T H E S C I E N C E B E H I N D S U G A R C R AV I N G S

Why do we get sugar cravings? why does chocolate make us happy? Why do we feel better after physical exercise? In order to answer these questions we need to move away from nutrition and into neuroscience. Our brain is a very complex structure, yet our body as a whole can be quite predictable. In order to answer these three questions we need to nd a common variable,. This can be found in the form of serotonin levels in the brain.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter which plays an important role in the regulation of learning, mood, sleep and vasoconstriction. Aside from this serotonin deciencies have been heavily related to depression. Sugar, Chocolate and Physical Exercise all increase serotonin levels in the brain. Tryptophan Tryptophan is an essential amino acid, meaning that it cannot be synthesized by the human body. Tryptophan also acts as a biochemical precursor for compounds such as melatonin and serotonin (a precursor is a compound that participates in the chemical reaction that produces another compound). When we ingest sugar our body releases insulin to regulate blood sugar levels (except for fructose which is mainly digested in the liver). When insulin is released it essentially stimulates the uptake of all amino acids to the muscle (hence why we ingest fast acting carbohydrates post workout with protein shakes). However, there is one exception to this, Tryptophan. As a result when insulin is released tryptophan will be found in a high concentration in blood levels, which in turn will lead to a more efcient delivery of tryptophan to the brain where a larger amount of serotonin will be produced. High levels of serotonin stimulate the secretion of endorphins which produce the feeling of happiness. With this in mind lets now look back at the tree questions asked earlier: Why Do We Get Sugar Cravings? Our body constantly seeks a biochemical balance, when we are depressed it is often related to low serotonin levels in the brain, therefore our body will attempt to balance the levels out as best it can. Therefore by craving sugar our body knows that this will effectively increase the levels of serotonin in the brain and can cure our temporary depression. However when we ingest sugar and raise serotonin levels in a normal state we get the feeling of happiness (related to the connection between serotonin and dopamine). The brain recognizes and likes the feeling generated from high serotonin levels and essentially craves for more. It may shock you to hear that Heroin, Morphine and Sugar all stimulate the same receptors in the brain. Also I mentioned earlier regarding fructose (found in fruit) being digested mainly in the liver and having a minimal effect on blood sugar levels. This is why we tend not to crave Fruit when we have sugar cravings. Why Does Chocolate Make Us Happy? Chocolate contains three important compounds we need to analyze when attempting to answer this question, two of which we have discussed earlier. Tryptophan, Sugar & Phenylethylamine. Now the combination of tryptophan and sugar together will have a bigger impact on tryptophan concentration

in the blood and therefore serotonin levels in the brain, but also we need to explore the third compound, Phenylethylamine. High levels of this neurotransmitter helps promote the feeling of attraction and excitement. Aside from this chocolate also contains Magnesium which has been shown to ease symptoms of PMS. Why Do We Feel Better After Physical Exercise? Now weve talked about the brain chemical serotonin a lot in this article, and how it is important for regulating mood. And when it comes to physical activity the same outcome is concluded. According to the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence, UK, exercise increases brain serotonin function in humans. Aside from this regular exercise has also shown to increase the level of tryptophan in the brain (which effectively again will increase serotonin levels). The same conclusion can be made with all three of these questions, and it all comes down to serotonin. How to Prevent Sugar Cravings? As discussed above the basic means in which you prevent sugar cravings is looking for alternative methods to increase serotonin levels in the brain, such as physical activity. However poor nutrition can also be a cause of poor serotonin levels therefore ensuring an Omega 3 and Protein rich diet can always help prevent sugar cravings. Supplementing with L-Glutamine (5g Per Day) has also shown to be an effective method of combating sugar cravings. Essentially sugar cravings are related to neurotransmitter deciencies (such as serotonin transmitters) which will eventually be reproduced and therefore sugar cravings will wear off after a short period of time assuming a nutritious diet is being ingested.