sugar

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sugar

·April 15, 2020·4 min read

A gut-to-brain circuit drives sugar preference and may explain sugar cravings

Sweet tasting foods don't only trigger the taste buds, they also switch on a neurological pathway that begins in the gut. In the intestines, signals of sugar ingestion travel to the brain, sparking an appetite for more sweet foods. However, this pathway only responds to sugars, not artificial sweeteners.

Featured Neuroscience

·July 9, 2019·2 min read

Blue light at night increases the consumption of sweets: Rat study

Rats exposed to blue light at night were more prone to indulge in sugary snacks than regular foods.

This shows a cartoon of people on a cross roads

Featured Neuroscience

·July 10, 2020·3 min read

Brain Cells that Trigger Sugar Cravings and Consumption Identified

FGF21, a hormone created in the liver in response to increased levels of sugar, acts in the brain to suppress sugar intake and controls the preference for sweet-tasting foods.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·October 17, 2020·3 min read

Could Excessive Sugar Intake Contribute to Aggressive Behaviors, ADHD, Bipolar Disorder?

Study reveals a high fructose diet could contribute to bipolar disorder, ADHD, and behavioral aggression.

MRI scan with the striatum highlighted in red.

Featured Neuroscience

·January 25, 2016·2 min read

Deciphering Sugar’s Siren Song

Signals for taste and nutrients are processed in two separate areas of the striatum, a new study reports.

Image shows a person holding a slice of cake.

Featured Neuroscience

·July 29, 2017·3 min read

Dulled Taste May Prompt More Calories on Path to Obesity

A new study reveals blocking taste receptors leads people to desire sweeter, higher calorie foods. Researchers believe a dulled sense of taste could increase a person's obesity risk.

This image shows MRI brain scans of the limbic system.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·June 25, 2015·4 min read

Fructose Not as Stimulating to Brain’s Reward System as Glucose

A new study reports fructose produces less reward sensations in the brain than glucose.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 22, 2022·3 min read

How Sugar Promotes Inflammation

Excessive glucose consumption directly promotes the pathological function of certain cells within the immune system. Calorie-reduced diets can have beneficial effects on the immune system and have autoimmune diseases.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·April 20, 2017·5 min read

Is Soda Bad For Your Brain?

Excess consumption of both regular and diet soda are associated with accelerated brain aging, smaller hippocampal volume and poor memory.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 4, 2019·3 min read

No such thing as ‘sugar rush’! Sugar worsens mood rather than improving it

Carbohydrate consumption from sugary drinks and snacks does not help to improve mood. The findings may help increase public awareness that the 'sugar rush' is a myth and help inform health policies to promote healthier alternatives.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·March 31, 2021·4 min read

Not So Sweet: Sugary Diet Early in Life Could Lead to Cognitive Problems Later

Consuming high levels of sugar-sweetened beverages early in life may lead to memory problems during adulthood. Researchers found, compared to rats who consumed only water, those who drank sugar-sweetened beverages had difficulties in memory recall associated with the hippocampus. The study also found a link between specific changes in gut bacteria in rats who drank sugary drinks and impaired brain function.