They've discovered that the brain lights up for sugar the same way it does for cocaine.

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Research indicates that a diet high in added sugar reduces the production of a brain chemical known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).

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Owned by Stephanie Crocker, Sugar serves up some of the most brain smacking treats this side of the planet.

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Years of research had educated me about how sugar, fat, and salt change the brain.

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In other words, chronically eating added sugar reduces BDNF, and then the lowered levels of the brain chemical begin contributing to insulin resistance, which leads to type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, which eventually leads to a host of other health problems.

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The studies, one on mice and one on people, have identified two hormones that seem to fine-tune the perception of sweetness, and thus regulate the intake of sugar independently of the previously known mechanism of satiation that is located in the brain.

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Much of this behavior, which he calls conditioned hyper-eating, is due to brain pathways that are established and reinforced by the regular consumption of highly appealing high-fat, high-sugar, salty foods.

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