How Sugar Impacts Your Gut-Brain Connection
Insight into the gut-brain axis that mostly gets dismissed
Sugar is everywhere. It’s hard to escape its death grip on our food chain. It’s almost as if sugar has become some type of mega-monster that’s morphed out of control, and we can’t get it back in its box. It’s practically in every conceivable item we consume (not including natural fruits and veggies here).
Not only is refined sugar everywhere, but it has a very loud voice and wants to be heard. It has a huge champion lineup of marketing and industry schemes that targets all populations. It screams things like “crave me” and “you know you want this”. It can get rather provocative at times.
Have you ever watched the shows on any of the food channels with the baking competitions, or how elaborate someone can craft a chocolate and sugar sculpture? It’s like sugar porn at its finest. That’s the “sexy side” of sugar. It’s enticing and mouth-watering. For some, it’s a trigger. The next thing you know, you’re on a sugar-run so you can get your “fix”.
The unsexy, yet realistic, side of sugar comes in the form of addiction, disease, and disruption to life. Nobody really wants to address the ADDs (addiction, disease, and disruption) because they like the way sugar makes them feel.
Refined sugars affect every aspect of the human body, and mostly not in good ways. Yes, it provides that quick burst of energy when needed. But consuming the wrong sugars leads to devastating effects on your health over time.
When we consume food or fluids, the whole digestive process starts with that first bite or swallow. The next destination is the journey down the esophagus and into the stomach where the food or fluid will get further broken down. Each step of the way, food gets further broken down, absorbed, and used in the body.
Your whole digestive tract is comprised of the mouth, pharynx (throat), esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus. It’s not just the stomach and intestines.
Yes, the brain also works off ‘sugar’ (glucose specifically). When foods are consumed, ultimately they are broken down and are converted into glucose (a fuel source). But not all fuels are created equal.
The brain is one of the most complex and perplexing organs to understand. So many mysteries to so many facets of life are held in the approximately 3-pound organ inside our skull. There’s nothing simple about the brain, but there’s so much fascination surrounding it.
And how the brain interacts with our gut is one such fascination.
The two are intertwined. One impacts the other. It’s a codependent relationship at its best, where refined sugar is often a disruptor to both.
This article will dive into the effects of refined sugars on the gut-brain connection. I’ll discuss the connection of the gut microbiome to the brain, why it’s more important than people realize, the impact of refined sugars, and how to improve the gut-brain connection.
What is the gut microbiome and why is it important?
The gut microbiome is said to be the “second brain”, and plays a vital role in the maintenance of health and disease. The gut microbiome is comprised of millions of microbes populating the gut including bacteria, archaea, viruses, and fungi. The gut microbiome is a protective barrier to our overall health and well-being.
What’s a “microbiome”? According to the National Human Genome Research Institute:
“the microbiome is a term used to describe the specific collection of microorganisms (such as fungi, bacteria and viruses) that exist in a particular environment. The word is often used to describe the community of microorganisms that live in or on the human body (e.g., in the stomach or on the skin)”.
Why is this important?
The gut and brain communicate with each other through a pathway. Specifically, the communication between the two takes place via the vagus nerve.
The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in the body, running from the brain stem down to the colon. The vagus nerve has multiple jobs to do, and one of those many functions oversees digestion.
I came across a great blog post describing in good detail the gut-brain connection. The author summarizes the connection by stating:
“the gut-brain axis is a two-way network that links the gut and the emotional and cognitive centers of the brain. It also encompasses the endocrine, nervous and immune systems.”
The gut-brain connection is more powerful than people realize. As mentioned, it helps to regulate other systems. It’s almost as if the two have control over the entire body. When our gut is “off”, so is our brain; and our immune system, probably our hormones, and maybe the cardiovascular system as well.
A chain reaction begins when gut health is neglected.
When the gut is out of balance, the brain is directly impacted. There are ties to cognitive issues, brain fog, headaches, and memory issues. The relationship between the two is symbiotic; meaning there is an interdependent relationship at play.
I can attest to this with my own health.
A long time ago, I was diagnosed with multiple GI (gastrointestinal) issues; IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), many ulcers, a hiatal hernia, and reflux. I was a mess.
I wasn’t eating healthy at all and ate a ton of sugar every day. I experienced multiple migraines on a weekly basis, lack of energy, massive brain fog, lots of insomnia, anxiety and depression, to name a few things.
