I’ve never been one for sugary drinks or food, but for some reason this semester I’ve developed an affinity for sugary drinks. I don’t know why and I’m not proud of it. Sugar can affect your body in many ways. Namely, you can get fat. Fingers crossed I shake the habit before that happens. But why do I keep reaching for the Kickstart or sugary Starbucks coffee-drink? Why do I find myself doing that now when I never did as a kid? Lets explore.

Sugar is Addictive!

Lets start with naming a few drugs… Marijuana, cocaine, adderall, heroine, caffeine, alcohol and sugar. Yes, sugar. In 2008, a team of Princeton researchers conducted a well known study using rats to look at the behavioral and neurochemical effects of sugar intake. The team tried to establish a scientific definition of addiction using the neurological traits of withdrawal, tolerance and dependence and then relate that to the neurological and behavioral changes found in rats that consumed excessive amounts of sugar. They found that rats given access to a sugary solution and food on intermittent intervals demonstrated both the behaviors and brain changes found in rats that were given the ability to self administer drugs. Their control group was a group of rats that were fed regular chow. The brain changes they observed in the experimental group were parallel to those observed in a similar Princeton study done in 2001 that showed that excessive intake of sugar sensitized specific dopamine receptors in the hypothalami of rats in the same way as some abusive drugs. Using this information, they concluded that there was a “striking” correspondence between the neurological changes in the rats and people with bulimia. Finally, the researchers stated that their evidence was in fact enough to establish that sugar can be addictive.

Now, as with any study, it is up to other scientists to evaluate and criticize what they found. Their conclusion is dependent on how their peers view the validity of their definition of addiction as a result. Either way, it could be enough to make me think I need a sugar intervention!

Can Sugar Make You Stupid??

A study done at the University of California in Los Angeles was detailed in an article for the UCLA Newsroom website. The author, Elaine Schmidt, of this article claims that the study found that a diet high in fructose can impair our learning ability and memory. Similar to the first study, the UCLA researchers used rats in their experiment. They used two groups of rats, each fed a fructose solution in place of drinking water for six weeks. Both groups were fed a normal diet of rat chow; the only difference was that group 2 was given Omega-3 fatty acids to supplement their diet. Before starting these diets, the mice were trained twice a day for five days on the same maze. After six weeks of the experimental diet, the two groups of mice were tested on their ability to navigate the maze. To their surprise, the rats that were not given Omega-3 fatty acids took much longer to navigate the maze and their brains showed a decline in synaptic activity. The lead researcher, Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, attributed the decline in synaptic ability to how increased levels of insulin (due to a fructose rich diet) interfere with the way that the brain stores and uses sugar. He explains that the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) found in Omega-3 fatty acids actually protected the brain cells of the rats from the higher insulin levels.

Based on this study, I think the author of this article incorrect to say that a fructose rich diet can impair human learning and memory based on the research. To start, the study did not include a group of rats that were fed a normal drinking water and not given a fructose solution. What is to say that the Omega-3 fatty acids are not the catalyst for the difference in memory and learning and not the fructose.  Also, it is hard to definitively extrapolate the neurological findings of rats to the human brain. However, it is extremely interesting that Omega-3 fatty acids can potentially have a positive effect on learning and I think more studies should focus on this potential relationship.

In the end, it is safe to say that you should pay close attention to your sugar intake and maybe resist that urge to grab a coke at lunch. It may be a little early to say that sugar will make you dumber but it definitely is an interesting question. And on a side note, I may start taking some Omega-3 fatty acids to make me smarter…. maybe my blogs will be more interesting!