Having more sugar can be stress relieving (Photo : Reuters)
The human brain certainly cannot be fooled on the effects sugar has on the body, especially in helping us cope with stress. a new study revealed.
About 80 percent of the processed food in the market has sugar content, according to a research conducted by the University of California on the effects of the artificial sweetener called aspartame and the consumption of drinks that has sugar as its sweetener, NY City News reported.
Those who have been consuming food and drinks with aspartame may have been found to capable of lowering their stress levels, however, those who are consuming drinks with sugar cope with stress better.
In another study conducted by the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism on sugar and stress relief revealed, women who drank sucrose (table sugar) consistently for two weeks were found to have a drop in their levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, Medical Daily reported.
The women were asked to solve some math problems. Surprisingly, their cortisone levels dropped even further. The cortisol drop of the women who were on sucrose were much lower than women who were consuming aspartame.
In the USA, chronic stress disorder cases have become more alarming. Last year alone, 77 percent of the American adults claim that they are regularly suffering from stress. This might be the reason why more people tend to consume more sweets.
However, the medical community wants the general public to know that consuming too much sugar might pose other health problems like diabetes. Having sweets only provide temporary relief from stress. Having a balanced diet and regular exercise are still your best defense in fighting stress.
