We all know how tempting it can be to have one too many chocolates or
an extra slice of cake, even when we know it would be healthier not to. But
what drives this craving for sweet treats?
Many scientists suggest that we are primed to desire sugar at an
instinctive level as it plays such a vital role in our survival. Our sense of
taste has evolved to covet the molecules vital to life like salt, fat and
sugar. When we eat food, the simple sugar glucose is absorbed from the intestines
into the bloodstream and distributed to all cells of the body.
Glucose is particularly important to the brain as it provides a major
source of fuel to the billions of neuronal nerve cells. Neurons need a constant
supply from the bloodstream as they don't have the ability to store glucose
themselves. As diabetics know, someone with low blood sugar can quickly lapse
into a coma.
Bizarrely, scientists have found even just the taste of sugar can give
our brains a boost. Tests have shown that participants who swill water
sweetened by sugar around their mouths perform better on mental tasks than when
they gargle artificially sweetened water.
Our love/hate relationship with
sugar
Our tricky relationship with sugar starts at birth, as we are born with
a sweet tooth.
A recent study from Washington University, found that newborns have a
distinct preference for sweet flavours over other flavours, while children
enjoy sugary foods far more than adults. Many scientists believe a child's
preference for sweet things is an evolutionary hangover, as youngsters who
preferred high-calorie foods in times gone by would have had a better chance of
survival when food sources were unreliable.
The problem now is that refined sugar is too readily available and this
could be part of the reason why childhood obesity rates have soared. Healthcare
professionals now recommend that parents avoid giving babies sweet things to
eat or drink to try to stop them developing a preference for them early in
life.
Why do some people binge on
sugar?
Eating too much sugar can lead to unhealthy eating patterns. Sugar can
be a mood-booster as it prompts the body to release the 'happy hormone'
serotonin into the blood stream.
The instant 'lift' we get from sugar is one of the reasons we turn to
it at times of celebration or when we crave comfort and reward.
However, the pleasant sugar rush triggers an increase in insulin as the
body strives to bring blood glucose levels back to normal. This has the
knock-on effect of causing a 'sugar crash' and makes many crave yet more sugar,
which can lead to a cycle of binge-eating.
We don't know when enough is
enough
Added to this, our bodies aren't able to tell when we've had enough of
certain types of sugar. Researchers have found that food and drinks sweetened
with the simple sugar fructose do not trigger the same sense of fullness as
other foods with similar calories.
A study from Yale University found that while glucose suppressed the
parts of the brain that make us want to eat; fructose did not. The test
participants also reported feeling more satisfied after consuming glucose
compared to fructose. Taken together these two aspects increase the risk of
overeating.
Many processed foods are excessively sweetened by sucrose, which
contains 50% fructose. In fact you may be surprised by just how much sugar is
hidden in common foods.
So next time you get caught with your hand in the cookie jar, at least
you'll know why.
So how much is too much?
The body is unable to distinguish between natural sugar found in fruit,
honey, or milk, and processed sugar from sugar cane or beet.
All sugars are broken down by the body into glucose and fructose and
are processed in the liver. Sugars are converted into glycogen or fat for
storage, or kept as glucose in the blood for use in the body's cells. So it's
the quantity you consume that makes the difference to your health.
According to the NHS, added sugars shouldn't make up more than 10% of
the energy you get from food and drink each day. This is whether it comes from
honey, fruit juice and jam, or soft drinks, processed foods or table sugar.
This works out at about 70g a day for men and 50g for women, although
this can vary depending on your size, age and how active you are. Fifty grams
of sugar is equivalent to 13 teaspoons of sugar a day, or two cans of fizzy
drink, or eight chocolate biscuits.
When in the supermarket it's worth remembering that product is classed
as high in sugar if it contains more than 15g in 100g and low in sugar if it
has less than 5g per 100g.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/0/21835302
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