How do you drink your morning coffee? If you add a (small) teaspoon of sugar, you are probably making the right choice: according to a recent American study, sugar – when consumed in moderation, of course – would be good against stress.
To reach this conclusion, researchers at the University of California conducted an experiment on 19 women, aged 18 to 40. Half of them were instructed to consume a sugary drink – tea or coffee, therefore – morning, noon and evening, for 12 days. The second group had the same instructions, but withaspartame. During these 12 days, the participants were not allowed to consume other sugary drinks: neither fruit juice nor sodas.
Avoid compulsive snacking
Before and after the experiment, the volunteers took a math test during which the researchers measured their cortisol levels through saliva tests and their brain activity through MRI. Verdict: women who had consumed “real” sugar were much less stressed than those who had been entitled to aspartame.
“Eating a little sugar before a stressful moment would therefore be beneficial, explains Dr. Kevin Laugero, lead author of this study published in the scientific journal Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. In addition, this habit made it possible to avoid compulsive snacking linked to stress, and partly responsible for obesity.” A little sugar to avoid swallowing the whole chocolate bar, you had to think about it!
Be careful, this is not a reason to add 12 sugar cubes to your espresso! We remind you of the harmful effects of sugar on health.
And also: an app to test your stress level.
