{"id":417,"date":"2020-03-11T06:30:48","date_gmt":"2020-03-11T06:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.enclavedental.com\/blog\/?p=417"},"modified":"2020-03-11T12:14:28","modified_gmt":"2020-03-11T12:14:28","slug":"sugar-brain-function-holistic-dentist-southlake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enclavedental.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/11\/sugar-brain-function-holistic-dentist-southlake\/","title":{"rendered":"Sugar Hangover: The Effects of Sugar on Your Brain"},"content":{"rendered":"\"womanEveryone loves a sweet treat. While cookies, candy, and juicy drinks are fine to have occasionally, you don\u2019t want to make a habit of consuming large amounts of sugar. Not only is it bad for your waistline, but research shows it can also harm your brain function. Your holistic dentist in Southlake recommends you limit your sugar to promote a cavity-free smile while supporting your brain health.\r\n\r\n

Sugar and Your Brain Health<\/h2>\r\nResearch shows the average American consumes around 152 pounds of sugar each year. This is equivalent to around 3 pounds per week when nutritionists recommend you only get about 10% of your calories from sugar. You know too much sugar can lead to weight gain, increasing your risk of diabetes, cavities, and several other issues, but recent research shows it can also affect your brain.\r\n\r\nThe amount of sugar you consume impacts your cognitive skills and your self-control. While too much sugar is harmful, too little also creates issues, like cravings. It can cause a drug-like effect by triggering the reward center for the brain. This can produce an addiction that alters your actions that create a chain reaction. The lack of self-control can lead to overeating, which may result in weight gain.\r\n\r\nFoods that are high in sugar activate the areas in the brain that are associated with the reward response. It can provoke significant feelings of hunger. If the foods elevate your blood sugar, it will produce a stronger addiction drive in the brain. The addiction response can change how your brain functions in other areas as well, including:\r\n