What if an extra teaspoon of sugar in your coffee is stressing you out? Hurting your nerves. What if I told you that sugar and you were in an abusive relationship? Read on to find out the truth!

Research on mice (which have very similar nervous systems to our own) has shown that excess sugar consumption can make the brain look very much like the brain of a rat under extreme stress or a rat which has been physically abused.

Chronic stress and abuse increase stress hormone levels (one such stress hormone is named cortisol) and changes part of the brain, thinning out a portion linked to stress management and emotional control. These findings have been seen in mice as well as in humans.

In the studies, different groups of mice were subjected to different stresses (lack of bedding, temperature variations and the like), while being given a variety of foods. Some stressed mice got high-fat foods, while others got high-sugar foods.

A control group of mice was brought up in comfort with no stresses and the same variety of foods. So you had happy little unstressed mice getting high-fat or high-sugar foods, depending on the group.

The brains and blood work of all the mice were compared at the end of the study. The results were shocking!

It was found that unstressed mice who ate a sugary diet had the same damage to their brains as abused/stressed mice who were eating a normal diet.

A happy little sugar-eating mouse had brain damage! Making it look and act like a mouse that had been chronically stressed!

Ever wondered why some people look really ticked off and stressed at the office? Maybe  you could have them cut down on the sugar a bit and everyone would breath easier!

Original Article in The Conversation

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