Sugar Affects Mental Health: How Excessive Sugar Intake Can Cause Depression and Anxiety
Sugar Affects Mental Health: How Excessive Sugar Intake Can Cause Depression and Anxiety
You probably knew that too much sugar wasn’t good for your physical health, but did you know how sugar affects mental health as well? In fact, some experts believe that the relationship between sugar consumption and depression is so strong that people who consume an excessive amount of sugar may experience worsening depression and anxiety along with deteriorating mental health over time.
The foods you eat also have implications for your long-term health. Specifically, excessive sugar intake can result in an increased risk for mood disorders like depression.
The most common sources of sugar are fruits, vegetables, and grains, but they can also be found in refined food like pasta, cakes, baked goods, bread, soda, and candy. The typical American diet heavily relies on carbs that are easily digestible, such as sugar and white flour, and does not include complex carbs derived from healthier sources.
Eating too many simple sugars may lead to depression, mood disorders, and a decline in health issues. Continue reading for a deeper discussion of the relationship between sugar and depression, including advice for dealing with a sugar addiction.
How Much Sugar Is Too Much For Mental Health?
Research suggests that a third of our calorie intake should come from naturally occurring sugars, not added sugars, which can also increase our risk for obesity. WHO recommends adults and children reduce their intake of free sugars to 10% of their total daily energy intake. A reduction to 5% or less, or 25 grams a day(6 teaspoons), would offer further health benefits. If you’re trying to lose weight or prevent health problems like type 2 diabetes, it’s a good idea to monitor your intake of sugar-rich foods. Avoiding added sugar is especially important if you’re also trying to combat anxiety or depression; scientific studies indicate that excessive intake of sugar exacerbates symptoms in those suffering from mental illness.
Many people find that quitting sugar helps improve their mood. Quitting processed foods—which are typically high in added sugars—is one way to start doing so. Many processed foods also contain artificial sweeteners, which may cause further problems with mental health and anxiety when consumed excessively. Studies show that excessive carbohydrate consumption affects mental health as well.
Natural Carbohydrates Are Better Than The Artificial Ones
It’s worth noting that some carbohydrates are better than others: Those containing fiber are best, while refined carbohydrates such as white bread and pasta should be avoided whenever possible—or at least limited in your diet. In other words, excessive carbohydrate consumption is associated with anxiety and depression. Anxiety loves sugar. One study conducted on college students showed that students who ate higher amounts of added sugar had increased levels of stress hormones after eating compared to students who ate less added sugar. Researchers suggest that having higher blood glucose levels may make you feel hungrier sooner after eating and make it harder to control how much food you eat. This feeling would contribute to overeating, particularly sugary snacks and desserts later on in the day. Additionally, refined carbohydrates often lack vitamins and minerals needed for optimal brain function – another reason why they could affect your mood negatively over time. Refined Carbohydrates Are Addictive. As long as you continue consuming them, your body will crave them like an addict craves their next fix. And guess what? Sugary beverages are full of empty calories that lead to spikes in blood sugar. If you’re feeling stressed out and anxious on a regular basis, consider eliminating all processed foods from your diet for 30 days to see if you notice any changes in your mood or energy level. After only five days without carbs, some patients noticed a significant improvement—which highlights just how addictive certain carbs can be.
The Role Of Dopamine
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter—i.e., a chemical that sends signals between neurons in your brain—that plays an important role in motivation, rewards, cravings, movement, and mood. For example, having low dopamine can lead to Parkinson’s disease (which results in tremors or lack of coordination) as well as depression. But what exactly does dopamine do? According to Time Magazine, it helps control pleasure-seeking behavior by affecting how you experience rewards. Also keep in mind that while moderate amounts of sugar don’t necessarily lead to mental health problems like anxiety or depression (see below), too much sugar causes inflammation throughout your body, which can affect your brain function over time. One study found that long-term consumption of high fructose corn syrup was linked with depression! To help maintain a healthy balance of dopamine, consume complex carbohydrates instead of refined sugars. Complex carbs are also known as slow-burning carbs because they release glucose into your bloodstream more slowly than simple sugars do. This slow-burn makes them better for energy production, so you won’t crash later on down the road (or at least not nearly as quickly). It also helps regulate insulin levels and keeps inflammation at bay.
