Читать книгу Sugar Addicts’ Diet - Nicki Waterman - Страница 30

According to some experts, sugar acts on brain chemicals as well as having an effect on blood-sugar levels. Certain chemicals in our brains – referred to as opiates – have been linked to feeling happy and are often dubbed ‘feel-good’ chemicals. The best known are the endorphins – the natural painkillers that give rise to the ‘runner’s high’ experienced by athletes.

In his book Breaking the Food Seduction, Dr Neal Barnard says that sugar causes the release of natural opiates, ‘cousins of morphine and heroin’ in terms of chemical structure. The result is, he says, ‘whatever physical or psychological troubles might have been bothering you are toned down a bit’. In other words, the opiate-releasing effect of sugar can make you feel like nothing else matters.

To complicate the situation, sugar and other foods rich in refined carbohydrates are also responsible for boosting levels of serotonin, another brain chemical which helps regulate mood and sleep. The release of serotonin that comes from eating sugar brings with it feelings of contentment and relaxation.

The trouble is that if you’re hooked on sugar, you need it to feel good. Low beta-endorphin levels can leave you with cravings and low self-esteem, while low serotonin levels can result in depression. Other experts say if you don’t have a sugar ‘fix’, you suffer withdrawal symptoms and can start to feel irritable. Most sugar addicts will respond to this by feeding the addiction, simply so they can feel ‘normal’ again. But the relief they get is only temporary, and this just locks them further into sugar addiction.

Professor Marie Reid counters that feeling better after eating sugary foods is more likely down to ‘reinforcement’ – believing that the food makes you feel better – rather than its impact on serotonin.