Comment by waterheater
16 hours ago
Sugar is not a harmless substance but actively changes the brain with repeated exposure (that is, eating sugar regularly). Here's a few links from various venues which discuss the neurobiological effects of sugar:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/brb3.70338
https://www.texasinstituteforneurologicaldisorders.com/uncat...
https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/experts-is-...
https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/heres-what-happens-to-your...
I'll even throw in an AI-generated answer from the less-than-eloquent prompt "sugar addiction brain":
> Sugar addiction triggers neurobiological changes in the brain’s mesolimbic dopamine pathway, specifically affecting the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex. Consuming sugar causes a surge in dopamine and endorphins, creating a pleasurable "high" that reinforces consumption. Over time, this repeated stimulation leads to neuroadaptation, characterized by:
> Downregulation of D2 receptors: The brain reduces its dopamine receptors, requiring more sugar to achieve the same effect (tolerance).
> Altered gene expression: Changes in receptor availability in the midbrain and frontal cortex.
> Hippocampal damage: High sugar intake can reduce new neuron production, impairing memory and learning.
>These mechanisms drive compulsive intake, cravings, and withdrawal-like symptoms (such as anxiety and irritability) when sugar is removed. While not formally classified as a substance use disorder in humans, the behavioral and neurochemical parallels to drug addiction (such as bingeing and loss of control) are well-documented in preclinical models and supported by human neuroimaging studies.
I'm curious about if zero-sugar sweeteners have the same effect. From a cursory (AI-aided) query, it seems that there is much less long-term addiction compared to real sugar because the long-term effects are more coupled to the fact that real sugar decomposes to glucose and it's the glucose that causes those neuroadaptations. Artificial sweeteners have other side effects of course, but it seems like sugar has the worst long-term impact.
I think it’s gut biome problems. So you just trade one problem for another, while tasting bad? Pass.
Well not all artificial sweetener is the same. Some people get gut stuff from sugar alcohols, but I don’t believe that’s been observed in Aspartame. I drink a good amount of Diet Coke, because it’s delicious, and I never get any stomach pain or digestive issues from it. I get more digestive troubles from coffee.
Well sugar is the most immediate form of energy. Most high performance athletes eat a lot of sugar. Its also pretty clear we are evolved to consume it.
How does this play together with what you mentioned above?
Not him, but sugar, for most of human history, was in very short supply.
I generally believe that many (most?) self destructive human behaviors are a result of maladaptive evolution. For most of our history, I imagine gorging on sugar was the correct choice. If you find a high sugar food, you should eat as much as possible.
That worked for a long time, until sugar became in high supply. Now, we still have pathways to encourage that gorging, but it’s bad for us.