What happens when you quit sugar?

The average American consumes half a cup or more of sugar per day, and surveys show that cutting back on sugar increases cravings for it. Some people even claim that experiencing sugar withdrawal symptoms makes them crave the substance more. Sugar actually decreases their sensitivity to that sweet flavour, making them feel like they need to add more sugar to their food or beverages in order to feel the sweet flavour again. So what exactly happens to your brain and body when you try to cut back on sugar after 24 hours and notice that you are beginning to lose water weight?

Our body controls our blood sugar levels through the pancreas, which secretes the hormones glucagon and insulin when blood sugar levels are too high and insulin when they are too low, respectively. During the first 24 hours of no sugar, when blood sugar levels drop, the pancreas also secretes glucagon, which breaks down glycogen, the body's storage for sugar. The breakdown of glycogen for energy is what causes the initial loss of water weight you notice in the first 24 hours of quitting sugar. On day two, however, you start to feel tired and crave sugar because the body is constantly looking for new sources of energy. Gluconeonate Genesis is activated, which causes the body to convert proteins to sugars, fats will also be broken down. You may have seen headlines in popular science articles claiming that sugar is more addictive than cocaine because research has shown that in rats, neurochemical pathways that cause dopamine release are activated when the rats consume sugar.

In some cases, this can be more potent than cocaine in rats. Because sugar activates dopamine release, it can cause cravings. However, there is no evidence that sugar is similarly addictive to humans. In contrast, where we're mainly focusing on what happens when you cut out added or refined sugars, day five to ten of not eating added sugar and your taste buds have officially changed to be more sensitive to sugar. One study had people do a water fast for five to fourteen days. This smelly breath can last a few days to a few weeks. However, this is based on zero sugar; we're talking about not even fruits in your diet. After six weeks of no sugar, you may notice your bowel movements are becoming more regular with less bloating or cramping.

In North America, between 10 and 20 percent of people have IBS. IBS is a collection of symptoms many people suffer for the rest of their lives, including bloating, cramping, constipation, and diarrhoea. Doctors advise following a low FODMAP diet. Fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols, or FODMAP for short, are essentially diets with less refined sugar and more naturally occurring sugars. Reducing refined sugars can reduce IBS symptoms and has been found to improve symptoms after six weeks. After 10 weeks of no sugar, you may notice that your skin looks a lot healthier, which is because sugar can cause acne lesions within one week of high intake. Clinical research have demonstrated that after 10 weeks of low sugar diets, acne lesions are dramatically decreased after one year with no further sugar intake. A study of 53 000 postmenopausal women found that three years of minimal sugar intake was beneficial. Although the effect of sugar on sleep is a little controversial because we don't really know if it has a negative impact on daily sleep, some studies have found that sleep is improved with high sugar intake before bed. After one to five years of no added sugar intake, your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity is reduced. High sugar intake is linked to a slew of other diseases, including cancer, primarily because of its link to obesity, but people are catching on. It's estimated that over 46 percent of added sugar in our diets comes from soda, and in America, pop consumption has declined over the last decade.

Some of you may be wondering if you cut out sugar like this, whether you can simply replace it with aspartame or other artificial sweeteners, or if our artificial sweeteners are actually killing you in the background.