How Sweets Can Help You Master Your Eating Habits
Discover how indulging in sweets might actually support better control over your eating patterns, according to groundbreaking neuroscience research.
Enjoying sweets triggers your brain to remember that you have eaten, a phenomenon confirmed by researchers from the University of Georgia, the University of Georgia Regents, and the Charlie Norwood Medical Center. Their findings were published in the journal Hippocampus.
Neurons in the hippocampus—a brain region responsible for episodic memory—activate when you consume sugary treats. Episodic memory stores detailed recollections of specific events tied to particular times and places.
In their study, rats were given solutions sweetened with either sucrose or saccharin, which significantly increased the expression of the synaptic plasticity marker protein Arc in hippocampal neurons. Synaptic plasticity is crucial for forming memories.
Marise Parent
Professor of Neurology at the University of Georgia
“We believe episodic memory can be harnessed to regulate eating behavior. Our decisions about when to eat often rely on memories of what and when we last ate. For example, I might not feel hungry now because I had a substantial breakfast earlier.”
Supporting this, previous experiments temporarily deactivated hippocampal neurons in rats immediately after they ate sweet food—a critical period for memory formation. This disruption led to rats initiating their next meal sooner and consuming more food.
Forming strong memories about eating is vital for maintaining healthy eating habits. Distractions during meals, such as watching TV shows, can impair this memory, causing people to eat more at their next meal. Similarly, individuals with amnesia tend to eat again if offered food, even if they have just eaten, simply because they do not recall their previous meal.
Professor Parent emphasizes the need for further research to fully understand how the brain regulates eating frequency and behavior, which could shed light on obesity causes.
Studies indicate that increased snacking contributes significantly to obesity. Over the past three decades, both children and adults have consumed most of their daily calories from snacks, predominantly desserts and sugary drinks.
Looking ahead, the research team aims to explore whether a balanced diet—including proteins, fats, and carbohydrates—similarly influences Arc protein expression in hippocampal neurons and if this protein’s expression is essential for remembering sweet food consumption.
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