causing a surge of feel-good hormones, like dopamine, to be released.\u201d<\/p>

And while the source says stimulating these reward pathways with sugary treats is okay from time to time. Over-activating them can lead to more serious concerns such as \u201closs of control, craving, and increased tolerance to sugar.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"cravings\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

2. Impairs Memory and Learning Skills<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

According to Forbes<\/a>, people who consume too much fructose\u2014 otherwise known as added sugar\u2014produce less of the chemical brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). As BDNF assists the brain with learning and the formation of new memories. Without a sufficient amount of it, the source says \u201cwe can\u2019t learn (or remember) much of anything.\u201d<\/p>

Additionally, research out of UCLA found that a high-fructose diet actually slows the brain down.\u00a0In the study<\/a>, it was found that rats that consumed too much fructose \u201chad damage synaptic activity in the brain. Meaning that communication among brain cells was impaired.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"impairs\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

3. Contributes to Depression<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

Consuming too much sugar can also have major impacts on your mood and mental health. One example of this is what\u2019s commonly known as a \u2018sugar crash,\u2019 where the body\u2019s blood sugar spikes upon consumption of a sugar-rich snack or beverage. And also, plummets soon after, leaving you \u201cfeeling anxious, moody or leads to depression,\u201d says The Huffington Post<\/a>.<\/p>

The source adds that, in addition to a sugar crash, over-consumption of fructose can \u201cmess with the neurotransmitters that help keep our moods stable.\u201d One such neurotransmitter is also known as serotonin, which boosts our mood after eating sugar. Unfortunately, the body only has a limited amount of it to offer. The more frequently it\u2019s release, the faster the body\u2019s supply is depleted, leading to symptoms of depression.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"depression\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

4. Linked to Dementia and Alzheimer\u2019s Disease<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

Too much consumption of sugar causes the body to produce less BDNF. Which, among other things, helps with memory formation. So it\u2019s probably not surprising to learn that it\u2019s linked to dementia and related conditions.<\/p>

In fact,\u00a0Forbes says<\/a> \u201cIt\u2019s possible that low BDNF may turn out to be the smoking gun in these and other diseases, like Alzheimer\u2019s.\u201d Although more research about this connection is still being conducted, the source says that \u201cwhat seems clear in any case is that a low level of BDNF is bad news for our brains. And chronic sugar consumption is one of the worst inhibitory culprits.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"linked\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

5. Inhibits \u2018Overeating\u2019 Sensor From Working<\/strong><\/span><\/p>

It\u2019s common knowledge that over-consumption of sugar can lead to weight gain. And other severe cases of obesity, but researchers are now coming to understand exactly why. According to Forbes<\/a>, it\u2019s recently been discovered that \u201cchronic consumption numbs the brain\u2019s anorexigenic oxytocin system, the sensor that prevents overeating.\u201d<\/p>

And with this crucial sensor disabled\u2014on an almost-permanent basis in some individuals.\u201cOur brain doesn\u2019t release hormones to signal that we\u2019re full,\u201d resulting in excessive overeating, thus perpetuating the problem even further.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"overeating\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Too much of anything can be bad for your health, especially the sugar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6055,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3691"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3691\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12072,"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3691\/revisions\/12072"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.innovativehomecare.com\/staging\/8503\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}