A Dangerous Solution For Relieving Stress: Consuming Sweets

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Dr. Mercola

December 13 2005

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A Dangerous Solution For Relieving Stress: Consuming Sweets

Sweets Eating sweets may decrease the production of the stress-related hormone glucocorticoid. This hormone has been linked both to obesity and to decreased immune response.

Researchers gave adult male rats small amounts of sugar drink, artificially sweetened drink, or water. After two weeks, the rats were given a physical and psychological stress challenge.

Rats on the sugar drink regimen produced lower glucocorticoid levels than those that drank either the water or the artificially sweetened beverage.

The next step in the research will be to determine exactly how the sweetened drinks are decreasing glucocorticoid production, including whether there are parts of the brain that control response to stress, and if they are affected by sugar.

Sources:

Science Daily November 28, 2005

University of Cincinnati Medical Center November 15, 2005

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

You may be hearing about this effect on the news. However, like many unnecessary drugs and processed foods you may or may not be consuming, the "cure" may be far more dangerous to your overall health than the disease.

I know to many of you this seems unbelievable in light of all the media and social pressures that suggest otherwise, but sugar is one of the worst foods you can put in your body. Although it may lower your stress levels, the additional stress of the illnesses it is likely to cause are going to outweigh any temporary benefits.

When you eat sugar you eventually drive your insulin and leptin levels up, and this is one of the most potent accelerators of aging and chronic disease. It is the reverse fountain of youth.

Fortunately, you have many natural and healthy weapons at your disposal to treat the damage stress can have on your body, without consuming sweets and sugary drinks.

Learning a non-invasive, non-drug energy psychology tool like the Emotional Freedom Technique.
Getting the right amount of sleep.
Eating the proper foods for your body's unique nutritional type, while reducing, with the plan of eliminating, grains and sugars from your daily diet.

It's interesting to note that as bad as sugar is, sweets made with artificial, health-harming products like sucralose are even worse than sugar itself for your health. They do not even come with the hormone-suppressing benefit and carry with it many other toxicities related to the fact that they are, unlike sugar, unnatural.