Sugar, stress and the craving cycle
When we feel stressed, we might reach for high-sugar snacks, which create a cycle of dependence that is hard to break. Dr Coy’s research looks at why that cycle forms, and at sugars that do not set it off.
Too much classic sugar is associated with tooth decay, weight gain, and a higher risk of conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. When life gets stressful it’s tempting to indulge in food, many of which contain hidden sugars that actually make cravings worse.
Why do stressful situations make us want to eat sugary food?
The fast world we live in can put us under immense pressure. When we feel stress, our cortisol levels increase, to help us prepare for whatever ‘danger’ lies ahead. High cortisol levels over the long term can promote ageing, so we want to do our best to avoid this.
During periods of stress, our body and especially our brain craves extra energy to prepare itself for a ‘fight or flight’ response. We can get this energy from sugars in our food and drink, and when we choose products that contain classic sugar, we get this energy much more quickly. An immediate sugar hit will temporarily suppress cortisol, and release the happiness hormone serotonin, which feels good.
When we eat classic sugar (which causes high blood glucose levels) our sugar level drops lower than it was before we started eating sugar, and as a consequence we keep craving more and more sugar. A vicious cycle starts. In addition, sugar causes the release of the renumeration system of our brain giving us a good feeling for consuming sugar. The insulin-caused drop of blood glucose after consuming normal sugars destroys the good feeling and reduces glucose as the fuel we need in our brain and the rest of our body.
This overshoot is what Dr Coy’s research identifies as the engine of the whole cycle. The craving that follows a sugary snack is not weakness, it is the body responding to a blood glucose level that has fallen below where it started. His research concludes that if a sugar does not produce the spike, there is no overcorrection and no dip for the brain to react to, so the cycle never gets going.
How Dr Coy’s sugars fit into the picture
Combining Dr Coy’s sugars with other stress management strategies, such as meditation and regular exercise, is the approach his work takes. For example:
- Trehalose and isomaltulose release glucose when digested, so the brain gets the energy it is asking for. Both have a low glycaemic index, which means that glucose arrives gradually rather than all at once, so there is no spike and no dip afterwards.
- Galactose is taken up and used as fuel without needing much insulin at all, which is why Dr Coy includes it in his mixtures.
Adding Dr Coy’s sugars to your diet day to day
- Look at food labels to see which foods contain high levels of added sugars. Knowing how much classic sugar is in what you eat is the starting point.
- Switch refined sugar in caffeinated drinks for Dr Coy’s sugars such as trehalose and isomaltulose.
- Swap high sugar processed foods like cake, cookies and chocolate, for alternative cakes, cookies and chocolate made with trehalose and isomaltulose.
- Swap artificially sweetened yoghurts for a natural yoghurt and add Dr Coy’s sugars.
Our recipes page is packed with ideas for incorporating Dr Coy’s sugars into your diet.
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Further reading on sugar and stress
- Angela Jacques, Nicholas Chaaya, Kate Beecher, Syed Aoun Ali, Arnauld Belmer, Selena Bartlett, The impact of sugar consumption on stress driven, emotional and addictive behaviors, Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, Volume 103, 2019
- Ulrich-Lai YM, Ostrander MM, Thomas IM, Packard BA, Furay AR, Dolgas CM, Van Hooren DC, Figueiredo HF, Mueller NK, Choi DC, Herman JP. Daily limited access to sweetened drink attenuates hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis stress responses. Endocrinology. 2007 Apr
- Parker MR, Feng D, Chamuris B, Margolskee RF. Expression and nuclear translocation of glucocorticoid receptors in type 2 taste receptor cells. Neurosci Lett. 2014 Jun
- Michels N, Sioen I, Boone L, Clays E, Vanaelst B, Huybrechts I, De Henauw S. Cross-lagged associations between children’s stress and adiposity: the Children’s Body Composition and Stress study. Psychosom Med. 2015 Jan
- Durante Mariaconcetta, Sgambellone Silvia, Lucarini Laura, Failli Paola, Laurino Annunziatina, Collotta Debora, Provensi Gustavo, Masini Emanuela, Collino Massimo, D-Tagatose Feeding Reduces the Risk of Sugar-Induced Exacerbation of Myocardial I/R Injury When Compared to Its Isomer Fructose, Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, Vol. 8, 2021
Get in touch with Intelligent Sugar
Got a question about Dr Coy’s sugars? Contact info@intelligentsugar.info
If you have a question about a specific health condition, please speak to your doctor.