Sugar intake has sky-rocketed in recent times, and with this, sugar cravings have become a new problem.

If you notice carefully, sugar cravings persist even after you’ve consumed something sweet. No matter how much sugar you consume, you still want to consume more of it. 

On the contrary, when you don’t consume too much sugar, you don’t experience sugar cravings at all.

So, does sugar cause more sugar cravings? Is there a relationship between high sugar intake and sugar cravings?

Does Sugar Cause More Sugar Cravings?

Yes, high sugar intake has a direct relationship with sugar cravings. Too much sugar consumption can lead to sugar cravings and the reason for this lies in the action of insulin and how sugar is metabolised in our body when it reaches our circulation.

The cells in our body use glucose as a fuel to function. With the help of insulin, our cells take up the glucose present in the blood and use it as energy. If enough energy is available, the extra glucose is stored in our body, through various processes, as fat. 

Too much free sugar never circulates in our blood for a long time (a couple of hours usually). The more the blood sugar levels, the more insulin will be released by the pancreas, which will help with the metabolism of sugar.

SO, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU CONSUME TOO MUCH SUGAR?

1. Sugar and insulin

When we consume too much sugar, our body goes into a vicious cycle. Too much sugar consumption causes frequent insulin release, leading to a crash in blood sugar levels.

Now, glucose is the primary source of energy in our body for most cells, including our brain. So, low blood sugar means low energy supply to our cells and organs for their proper functioning.

Therefore, to balance out the low blood sugar levels, our brain triggers sugar cravings, letting us know that the sugar levels are low— to bring the blood sugar levels back up. 

As a result of this process, we experience more sugar cravings and end up consuming more sugar/sweets than usual. 

2. Sugar and dopamine

Another thing that causes us to consume more sugar is how our brain sees sugar. Sugar stimulates the reward system in our brain, causing a release of dopamine, which is one of the feel-good hormones.

So, consuming sugar makes you feel good.

But the thing is, this reward system blunts when you persistently consume high amounts of sugar. Meaning, you will need to consume more amount of sugar to get the same degree of “dopamine hit”. And so, you crave more sugar.

So, all these factors combined cause more sugar cravings and make us prone to consuming more sugar when we consume high amounts of sugar.

How Can You Stop Sugar Cravings?

Simple changes in your eating habits can help you manage sugar cravings. Your goal is to not enter the vicious cycle of sugar consumption and sugar cravings.

Awareness is the first step, therefore. 

Be mindful of how much sugar you are consuming per day. How much sugar you can safely consume per day is discussed in the section below. But, in general, the less sugar you consume, the less sugar cravings you will have on any given day.

Another important thing is to have a steady supply of energy. This means you need to eat foods that provide you a slow and steady supply of energy for a long time, instead of a sudden rise and sudden drop in blood sugar levels, as what happens with sugar.

You can better manage your blood sugar levels by consuming sugary treats after your meals, and by consuming simple carbohydrates with fats, proteins and complex carbohydrates. Doing this will prevent any sharp rise and fall in blood sugar levels.

To know how you can better manage your sugar and simple carbohydrate intake, you can read this article: How To Consume Sugar And Simple Carbohydrates In A Healthy Way

How Much Sugar Can You Safely Consume Per Day?

Given that too much intake of sugar is not good for you, various health bodies, like the WHO (World Health Organisation) and the AHA (American Heart Association) have given some recommendations regarding how much sugar you can consume without compromising your health status.

In general, both WHO and AHA ask us to be aggressive in our sugar consumption. 

WHO (World Health Organisation)

The WHO says that the total energy that comes from refined sugar on any given day should be less than 10% of their total energy intake. This means if your daily recommended calorie intake as per your age and gender is 2000 calories per day then of this, 200 calories or less should come from refined sugar.

However, they add that reducing refined sugar intake to 5% of total energy intake would yield an even better result. So, for a 2000-calorie diet, less than 100 calories should come from refined sugar.

AHA (American Heart Association):

AHA gives the following recommendations:

• Less than 100 calories/day or 6 teaspoons (24g) for women, 
• less than 150 calories/day or 9 teaspoons (30 g) for men, 
• less than 6 teaspoons (24 g) per day for 2-18 years. 
• AHA also recommends an 8-ounce per week limit of sugary beverages for kids.

1 teaspoon = 4 gm of sugar. 

1 teaspoon of sugar=16 calories, as per USDA.

You can use this reference while reading the labels or for at-home measurements.

Controlling sugar intake is essential for a long-term good health

It is no secret that the average sugar intake has significantly risen in the last 100 years. And yes, our brain has evolved to like sweet things because it is a readily available form of energy. Additionally, glucose can be stored in our body as a future emergency energy supply. So, it is a perfect fuel for our body.

However, with the increase in sugar intake in the current times, we are not only storing too much energy in our body in the form of fat but also inviting many other health issues.

Some of the common health issues linked with too much sugar consumption are:

1. Insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes,
2. hypertension,
3. heart diseases,
4. non-alcoholic fatty liver,
5. increased risk of certain cancers,
6. tooth caries,
7. sleep disturbance,
8. weight gain, etc.

Refined sugar does not provide any nutritional value. And you don’t actually need to quit sugar; you can add a teaspoon of sugar to your tea without worrying about dying early. But it is essential that you don’t overdo refined sugar daily. It will only add to the weight and invite diseases.

Too much sugar is bad for health. Therefore, the cycle of sugar cravings and consuming too much sugar is harmful to your overall well-being.

Moderation is the key, always!

Sugar Causes More Sugar Cravings: Points To Remember

Yes, too much sugar consumption will cause more sugar cravings. And we already know too much sugar intake is harmful to our health. Therefore, the key is moderation. 

Simple changes in our eating habits, like knowing how much sugar you can safely eat, how to consume simple carbohydrates, and choosing healthier snacking options, can help you stay healthy.