Link #56: Too Much Sugar Can Make You Dumb!

Apr 27, 2015

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Link #56: Too Much Sugar Can Make You Dumb!

sugar soda — Image credit: Shardayyy cc2.0

If you read our previous post then you know that honeybees produce honey which is a type of sugar that never goes bad. Honey, in fact, has many health benefits if you’re not allergic to pollen and its derivatives. The vast health benefits of honey are actually an exception because it is a sugar and sugar in excess amounts is very unhealthy.

That’s right – all that sugar you consume in cakes, candies, chocolates and cold drinks is actually bad for you. You’ve most probably heard this before from your elders and ignored it. How is sugar unhealthy for you? Well, it’ll make you dumb!

How Does Sugar Make You Dumb?

The brain work via passing signals – its caleld synapse – between axon and dendrron – from senory to motor nerve – parse, process – transmit signal to tell what and how to react given a stimuli. Image credit: OLGA LEDNICHENKO cc2.0

When compared to other cells in the body, brain cells need two times more energy. This isn’t that surprising because our brain is essentially the most effective and complex supercomputer known to man. Our brain cells derive this energy from sugars of various types.

The most key element of our brain is the communication among our brain cells. This is done through electrical connections between different cells which are known as synapses. For example, your memories are nothing but a series of synapses firing in the right order. Every time you come across something new that you feel you need to remember, your brain files it away in the form of patterns inside your head.

Having too much sugar too often can end up affecting the communication capability of our brain cells. In the simplest of words, when you consume too much sugar for too long then your synapses stop working as they should.

When this happens, it’s not only your ability to recall memories that gets affected but also your capability to form new memories. As a result, you sound dumb when you can’t remember the simplest of things.

What Should You Do to Counter This Problem?

Crisp Salmon Skin rich in omega-3 oils. Image credit: Alpha cc2.0

The most obvious thing to do would be to reduce the amount of sugar you have every day. Keep in mind that you only need to avoid ‘added sugar’ which is usually found in packaged or processed food items.

Natural sugar which is found in vegetables and fruits is completely fine. You could also start having more omega-3 fatty acids which are mainly found in fish. The main reason why omega-3 fatty acids are good for you is that they protect the connections between your brain cells from getting damaged.

So if you stop having a lot of sugar and start eating a lot of fish then you may end up improving your grades at school!

Other Reasons Why Sugar Is Bad for You

There are many other reasons why too much sugar isn’t good for you. The most harmless effect of sugar is that it will have a bad effect on your teeth. The worst that sugar can do to you is make you obese. Obesity has its own harmful effects that are incredibly long lasting.

Other serious problems sugar can cause include diabetes and a fatty liver. In fact, there is no reason why you should have sugar in the first place except for the fact that it makes you feel good. So, even if you can’t resist sugar altogether, the least you can do is not have it in excess.