Sugar And Depression, A Major Link
Processed food and depression are both huge issues for Americans, but research increasingly shows that there is a direct link between high sugar intake and depression. A major case study examined how dietary habits affect mental health. The findings suggest that even minor improvements in diet can make a big difference. While previous studies have shown associations between depression and overall calorie consumption, it’s becoming more clear that refined carbohydrates, not calories overall, cause anxiety, stress, binge eating, mood swings, irritability, and other negative behaviors that interfere with daily life. For people who struggle with these issues (even if they aren’t clinically diagnosed), improving diet quality may improve mental performance. The Link Between Sugar, Addiction, and Depression is well established. The correlation between processed food and depression may seem counterintuitive at first, but researchers have discovered that it has a lot to do with cortisol levels. When we eat sugary foods, our bodies quickly respond by producing large amounts of insulin. Elevated insulin suppresses our ability to produce cortisol – one of our main stress hormones. Without cortisol production, our bodies can no longer effectively regulate blood sugar or respond to stress. The result? We feel stressed out and depressed.
The Benefits Of Quitting Sugary Foods To Combat Depression
There is a relationship between sugar and mental health. Sugary foods are often comfort foods. Many people tend to eat sugary or starchy foods when they’re depressed, anxious, or feeling down. However, sugary foods are not going to cure your depression or anxiety; in fact, they could make it worse. A diet high in sugar can cause emotional disorders like depression and anxiety because these mental disorders have strong physical effects. Emotional problems will bring about negative emotions causing changes in body chemistry that lead to rapid mood swings that contribute to further emotional swings such as depression and anxiety. Cutting out sugar as much as possible will help with relieving symptoms of depression because sugar interferes with normal brain functioning causing hormonal imbalances. The best way to deal with depression is by quitting sugary foods and sticking to a healthy diet rich in vitamins, minerals, proteins, and healthy fats. In addition to eating healthier meals, try exercising regularly so you can cope better with stress caused by work or other issues outside of work. If you want more information on how quitting sugar affects mental health read below for some great tips on how you can quit sugar for good!
Tips For Minimizing Sugar Consumption
Stick to Natural Sources of Carbohydrates
Start by cutting back on artificial sources. For example, if you want a sweet treat, consider an apple or other fruit instead of cake or candy. Choose healthier desserts when eating out, such as frozen yogurt or sorbet instead of ice cream. Whole grains are generally better than refined ones; brown rice is better than white rice, for example.
Study Food Labels
Make this a habit to always study food labels—even those on things like protein bars that seem healthy. A bar might be high in protein but have high amounts of sugar to accompany it. Read ingredient lists carefully to look for hidden sugars in dressings and sauces (for example, brown sugar is listed as an ingredient in many salad dressings).
Exercise!
Consuming excess sugar can cause feelings of depression and anxiety. If you know you’re going to consume more than your body needs, try exercising beforehand so that your body has already received its fix of dopamine from exercise before indulging in extra calories from dessert. By avoiding excess consumption and choosing healthier options overall, your mental health will benefit over time. Exercise is key because exercise releases endorphins which increase happiness levels. The added bonus is that “being happy” helps fight off depression. Feeling tired after consuming a lot of sugar makes people feel anxious and depressed due to low energy levels making them less productive and also unhappy about their lack of productivity due to feeling tired after consuming lots of sugar. This often leads people to believe they need even more sugar just to get through their day with normal activity making them think they are addicted to it when really they just need exercise instead.
And finally? Pace yourself! Specially when you experience signs your antidepressant dose is too strong
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