If eating a little sugar leads to a binge, read this

There are many reasons why we might crave and eat too much sugar.

Commonly they include

A lack of good fat in your diet
Insufficient protein in your diet
Sugar/refined carbs are addictive to our brain
Gut imbalances like yeast/fungal infections can drive them
Stress, which can be relieved by sugar

But I’m going to delve deeper into a couple.

Internal triggering
A specific brain receptor for the neurotransmitter dopamine (reward) called D1 makes some people more susceptible to ‘priming’. This is where a small amount of a food triggers us to the point of bingeing.

Sugar stimulates the release of beta-endorphin, which in turn stimulates dopamine. When this D1 receptor binds with dopamine, those susceptible to priming may crave more sugar.

If this is you, quitting sugar bit by bit is unlikely to work as this can trigger bingeing. Going cold turkey is the best strategy, then avoiding sugar altogether.
Serotonin & Insulin Resistance
Serotonin is our happy neurotransmitter, which also promotes satiety and calmness.

Serotonin disturbances can include depression, premenstrual syndrome, chronic alcohol use and insulin resistance. Serotonin also impacts cravings (especially for sugar), appetite and food preferences.

Eating too much sugar can eventually result in insulin resistance, where cells are flooded by glucose refuse to accept any more by blocking the hormone insulin that carries it in. This in itself causes sugar cravings.

The problem is that insulin also transports amino acids to our muscles where it perform many functions like blood and hormone formation, tissue repair and energy use. When cells resist insulin, this doesn’t happen properly.

Importantly, amino acids are vital to making the brain chemical tryptophan, our precursor to serotonin. Insulin resistance also interferes with tryptophan’s transport to the brain, lowering serotonin production.

And low serotonin is linked to...yep! Sugar cravings.

If you’re like me, understanding this may motivate you to resist destructive sugar.

Find out more about sugar here