Your brain on sugar - part 2

The brain continuously remodels and ____________________ itself through a process called ____________________ . This rewiring can happen in the reward system . ____________________ activation of the reward pathway by drugs or by eating lots of sugary foods causes the brain to ____________________ to frequent stimulation , leading to a sort of ____________________ .

In the case of sweet foods , this means we need to eat more to get the same ____________________ feeling ? a classic feature of ____________________ .

Food addiction is a ____________________ subject among scientists and clinicians . While it is true that you can become physically ____________________ on certain drugs , it is ____________________ whether you can be addicted to food when you need it for basic ____________________ .

Regardless of our need for food to power our bodies , many people experience food ____________________ , particularly when stressed , hungry or just ____________________ with an alluring display of cakes in a coffee shop .

To resist cravings , we need to ____________________ our natural response to indulge in these tasty foods . A network of inhibitory neurons is critical for ____________________ behaviour . These neurons are concentrated in the prefrontal cortex ? a key area of the brain ____________________ in decision - making , impulse control and delaying ____________________ .

Inhibitory neurons are like the brain ? s brakes and release the chemical GABA . Research in rats has shown that eating high - sugar diets can ____________________ the inhibitory neurons . The sugar - fed rats were also less able to ____________________ their behaviour and make ____________________ .

Importantly , this shows that what we eat can influence our ____________________ to resist ____________________ and may ____________________ why diet changes are so difficult for people .

A recent study asked people to ____________________ how much they wanted to eat high - calorie snack foods when they were feeling hungry versus when they had recently eaten . The people who regularly ate a high - fat , high - sugar diet rated their ____________________ for snack foods higher even when they weren ? t hungry .

This suggests that regularly eating high - sugar foods could ____________________ cravings ? creating a ____________________ circle of wanting more and more of these foods .

Another brain area ____________________ by high sugar diets is the hippocampus ? a key memory centre . Research shows that rats eating high - sugar diets were less able to ____________________ whether they had previously seen objects in specific locations before .

The sugar - induced changes in the hippocampus were both a ____________________ of newborn neurons , which are vital for encoding memories , and an increase in chemicals ____________________ to inflammation .

The World Health Organization advises that we limit our ____________________ of added sugars to five per cent of our daily calorie intake , which is 25g ( six teaspoons ) .

____________________ the average Canadian adult consumes 85g ( 20 teaspoons ) of sugar per day , this is a big diet change for many .

Importantly , the brain ? s neuroplasticity capabilities allow it to ____________________ to an extent following cutting down on dietary sugar , and physical exercise can ____________________ this process . Foods rich in omaga - 3 fats ( found in fish oil , nuts and seeds ) are also neuroprotective and can ____________________ brain chemicals needed to form new neurons .

While it ? s not easy to ____________________ habits like always eating dessert or making your coffee a double - double ( Double Double = two shots of cream and two shots of sugar with the original brewed coffee in Canada ) , your brain will thank you for making positive steps .

The first step is often the hardest . These diet changes can often get easier along the way .