Sugar makes the day sweeter

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Sugar makes the day sweeter until it turns into an addiction

According to recent surveys, people in the German-speaking realm consume roughly 100g of sugar per day and even more, when sugary drinks are taken into account. Nowadays, many of us try to reduce their sugar consumption, given that it can lead to unwanted consequences like obesity, caries, and diabetes. Nevertheless, it is important to remember that the human brain alone eats up 140g of glucose per day to remain fully functional. Therefore, too much abstinence from sugar and other carbohydrates can also have negative consequences for the body, such as headaches and bad moods. Also, an overly sudden reduction in sugar consumption can, only shortly thereafter, elicit a rush for sugar as part of which the body strives to replace its now lacking carbohydrates. Of course, the other extreme is also very unhealthy, given that excessive sugar consumption can encourage the development of sugar addiction, as part of which the body craves sugar like a drug. What exactly causes this addiction and how can one prevent or combat it? Let’s find out more!

What are the causes and consequences of sugar addiction?

The most insidious aspect of sugar addiction is that it can appear unexpectedly because consuming sweetened foods, drinks, and desserts has nowadays become completely normal in day-to-day life. Affected people feel uncontrollable bouts of hunger for sweet foods in periodical time increments. Causes for these hunger bouts are usually one, or a combination, of the following factors:

  1. Sugar addiction: Caused by an imbalance between serotonin and dopamine inside the brain – either excessively high serotonin levels or way too low dopamine levels or an insufficient concentration of both.
  2. Blood sugar fluctuations: The ups and downs in sugar levels in the blood can also cause uncontrollable hunger for sweet foods.
  3. Mental imbalance: To successfully handle stressful situations or to reward oneself for successes, many people often go back to eating sweet foods.
  4. Fungal infection of the intestine: An excess of sugar in the intestines can provide excess nourishment for fungi living in those body parts and boost their rate of multiplication, which can throw the intestinal flora out of balance. On top of that, a growing population of fungi within the intestine can further fuel a person’s craving for sugar.

Glucose monitor


Once the craving for sugar starts, it can lead to one or more of the following unfortunate consequences:
  • Destroyed intestinal flora
  • Weakened immune system
  • Increased susceptibility for illnesses
  • Caries
  • Obesity
  • Diabetes Type 2
  • Hyperactivity
  • Depression
  • Trouble with sleeping
  • Dirty/oily skin or acne


What are the symptoms of sugar addiction?

The symptoms of sugar addiction are very similar to those of other addictions:

  • Very strong craving for sugar
  • Weakening self-control
  • Consumption of constantly increasing quantities (in this case, of sugar)
An important difference to other types of addiction (e.g., nicotine, alcohol) is that it is exceptionally difficult to suddenly stop sugar consumption, given that sugar is an ingredient in many different foods besides sweets (e.g., ketchup, mustard, etc.). Therefore, it is that much more difficult to break sugar addiction. Nevertheless, there is still hope.


Sugar crystals

 
How can you defeat sugar addiction?
First of all, sugar consumption should be regulated very early in life so that it does not encourage the development of sugar addiction. In other words – parents should educate their children as early as possible in their lives about the dangers of excessive sugar consumption. Also, they should provide them with a balanced diet to promote the development of healthy eating habits. The following are a few helpful tips on this topic:

  • Complex carbohydrates: Oatmeal, whole grain bread, or brown rice belong to the family of complex carbohydrates that are slowly transformed into energy without raising glucose levels in the blood too much (i.e., no sugar cravings).
  • Regular meals: Missed meals (whether on purpose or not) put the body into a state of scarcity in which it craves for even more sugar, given that said sugar can be converted into energy really quickly.
  • Fruit: Though fruits contain fructose and glucose, they are not as easily soluble as released sugar and can therefore not enter the blood stream as easily, which, in turn, causes even stronger sugar cravings.
  • Vegetables: Especially leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, lettuce, and green cabbage are ideal to curb sugar cravings due to their bitter aftertaste
All of that talk about addiction can cause significant anxiety even at the mere thought of sugar. That said, don’t worry too much, because sweet foods in well-balanced quantities won’t cause any problems – just don’t forget to brush your teeth.

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