It wasn’t until late 2019 that I cleaned up my diet and nutrition and got my act together. I removed refined sugars and processed food from my diet. Once I did that, the connection between my gut and brain began to heal, and the rest of my body followed.
Today, I no longer have migraines. I sleep well. I don’t have anxiety and depression. My GI tract likes me and is pretty regular. And most importantly, I am able to pursue and enjoy the activities that mean the most to me (like writing and weight lifting).
Many factors influence the gut microbiota. Some of these factors include things like hygiene, diet, and even geographical locations. Additionally, studies in both humans and animals have suggested the role of genetics in determining gut microbial composition. Research is continually being done to further explore the role of genetics on the gut-brain axis.
Believe it or not, your nutrition has a direct and lasting impact on gut and brain function. The foods we consume impact every aspect of the human body. Refined sugar is no exception.
In this article, neuroscientists explain how the gut-brain connection can potentially determine what kind of sugars you may crave. They state:
“Sweet tasting foods don’t only trigger the taste buds, they also switch on a neurological pathway that begins in the gut. A gut-to-brain post-ingestive sugar-sensing pathway [is] critical for the development of sugar preference.”
They further state there’s a difference between wanting something “sweet” and wanting “sugar”. And after a while, with enough consumption of sugar, there becomes an increased desire and craving for more sugar.
The next thing you know, you have a full-blown sugar addiction on your hands if the cravings get out of hand, and consumption is not kept in check.
As you can see in this brief overview, the gut-brain connection is a real thing, and it’s important to keep it healthy and in balance. If you seem out of sorts, you may want to back-track your diet to see if you consumed some food that may not have agreed with your system. Sugar and processed foods may be the culprit.
The impact of refined sugars on the gut-brain connection
The impact of sugars on the gut-brain connection is far-reaching.
It’s a complex topic that is continually being researched. And new research in this area is not only fascinating but demonstrates the ill effects that refined sugars have on the gut-brain axis.
Yet, for some reason, no one is really talking about it. And despite all the information available on the dangers that refined sugars have on health, people are still consuming mass amounts without any considerations on the overall impact on their health.
However, I think more and more people today are slowly starting to question and look at the ill effects that refined sugars have on their health. This movement seems small right now. But over time, I hope and pray it gains momentum.
When your gut is out of balance and not healthy (known as enteric dysbacteriosis), you’ll know it. You may experience things like nausea and vomiting, indigestion, fatigue, acid reflux, gas and/or bloating, maybe some skin reactions (rashes or breakouts).
The role that refined sugars play is important to understand. Continual consumption of refined sugars on a daily basis can lead to health issues such as :
- Multiple digestive issues
- Cognitive dysfunction
- Endocrine (hormone) dysfunction
- Immune system disruption
- Sleep disturbances
- Inflammation throughout the body
- Malabsorption of nutrients
There is an extensive list of the various diseases and ill effects that refined sugars have on the gut-brain connection. This is just a simplified overview of what can happen with too much intake of refined sugars.
This editorial describes an overview of the effects of sugar on the gut microbiome. The author says:
“the so-called Western diet is characterized by consumption of highly processed food and a high intake of saturated fat and sugars and a low intake of vegetables, fruits, and dietary fiber. The detrimental effects of a poor diet are in part mediated by gut microbiota, whose composition, functionality, and metabolic end products respond to dietary changes.”
Statistics show us that there’s monumental consumption of sugars taking place on an annual basis.
The average American today consumes over 152 pounds of sugar annually. That’s kind of gross when you think about it.
If someone dropped 150+ pounds of refined sugar in front of you and said, “eat this”, what would your reaction be? Would you be mortified? Would you think that person was crazy? Or, would you dive in with a shovel and be like “Hell yeah! Give me all the sugar!”?
To put this in a little bit of perspective: two hundred years ago, the average American ate only 2 pounds of sugar per year. In the 1970s, Americans ate 123 pounds of sugar per year. And it’s incrementally increased over the last 50 years to where we’re at today.
We’ve taken sugar consumption to a whole new level. It’s impacted our health in crazy ways we probably never thought was possible.
How to improve your gut-brain connection
Elimination and detoxing from processed foods and refined sugars is a good place to start. It may sound difficult and overwhelming, but it’s really not.
