February 5, 2017.
Sugar acts like a drug in our brain, activating certain neural circuits. And like drugs, sugar could be deadly.
Sugar acts like a drug in our brain
After salt and fat, sugar has really become, in recent years, the n ° 1 enemy of our health. Studies are linked on the subject to demonstrate the fatal nature of sugar and its role in the development of diabetes, obesity and certain cardiovascular diseases. Sugar is even accused by some researchers of promoting hyperactivity in children, impairing memory and promoting depression.
And yet, despite all these ills, sugar remains an essential value in our diet. It is naturally adored by children, and very much appreciated by adults. And there is a reason behind this phenomenon:sugar would act like a drug on our brain that we could get addicted to. Le Figaro devotes an article to the subject and reveals that sugar works just like a hard drug.
Sugar consumption is increasing in developed countries
This addiction ” originates deep in the brain, where all other drugs work », Explains the daily. ” Sugar stimulates neurons which project their ramifications towards a particular region of the brain: the nucleus accumbens. This is the centerpiece of what is known as the reward circuit “.
Concretely, when we consume sugar, our body responds with dopamine, this hormone that makes us happy and motivates us, as does sport when it is practiced regularly. But unlike sport, sugar, consumed in too large a quantity, is very dangerous for health. To believe the numbers, Western countries are the most affected by this overconsumption, but do not seem to fully appreciate this danger. For 30 years, sugar consumption has indeed increased by 45% in these regions.
Gaelle Latour
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