Low brain sugar linked to cravings

Feeding the brain with sugar could help people resist the temptation of waist-expanding treats, research suggests.

A study has shown that falling glucose levels lead to a loss of self-control in the brain.

Parts of the brain start craving high-calorie food, while the ability to dampen desire is lost.

The result is that we cannot help reaching for cakes, biscuits or crisps. In obese people the effect may be even more pronounced, so they are driven to eat by the slightest drop in glucose.

Scientists believe the phenomenon occurs because of the brain’s huge demand for glucose, which it needs as energy fuel.

Glucose is normally obtained from carbohydrate foods, which can come in healthy and less healthy forms.

“Good” carbs include fresh fruit and vegetables, brown rice and pasta, nuts, wholemeal bread, and beans. Among the “bad” varieties are white bread, white sugar, biscuits, cakes, crisps and other packet snacks, carbonated soft drinks, ice cream and corn syrup used in processed foods.

Ensuring adequate brain glucose levels – in a healthy way – might make it easier to stay slim, the research, reported in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, suggests.

“The key seems to be eating healthy foods that maintain glucose levels,” said Prof. Rajita Sinha, from Yale University in the US, who led the study. “The brain needs its food.”