Several studies have already shown in the past that excess sugar alters the neurons of certain animals.
The consumption of sweet foods, by releasing dopamine in the brain, does good, creates pleasure. But you have to avoid excess, even if you have a salty lunch. Anyway, our organism is designed so that the brain has sufficient resources. It is only in the case of poorly controlled diabetes or prolonged fasting that the brain can lack glucose, explains Xavier Fioramonti, researcher at the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (Inrae), at the Bordeaux nutri neuro unit. And on the contrary, excess added sugar can not only create the ground for diabetes, but also harm the brain.
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This researcher has published several studies on the subject. The latest, published a few weeks ago, establishes a link between excess sugar and anxiety. These studies are done on animal models. Researchers have established that if mice are made to consume a lot of sugar, and they become diabetic, some of their neurons, involved in particular in emotions, are altered. This contributes to the development of anxiety.
In the past, other studies have also shown that if you give a lot of sugar to rats, especially in adolescence, during the growth period, they have a poorer memory in adulthood. It is the modification of the microbiota in connection with the excess of sugar, which influences the functioning of their brain. A new study shows as well, bacteria present in our intestine.
Pay attention to your sugar intake
The good benchmarks for not consuming too much sugar are for an adult, according to theNational Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (Anses), you should not exceed 100 g of sugar per day (including fruit sugar), unfortunately 20 to 30% of adults are beyond that. What must be tracked down is above all the added sugar in coffee and tea, but above all in industrial products and beverages.