Effects of Sugar on the Brain: Cravings and Inflammation

I’ve got a bit of a sweet tooth. I like my coffee light and sweet. I’m a fan of a good slice of cake. I raid my kid’s Halloween chocolate stash. In fact, as I’m writing this very line, I’m reaching for a cookie. Sometimes, I just crave the sweet stuff.

Unlike me, my wife is more of a salty snack person. She’ll take chips over cake any day. She’ll skip the ice cream for more hummus. She rarely has cravings for sweet food.

But she’s probably eating more sugar than she thinks, because sugar is actually one of the most common ingredients in processed foods. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), most Americans get about 13% of their daily calories from sugar added to processed food. Whereas, the World Health Organization recommends that only 5% of daily calories should be from added sugar.

Pour Some Sugar on Me

Our bodies need energy from food so we can live. We get that energy from glucose, a simple form of sugar. (There are other forms, like sucrose, which is regular granulated sugar.) So it’s no surprise that sugar is one of our most celebrated food ingredients, inspiring sculptures,