Effects of Sugar Intake on the Human Brain


Sugars belong to glycan / carbohydrate group of chemicals. Its sweetness is what draws us

towards foods that are high in sugar content. This is particularly stronger in children, being labeled as a

“sweet tooth”. Consuming excess amounts of sugars can lead to various health issues, so as difficult as it

is, people should take more caution in the amount of sugar they intake and plan their meals accordingly to avoid an excess intake of it. Sugar is a carbohydrate, meaning its main function in our bodies is to offer

short term energy for our bodies to move and work.

There are different types of sugars that we are able to intake, the naturally occurring sugars found

in fruits and milk, and the processed sugars called “added sugars” usually found in processed food and

beverages. Some sugars that we are able to recognize often are glucose and sucrose. Consuming glucose

stimulates the pancreas, which helps secrete insulin. Consuming sucrose and high fructose corn syrups

will provide the body with large amounts of fructose. Intaking these sugars could be harmful towards the

body because the fructose is metabolized by only the liver, meaning a large amount of very-low-density-

lipoprotein (VLDL), which is associated with developments of plaque deposits on artery walls which

narrow and restrict blood flow.

Excess consumption of anything can be typically known as bad for health, including sugars. High

consumption of sugar is associated with suppression of the immune system, impairing of the system of

bacterial infection defense, disturbed mineral vitamin balance in the body, and increased risk of cancer,

obesity, and other cardiovascular diseases.

Sugars is a huge part of our everyday lives, with so many of the foods we consume containing it.

In addition to this, it also stimulates the hormones in our brain that is considered the reward pathway, the

mesocorticolimbic system, which releases dopamine. The prefrontal cortex, amygdala, ventral-tegmental

area, and the nucleus accumbens are stimulated in this process. To stop intake of sugar would be a

difficult process but regulating it in our diets would be a more realistic process.


https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Varucha-

Misra/publication/309490279_Effect_of_sugar_intake_towards_human_health/links/5813429808aeffbed

6bc0f08/Effect-of-sugar-intake-towards-human-health.pdf


Victoria Leong (8)

Comments

  1. Haya UsmaniNovember 9, 2022 at 9:44 AM

    Hi Victoria! Your blog post was interesting to read. It's intriguing to learn about the several effects that sugar has on our body. Especially at this time and age there is a ton of processed foods and sugar in almost everything. This makes it critical to keep in mind how much sugar we consume to minimize the negative impacts it may have on us. Are there any benefits of eating sugar that are noticeable?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Victoria LeongNovember 13, 2022 at 6:32 PM

      Hi Haya! I only know that the benefits of sugar are mostly for the body to use as a short term energy source. It sort of works as a boost of short term energy, while some other molecules, fats (lipids) work as a long term energy source.

      Delete
  2. Anna NiezreckiNovember 9, 2022 at 10:17 AM

    Hi Victoria! We always hear that having too much sugar is bad for you, but its interesting to learn about why. I also didn't know that the desire for sugar is literally higher in children. There is natural sugar in lots of fruits and vegetables. Are the natural sugars in fruits as bad for you as other sugars are?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Victoria LeongNovember 13, 2022 at 6:38 PM

      Hi Anna! Thank you for reading my post! I know that there are differences in processed and naturally occurring sugars. The naturally occurring sugars that come in fruits come along with other helpful nutrients while added sugars are harmful in larger quantities.

      Delete
  3. AnonymousNovember 9, 2022 at 10:19 AM

    Hi Victoria! I really enjoyed reading your post. I always knew sugar was bad for you but I never knew about how it can suppress your immune system by impairing bacterial defense or increase the risk of cancer. I would say that I have a sweet tooth so limiting my intake of sugar will definitely be a challenge. What are some of the harmful effects of sugars restricting blood flow? And would it be just as bad if sugar was completely removed from your diet?

    Alissa N

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousNovember 9, 2022 at 12:52 PM

    Hi Victoria! Your post was really interesting because I learned things about sugar that I’ve never heard about before, one of them being that fructose is only metabolized by the liver. I agree that with sugar being part of the reward system in our bodies, it would be a difficult task to reduce our intake to improve our diets. I think what makes it dangerous is that it’s part of this pathway, so we feel the urge to consume more of it. What are some other sugars found in our food besides glucose and sucrose, and are certain sugars better for us than others?
    - Sarah Belcher

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousNovember 9, 2022 at 4:31 PM

    Hi Victoria! I never knew the extent of the impacts that excess sugar could have on the body, especially the effects of different types of sugar. I also never considered that the draw to sugar is high in children, but it does make sense considering the culture around Halloween time! Do you know if there is a reason to why kids have a high draw to sugar, and is it different for adults?
    - Ritika Koirala

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousNovember 9, 2022 at 10:40 PM

    Hello Victoria! Your post was particularly interesting to read about as I find the impacts of different foods on our brains to be fascinating. I especially was interested in the comment you made about children having a "sweet tooth." Is there something about our brain chemistry, our gut microbiome, or some other factor that causes people to be more predisposed to having a larger sugar intake than others?
    - Anthony Nassar

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Victoria LeongNovember 13, 2022 at 6:42 PM

      Hi Anthony! Thanks for reading my article. I never thought of that! I found information pointing out that some people have taste bud receptors (TAS1R2 and TAS1R3) on their tongue that can sense sweet foods and create a pleasurable sensation in the brain. The amount can differ in people, which can lead to some people being more of a "sweet tooth" than others.

      Delete
  7. Alanna RichardsNovember 10, 2022 at 3:14 PM

    Hi Victoria, it's interesting to think that the sugar cravings are stronger in children than adults. If sugar releases dopamine I would think the cravings grew stronger with time, like an addiction. Do you know what it is that makes things "too sweet" for us as we get older?

    ReplyDelete
  8. kelly phamNovember 10, 2022 at 5:21 PM

    hi! this was so interesting to learn and read about! i definitely find myself excessively snacking on sweets here and there and it makes so much sense on why it’s so hard to only eat on piece of candy or one piece of cake. sugar is definitely addicting and i wonder if this is the same for foods that have unprocessed sugar. what do you think?

    ReplyDelete

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