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How Sugar Affects The Brain - Coggle Diagram
How Sugar Affects The Brain
Definition of Sugar
General term used to describe Carbohydrates
Sugar Carriers
Glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, lactose, dextrose, starch
High-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, raw sugar, honey
Tomato sauce, yogurt, dried fruit, flavored waters, granola bars
What Happens When Sugar Hits Your Tongue?
Sugars in it activate sweet-taste receptors on tongue
Receptors send signal to brain stem
Take a bite of cereal
Forks off into many areas of the forebrain (e.g. cerebral
cortex, where diff. sections process diff. tastes)
Activates brain's reward system (should I do that again?)
(activated also by socializing, sexual behavior, drugs, etc.; over-activate can cause loss of control, craving, increased tolerance to sugar)
Travels down into intestines (contains sugar receptors)
Dopamine
Unevenly distributed in forebrain
Drugs (alcohol, nicotine, heroin, etc.) send it into overdrive (cause addiction)
Major currency of reward system
Sugar cause release of dopamine not as violently as ↑ & rare among dopamine-inducing foods (e.g., broccoli)
Chemical / neurotransmitter
Difference Between Sugar and Normal Meal
Normal meal: same dish every day = dopamine level out, wouldn't be as interested in that dish
Sugary meal: dopamine response doesn't level out, continue to feel rewarding (cause "addiction")
Brain evolved to pay attention to new / different tastes (to detect food that's gone bad & make sure we stay healthy)