In my practice, I've had a number of patients tell me that they like sweets like chocolate, candies & sugary drinks like pop and even juice. Some don't like the thought of taking a break off of these products. Sometimes, I feel that it's really necessary and I will voice my opinions despite the protest of the patient. Why are some people so reluctant to give up their daily dose of sugar?
Well, I've just found some interesting research just published by the CBC.
A Synopsis
Princeton University researchers found that rats exhibit cravings, withdrawal symptoms and relapse when deprived of sugary drinks that the rats had become addicted to and drank frequently. The researchers even showed that the rats became more withdrawn and anxious after taking away their sugar.
Previous research had demonstrated that rats ate more and had disturbed sleeping patterns when they were consuming large quantities of sugar.
Ingesting large quantities of sugar increases the dopamine levels in the rats' brains, which increases the amount of pleasure one feels.
The researchers showed that rats denied sugar for prolonged periods after learning to binge worked harder to get it when it was reintroduced to them. This is interesting as I do not know how long the rats were denied their sugar. In my practice, I've found that patients who cut out their "addictions" (ie. sugar, caffeine, etc) experience cravings and some withdrawal symptoms for the first week or two, but then find that they do not crave them as much. It might be because I'm also supporting them with a diet plan that provides all the nutrients that the body needs. I'm a firm believer that if you feed and give your body what it needs, your food addictions are reduced dramatically, provided you're also sleeping properly & managing your stress levels.
Yours in health,
Ian Koo, ND
Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine
Naturopathic Essentials Health Centre
"The care you want, the health you need"
No comments:
Post a Comment