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    • Feb 25, 2023
    • 3 min read

The Effects of Sugar on Our Brain

Written by Bedirhan Atabay

Our brain requires glucose, a form of sugar, to function properly. Nearly half of the glucose that we consume is used in our brains (2). Without glucose, the production of neurotransmitters would have been obstructed and this would make the carrying of information impossible, and hypoglycemia, which happens when your blood sugar level is below 70 mg/dl, ends up with the obstruction of oxygen-carrying into the brain and it ends up with changes in our emotions and personality, damage to the specific regions of our brain and even seizures or coma (1,2,3,4). However, too much glucose can damage the way the brain works. Diseases caused by immense glucose consumption such as diabetes are concerningly damaging for our brains, especially in the last years since the amount of those diseases in our community increases drastically.




In order to understand the basics of diabetes properly, we need to explain the two types of diabetes. Those types are Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is diabetes that occurs when the production of insulin in the pancreas is obstructed. Type 1 diabetes can end in syndromes such as a decrease in Verbal IQ, which is measuring our ability to listen to somebody or analyze something, and a decrease in Full-Scale IQ (6,7). Meanwhile, Type 2 diabetes occurs when the brain is so overwhelmed with insulin that it ends up with the cells not reacting to insulin. Type 2 diabetes accelerates brain aging (1). Brain aging causes our brain to not function properly and damages our brain in various aspects such as shrinking our brain, raising the incidence of stroke, and causing dementia (5).




Another way that high amounts of glucose damage our body is Hyperglycemia, which happens when you consume an immense amount of glucose, is extremely harmful to the human brain as it causes immense stress, and the worst part here is that the blood vessels are damaged (2). This ends up with the brain taking less oxygen-rich blood and eventually our brain suffering immense damage (2). Some of those possible damages are damage to memory, thinking, and vascular dementia (2).


In conclusion, high and low amounts of glucose in our brains end up with visible damage made to our brains. These problems also cause various results such as aging, a decrease in Verbal IQ, and the obstruction of insulin production. Acknowledging the importance of the existence of a decent amount of glucose holds cruciality for protecting our health and keeping us away from other diseases. Some things that can be done in order to enable protection against high amounts of glucose are exercising regularly, drinking a huge amount of water, eating moderately, and sleeping for a decent amount of time (8).


References

  1. Sugar and the brain. Harvard Medical School. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2023, from https://hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/sugar-brain.

  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, May 21). The effects of diabetes on the brain. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved February 21, 2023, from https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/features/diabetes-and-your-brain.html.

  3. Cerebral hypoxia: What it is, causes, symptoms. Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2023, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/6025-cerebral-hypoxia.

  4. Team, S. (2020, December 3). What you need to know about brain oxygen deprivation. Spinal Cord Injury & Brain Injury Resources, Talk to Experts you Trust. Retrieved February 21, 2023, from https://www.spinalcord.com/blog/what-happens-after-a-lack-of-oxygen-to-the-brain.

  5. Peters, R. (2006, February). Ageing and the brain. Postgraduate medical journal. Retrieved February 21, 2023, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2596698/.

  6. Lin, A., Northam, E. A., Werther, G. A., & Cameron, F. J. (2014, December 8). Risk factors for decline in IQ in youth with type 1 diabetes over the 12 years from diagnosis/illness onset. American Diabetes Association. Retrieved February 21, 2023, from https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/38/2/236/37833/Risk-Factors-for-Decline-in-IQ-in-Youth-With-Type.

  7. Bruning, K.C. (n.d.). What Is Verbal IQ? WiseGEEK. Retrieved February 21, 2023, from https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-verbal-iq.htm.

  8. 8 ways to Lower your blood sugar |. Grady Health. (2023, February 8). Retrieved February 21, 2023, from https://www.gradyhealth.org/blog/8-ways-to-lower-your-blood-sugar/.


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