This
ingredient should be consumed within the limit.
Numerous
lifestyle elements influence your mental health. Socializing, sleeping,
exercising, and eating well are just a few pillars that might help you stay
focused. When it comes to nutrition, we know that certain meals, such as
omega-3-rich foods, fruits and vegetables, and antioxidant-rich foods can help
with brain health.
While
these are the meals you should frequently consume to keep your mind sharp,
there is one eating habit you should avoid: drinking large amounts of refined
sugar. Continue reading to learn more about how processed sugar can harm your
brain.
It's
crucial to distinguish between natural sugar in milk and fruit and processed
sugar commonly added to foods and beverages. When it comes to refined sugar,
think about what you use in baking, what you put in your coffee, the type of
sugar in soda and juice, and the form found in various candies, pastries, and
even savory sauces.
According
to the American Heart Association,
adults consume a daily average of 77 grams of sugar, approximately three times
the amount suggested for women. The American Heart Association recommends that
women take 25 grams of sugar per day while men consume no more than 36 grams.
Type 2
diabetes is linked to a high-refined sugar diet, and evidence suggests that having type 2 diabetes raises the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
Another study found a link between blood glucose levels and dementia, with greater glucose levels
in diabetic and non-diabetic people being linked to a higher risk of dementia.
While
genetic factors are likely to play a role in brain health and the risk of
memory-related disorders, recent research suggests that your food and beverage
choices also impact. Another rat study indicated
that a high-sugar diet, particularly high-fructose corn syrup, causes brain
inflammation and impairs memory.
A
small amount of sugar is unlikely to harm your health, but if you find yourself
consuming various sources of sugar daily, try cutting back to meet the AHA's
sugar intake recommendations. Replace regular soda with diet or unsweetened
sparkling water, replace sugar with a zero-calorie sugar alternative, change
candy for fruit, and fill up on protein and fiber-dense foods to keep you full
and satisfied and less likely to consume sugary foods.
Animals
have been used in many current investigations on the effects of sugar on the
brain. While this is useful in providing preliminary data and serving as a
model for performing comparable studies in people, additional study is needed
to develop definitive sugar intake guidelines for brain function.
However, recent evidence suggests that restricting refined sugar consumption can lower your risk of various diseases, including type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's, dementia, obesity, and heart disease.