Overconsumption of sugar harms your bones and your health, so why does your body crave it?
In this article, you'll learn about the science behind sugar cravings and the many ways they develop and persist. We'll also examine a major systematic review of studies on the relationship between consuming sugar-sweetened beverages and bone loss.
You’ll also learn strategies for breaking the cycle of sugar cravings to build bone-healthy habits without sacrificing satisfaction.
Sugar Sugar Sugar
Sugar cravings are common among people who consume a standard Western diet. Even if you eat a healthier and more balanced diet, it can be easy to fall into habitual sugar consumption.
Whether it's daily high-sugar desserts, sweet snacks, or sugary beverages, the food industry makes sugary foods easy to get and hard to resist.
One of the primary negative impacts of consuming foods high in added sugar is on blood sugar levels. When you eat refined sugar, your save our bones programblood sugar level increases rapidly. However, this spike in blood sugar level doesn't last long, creating a series of peaks and valleys that stress your body's regulatory system.
When sugar levels spike, the body is temporarily flushed with easy energy, but it quickly burns through the sugar, causing a crash. To quickly fix the problem of the crash, you may experience a craving for more sugar. You can see how a vicious cycle develops.
This cycle can begin and be perpetuated by several common issues and behaviors.
Synopsis
Sugar causes spikes in blood sugar levels that can lead to a vicious cycle of energy peaks and crashes that fuel sugar cravings. A poor diet, sugar-consumption habits, mineral deficiency, and dehydration can all cause tiredness and sugar cravings.
New Study Links Loneliness To Sugar Cravings
A recently-published study including 93 healthy premenopausal women found that social isolation was associated with altered brain processing of food cues.
Researchers showed participants images of sweet food, savory food, and pixelated non-food control images during MRI scans of their brains. Participants with higher levels of perceived social isolation were more likely to have a larger brain response to images of sweet foods.
“These findings indicate that increased loneliness may be linked to brain patterns that highlight difficulties in motivation, control, and processing of internal states in response to foods and increased alterations in eating behaviors, obesity, and psychological symptoms”2
In this study, social isolation and loneliness were linked to a brain response that made it harder to resist sweets and the boost of energy that sugar brings. Based on this finding, improving your social health can help reduce sugar cravings.
If you experience social isolation and loneliness, create opportunities to form relationships and participate in social activities. Seek out local community centers, recreation facilities, or libraries with group programming. Sign up for a class at a local art studio, gym, or continuing educational program. Seek the help of family and friends to grow your social connectivity.
Increased social wellness also has links to improved bone health, which can in part be credited to improved mental health and the positive habits and behaviors good mental health makes possible.
Synopsis
A study with 93 women linked social isolation to the brain’s response to images of sweet foods, suggesting that loneliness is connected to sugar cravings and a reduced ability to resist them. Improving your social life can help you make better food choices and build other bone-healthy habits.
Sugary Drinks And Bone Loss
A systematic review published in Nutrition Journal analyzed 26 studies that included a total of 124,691 participants. The included studies compared participants' consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) with their bone mineral density (BMD).
The study found a significant inverse association between SSB intake and bone mineral density (BMD) in adults.3
The studies included in the review used various methods for assessing SSB intake and measuring BMD, increasing the strength of conclusions reached by the analysis.
This study highlights the importance of resisting and preventing sugar cravings for Savers. Consider the strength of the study's conclusion about sugar intake and bone health.
“The results of the qualitative review supported the finding that SSBs intake were linked to bone health. There has been a worldwide effort to reduce excessive consumption of SSBs by approaches including nutrition education, campaigns, and putting policies in place. We have confirmed that these efforts not only prevent obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, but also have a beneficial effect on public bone health.”3
Synopsis
A systematic review published in Nutrition Journal found a significant inverse association between sugar-sweetened beverages intake and bone mineral density (BMD) in adults. This study illustrates the importance of resisting and preventing sugar cravings for bone health.
Strategies To Overcome Sugar Cravings
Knowledge is your first tool to conquer sugar cravings, and you've learned a great deal so far in this article. Being able to notice a craving and understand where it may be coming from is a powerful basis for choosing a different behavior in response to a craving.
Try implementing these additional strategies to change your choices, and over time you'll find that cravings start to fade away.
Synopsis
Knowing why sugar cravings might occur is a useful step toward defeating them. Try the strategies listed above to curb cravings and build bone-healthier habits.
What This Means To You
You don't have to be ruled by your sweet tooth. Take action to interrupt your sugar cravings and build healthier habits. By cutting down on sugar, you protect your bones and your overall health, and reduce your fracture risk.
That doesn't mean your diet should be bland and unsatisfying. Check out the bone-healthy desserts (and other dishes!) included in the Save Institute's cookbook and meal planner Bone Appétit. You’ll enjoy Chocolate Banana Pudding, Country Peach Cake, Apple Crisp Delight (just to name a few) because the recipes in Bone Appetit provide sweet and delicious dessert and snack options that you can incorporate into your 80/20 pH-balanced diet without jeopardizing your bones.
Making the healthiest possible choice is only useful if it's sustainable. By making healthy choices that you enjoy, you can build good habits that will last you a lifetime.
References
1 https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.01010.2007
2 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2817148
3 https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12937-021-00698-1
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Thanks so much Vivian! Great information!
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Thanks so much Vivian! Very helpful informaton!
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You’re welcome!
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Who doesn’t have sugar cravings?? Thank you for giving us ways to control that!
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My pleasure, Kathy!
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Very helpful
