Skip to main content

Food Trends: Addicted to sugar? Blame it on the brain.

I have worked with hundreds of clients, some who come right into my office and tell me they are addicted to sugar.   It’s a common theme that is explored individually.  After reviewing patterns and lifestyles, recommendations are made to change the makeup of meals as well as the timing and almost always we are able to decrease the intensity of the cravings once we fuel the body correctly. 
I was intrigued to read the study led by Yale University and the University of Southern California who reviewed the relationship between glucose drops and responses by the brain.  The study was published September 19th in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.  The Yale scientists manipulated glucose levels intravenously and monitored blood glucose levels while subjects were shown pictures of high calorie foods, low calorie food, and non food items.  Each subject underwent MRI scans which showed that when glucose levels dropped, the hypothalamus sensed the change. The insula and striatum, other parts of the brain associated with rewards, were also activated stimulating a need to eat.  The prefrontal cortex also proved to lose its ability to curb signals to eat and this was the most significant when subjects were shown high calorie foods.
When results of the study were reviewed, researches from the University of Southern California hypothesize that “obese individuals may have a limited ability to inhibit the impulsiveness drive to eat, especially when glucose levels drop below normal.”
In my opinion and experience it is not just the obese population who is at risk of glucose levels dropping.  Any individual who does not eat consistently and healthy is at risk to a low glucose reaction.  Do you feel you crave sweets more than the norm?  Why not talk it over with a dietitian.  You may be able to make some changes including timings of meals and the makeup of your meals to decrease the cravings to a point where they are bearable and not sabotaging. 
Labels:

Comments

Tiffany Youngren said…
I totally agree! We usually don't eat sugar, but when we do, it's tough to stop. Great post.
December 7, 2011 at 7:32 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Food Trends: A note about Stevia (zero calorie sugar substitute)

We’re all on the lookout for that sugar substitute that withholds calories, tastes good, and is natural and safe.   Recently I was asked what my thoughts were on Stevia?   Well to tell you the truth I didn’t have many thoughts on the product because basically I didn’t know much about it, except that in my mind it was a zero calorie product that could be substituted for table sugar.   I put this thought in my attic with the hopes of getting more acquainted at a later time. As I get myself more familiar lets start with the derivation.   Stevia is an herb that comes from South America and has been used by the Guarani Indians of Paraguay for over 100 years.   This is advertised on the Stevia website along with a statement that it provides zero calories because the body doesn’t metabolize glycosides from the leaf or processed forms.   Essentially Stevia is absorbed by the gut and broken down into Stevol which is excreted from the body as a waste.   Th...
5 comments
Read more

Miraculous Misconceptions: Raspberry Ketones

The interwebs are abuzz about the supposedly “miraculous” Raspberry Ketone supplements. Raspberry Ketone popularity started with Dr. Oz's show in February 2012, when he nicknamed it a “miracle weight loss drug.” Some even credit Raspberry Ketones with stimulating hair growth, but for our purposes here, let’s talk about weight loss. Raspberry Ketones are derived from red raspberries. Proponents claim that the supplement will stimulate your metabolism causing weight loss. However, there are no reliable studies to prove this.   Specifically there is no scientific evidence to show how it alters metabolism to promote weight loss. There is also no scientific evidence to determine a proper dosage. If you find a study that claims otherwise, check the funding source. Most likely, that study was funded by a company who produces or funds raspberry ketone products. As far as I know, no major pharmaceutical companies are investing in Raspberry Ketone research. And it is my opinion ...
9 comments
Read more

Family Nutrition: What’s the deal with Multivitamins?

This is definitely one of my top ten questions from clients and frankly it’s a hard question because there isn’t a generic answer.   The internet and such stores as the Vitamin Shoppe and GNC continue to place a lot of focus on vitamins and minerals and some of my clients swear by their regimen.   I’ve even had some clients tell me they can tell a difference within hours of taking certain supplementations.    Since this is a subject I try to tame my responses too, I was very glad to see the article “Multivitamins, So Many Types, So Many Labels” by Melinda Beck in the Wall Street Journal published June 21, 2001.   Did you know that the multivitamin is the number one dietary supplement producing $4.8 billion back in 2008 and that one third of American’s take multivitamins religiously?   As Melinda points out there are many different varieties of multivitamins yet there is no specific formulation that specifies what a multivitamin should look like.  ...
4 comments
Read more