The brain needs sugar, but doesn’t need sweets. A doctor explains how it works

The brain needs sugar, but doesn’t need sweets. How it works, explained by a doctor

The body can get glucose from other foods.

What is sugar for our body: sweet death or food for the mind? Many prejudices and myths have formed around this product. Let’s find out with the doctor where the truth is.

doctor of clinical laboratory diagnostics CITILAB

Tells how sugar and sweets in general affect brain function.

Why we need sugar

Glucose is the main source of energy for the whole body, including the brain. Low blood sugar levels lead to dizziness, weakness and reduced intellectual capacity. However, this fact is often misinterpreted.

The fact that our body needs glucose does not mean that it needs sweets, and cookies, gingerbread, sweet sodas and candy are useful. The brain needs glucose, but eating sweets is not necessary for the brain to function. It’s a paradox.

First, hidden sugars are found in unsweetened foods: bread, canned goods, sauce. A lot of sugar in ready-made breakfast cereals and fruit yogurts, the consumption of which should also be limited. Even excluding all sweets from the diet, a person will still receive a sufficient amount of glucose.

Where sugar is contained

Even on a low-carbohydrate or no-carbohydrate diet, a healthy person maintains normal blood sugar levels, because the substance exists in different forms.

• Sweets contain sucrose, which is made up of glucose and fructose. This is the most common white sugar, a common sweetener.
• Glucose is the most important sugar for the body and is found in pure form in fruits, vegetables, and honey.
• Lactose is a milk sugar found in dairy and fermented milk products, even those that don’t taste sweet at all.
• Maltose is a type of sugar that is produced when starch is broken down. That is, even from potatoes, the body knows how to get sugar.

What happens if you limit sweets

The most surprising and important thing to know when talking about sugar is that any type of sugar the body knows how to turn into glucose, which is necessary for the brain. And what’s more, in the absence of carbohydrates, the body is able to extract glucose even from incoming proteins and fat stores (for example, in the keto diet, which is based on proteins and fats).

Normally, a healthy body needs sugar in minimal amounts, and sweets in your daily diet are an unnecessary risk to your health. Brain function is not ensured by regular sugar intake, but by maintaining its necessary concentration in the blood. This is why it is so important to check your glucose and glycated hemoglobin levels regularly.