Sugar influences many pathways in the body, making it highly desirable to our primitive brain reward systems – while we know consciously that we are better off without it. Millions of years of evolution have wired into us the drive to “get while the getting is good”, so calorie-rich foods, such as fat and sugar, which may have been in short supply to our ancestors, are particularly ‘moreish’ and can be difficult to forgo. Eating these foods triggers a reward system in our brain that congratulates us for doing something that, in evolutionary terms, would have been beneficial – making the most of a scarce food source and escaping famine for another day.
Of course, in the modern West, famine is, for most, unlikely and many of us are battling with the effects of dietary excess. Sugar and other refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, pasta and baked goods, quickly raise blood sugar levels. This blood sugar hike triggers insulin, the hormone that removes sugar from the blood and delivers it into the cells. The resultant blood sugar drop can trigger cravings for more sugary foods and drinks in an attempt to boost blood glucose levels back to their preferred set point – creating a vicious cycle that, for many, ultimately leads to Type 2 diabetes, one of our major modern-day ailments.