Excess sugar is associated with an increased risk of mental disorders, but only in men. The women seem spared.
Better not to have a sweet tooth when you’re a man. Among men, sugar lovers are at higher risk for mental health problems. The conclusion comes from a study published in Scientific Reports. Led by University College London (United Kingdom), it recalls the importance of limiting daily intake.
These results are based on the long-term follow-up of the Whitehall II cohort, involving British people. 5,000 men and 2,000 women, followed since 1983, regularly fill out questionnaires on their eating habits and state of health.
The end of a preconceived idea
Here, the researchers were interested in the link between the daily intake of sugary foods or drinks and the occurrence of mental pathologies. The result is rather surprising. In women, no association emerges between excess sugar and psychiatric disorders. Men, on the other hand, are not so lucky.
The volunteers were separated into three groups, according to their consumption of sweet products. Carbohydrate aficionados were defined by an intake exceeding 67 grams per day. They are 23% more at risk of suffering from a mental disorder within 5 years, compared to less greedy, who swallowed less than 39.5 g per day.
“Many factors influence the risk of suffering from it, but a diet rich in sugary foods and drinks could well be the straw that breaks the camel’s back,” explains Anika Knüppel, who signs this study. The researcher also stresses that a preconceived idea must be reversed.
“People in a bad mood tend to eat sweet to get rid of it,” she says. But in the long run, the opposite effect occurs. It is therefore better to turn to solutions that have been proven, such as regular physical activity.
The French too greedy
The study is formal on one point: it is the consumption of sugar that leads to mental disorders, and not the opposite. Within this cohort, no link emerges in the other direction. This reinforces the idea that depression, anxiety and other pathologies do not lead to the consumption of sugar.
In the eyes of Professor Eric Brunner, also author of the work, this publication also pleads in favor of a tax on sweet products. “The new tax on sugary drinks, which comes into force in April 2018, is a step in the right direction,” he said.
In fact, the UK far exceeds the recommended daily intake of sugar. On average, a Briton absorbs 68 grams per day. The World Health Organization (WHO) advises not to exceed 5% of total daily intake – or 25 grams. In France, the last specific study on the subject dates from 2007. According to INCA 2, the French are also too greedy: they ingest 100 grams of sugar on average every day.
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