Start small by removing at least one bad food item from your diet each week, and replace it with something healthier. For example, remove sugary cereal with yogurt or cottage cheese with fresh berries.
Then the following week, do the same thing; but keep the yogurt and berries on your list. These seemingly small adjustments to your nutrition will have you creating better and healthier habits and choices in no time!
By removing both the sugars and poorer quality/processed foods from your diet and lifestyle, your body begins to heal. Your gut will heal. Your brain will heal. And the connection between the two will become stronger and healthier over time.
Replacing refined sugars with better and healthier sugars (like stevia, for example) is another consideration.
In our house, we ditched white cane sugar for Truvia. Truvia has erythritol and Stevia leaf extract. For our household, it works. Plus I bake with it, and everything tastes ‘normal’. I discuss this in my previous article about sugar addiction. Check it out, in case you might’ve missed it.
Learning what to recognize on a food label significantly helps as well. Reading ingredients to see what’s included in “health” foods is an eye-opening experience. But once you learn the basics, shopping gets easier and you start to recognize the foods that are okay versus the foods to avoid.
This would probably be a good place to briefly discuss things like probiotics and super greens.
Probiotics are another way to improve the gut-brain connection. According to the National Centers for Complementary and Integrative Health:
“Probiotics are live microorganisms that are intended to have health benefits when consumed or applied to the body. They can be found in yogurt and other fermented foods, dietary supplements, and beauty products.”
Probiotics are an off-shoot in the health supplement industry. Do your research and choose a high-quality probiotic. This article gives some sound information on the world of probiotics. The bottom line is to find a type and brand that works best for your body.
Super greens. Yet another supplement that’s available to the masses.
Super greens are great because they cover a lot of health bases in one serving. They typically come in a super fine powder form, usually extremely dark green in color (the darker the better). Super greens can help those of us who don’t get the recommended veggie servings on a daily basis (yes, I eat vegetables… but admittedly probably not as much as I know I should).
What exactly are super greens? According to all things Google and detoxyourworld.com:
“Super greens are a unique variety of superfood comprising a selection of vegetables, grains, grasses, and algae. They are naturally rich in fibre, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants and tend to boast both a striking green colour and a commanding flavor.”
Once again, do your research and find what works best for your body.
Spoiler alert: one cup of super greens or taking only a week's worth of a probiotic isn’t going to give you super health status and cure all your ailments.
In today’s world, people want instant gratification and quick results. If it doesn’t work within one week, people think it’s a crap product that doesn’t work. This thought process, in and of itself, is beyond crap.
Changing your health and lifestyle is not an overnight process. It takes time.
And if you want to strengthen your gut-brain connection, well, that’s going to take some time too. Don’t become impatient with the process.
Summary
The crazy thing about all this is that the same US government that has agencies such as the NIH (National Institutes of Health) and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) warning that the overconsumption of sugars is dangerous for your health, also has lobbyists and corporations actively promoting refined sugars in the Standard American Diet.
And we wonder why people are confused. We wonder why there are so many health disparities. It’s the ultimate brain game being played out in real time.
The gut-brain connection is powerful. But it can become fogged and practically non-functional when we fill our body with junk food on a daily basis.
When we better understand the gut-brain connection, we can make informed decisions for our health. We can strengthen our health and well-being, and we can change the trajectory of our future. You have that capability.
Key Takeaways
- The gut-brain connection exists. It’s a real thing. Refined sugars affect every aspect of the human body, and the gut-brain connection is not exempt.
- When the gut is out of balance, the brain is out of balance. The two work together in tandem to provide optimal health.
- The gut microbiome is a collection of organisms that reside in the digestive tract to keep it in harmony.
- There are multiple conditions, ailments, and diseases that arise when the gut is out of balance. This imbalance impacts the brain.
- The vagus nerve is the primary pathway in which the brain and gut communicate.
- Refined sugars affect every aspect of the human body, and the gut-brain connection is not exempt.
- Overconsumption of refined sugars and processed foods wreak havoc on our health and well-being.
- By eliminating processed foods and sugars, we can bring the gut-brain connection back into alignment and begin to heal our body.
- Probiotics and super greens are two supplements that can aid in a healthy gut-brain connection.
- Changing your health takes time.
- Healing your body is not an overnight process. You didn’t get sick overnight, therefore you won’t instantaneously heal. All good things take time.
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