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Why is sugar so addictive? Time Dental in Surrey investigates…

Why is it that many people often crave sugary foods like chocolate or cake?

When we eat food, glucose, which is a simple sugar that is absorbed through the gut and into the bloodstream, is distributed to cells around the body.

Glucose is important for the brain as it uses glucose as a source of fuel for the cells. These cells cannot store glucose themselves so they need a constant supply from the bloodstream. Eating sugar prompts the body to release the hormone seratonin. This is a hormone that makes you happy which is one of the reasons we turn to it when we crave comfort or when we celebrate.

This increase in sugar results in more insulin produced which helps to regulate the blood sugar levels, but can end up causing a sugar crash which results in making many crave more sugar, leading to a cycle of binge eating. Another problem is our bodies cannot tell when we have had enough of a certain type of sugar.

The NHS says that added sugars should not take up more than 10% of the engergy you get from food and drink each day. Thats approximately 70g a day for men and 50g a day for women. 13 teaspoons is approxiamtely 50g of sugar. To put that into context one can of fizzy pop has about 6 teaspoons of sugar.

It’s all about moderation and being more sugar aware. You can often work out how much sugar you’re consuming a day. It just takes a quick mental calculation!

For more information see HERE

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