The Effects of Sugar on Your Mental Health

Sugar has often been called out for its harmful effects on our bodies. But did you know that eating excess sugar has adverse effects on your mental health too?

Sugar in its processed form or desserts is highly addictive. In Western Diets, sugar is consumed regularly causing diseases like obesity, diabetes, depression, and heart diseases. Reducing sugar intake is recommended for people at risk of chronic diseases and illness. Cutting sugar has a physical and mental impact on your life and health. Let’s look at the effects of sugar on your mental health.

Weakens Ability to Handle Stress- Turning to comfort foods or dessert is a common method to cope with stress. People consume ice-cream, sugar, or desserts when faced with difficult days or situations. It’s because foods high in sugar can weaken your ability to respond to stress. Sugar helps you feel less stressed by suppressing the pituitary glands in your brain, that control your response to stress. Studies have found that sugar inhibited cortisol secretion in females, reducing feelings of tension and anxiety. Cortisol is the stress hormone in our bodies. This temporary relief can be extremely dangerous as it makes us reliant on sugar and raises the risk of obesity and diabetes.

Increases Risk of Depression- Relying on sugar or comfort foods during stressful days can create a vicious cycle. You depend on desserts and junk foods to manage your stress, anxiety, depression, and emotions. Over-consumption of sugar triggers an imbalance in specific brain chemicals. These imbalances often lead to depression and may even increase the risk of developing long-term mental health disorders. Research has proven that men and women who consumed a high amount of sugar every day were 23% more likely to develop clinical depression within 5 years.

Affects Your Mood- Sugar Rush or the positive effects of eating sugary foods are negative phenomena health-wise. Sugary treats have no positive impact on our mood and can have the opposite effect over time. Consuming a diet high in sugar increases the chances of incident mood disorders in men. Regular consumption of saturated fats and added sugars were related to higher feelings of anxiety in adults over the age of 60. Diet and lifestyle choices affect your well-being and mental health. Including sugar and sugary foods on a regular basis can damage your mental health and affect your mood negatively.

Impairs Brain Functions- Diets high in sugar can impair brain functioning and cognitive skills. While other markers like weight gain or excessive energy intake may be absent, the impact on our brain is a risk. Consuming sugary foods or beverages regularly affected neurocognitive functions like memory and decision making. Diets high in sugar cause poor appetite control, memory loss, and dullness.

Withdrawal can be difficult- People who consume sugar daily or regularly can find quitting sugar extremely difficult. Sugar is one of the most addictive substances known to man. Withdrawal from sugar can lead to several symptoms such as- irritation, mood swings, anxiety, stress, confusion, and fatigue. Withdrawal symptoms of sugar mimic those of addictive substances like drugs, tobacco, and alcohol. People consuming sugar regularly will experience physiological sensations of withdrawal if they suddenly stop consuming sugar. That’s why experts recommended reducing consumption instead of quitting sugar cold turkey. Suddenly stopping sugar can cause extreme withdrawal symptoms and even lead to panic attacks.

So how can one tackle the negative effects of sugar on our mental health? Understand that sugar is present in pretty much every food you consume. Sodas, colas, juices, biscuits, sauces, salad dressings, frozen meals, condiments, and sauces all have some form of sugar present in them. Manufacturers have become smart and use various names to hide the sugar in their foods. Foods labeled ‘sugar-free’ also contain sugars under labels like ‘Maltitol’ or ‘Xylitol’ etc. Learn how to read labels and know all the names sugar is labeled as to avoid being fooled. While consuming a certain amount of sugar is healthy and recommended, going overboard is what can hamper your mental health. Avoid and reduce junk foods, processed foods, desserts, and beverages that contain sugar. Add alternatives like honey, stevia, erythritol, jaggery, and sugar-free tablets to your drinks and meals. Rely on natural and healthy sugars present in fruits to sustain you. Limit your consumption of beverages like Coke to once a week or month. Replace regular Coke with the sugar-free version if you wish. You don’t need to deny your body everything but keep sugary foods or desserts as a treat or an occasional food. If you crave sugar regularly then it may be time to understand why you have those particular cravings and consider long-term implications of giving in to those cravings. Remove any tempting items or desserts from your pantry so you don’t have easy access to them and can make it easier to consume them when the craving strikes.