Intermittent Fasting and Sugar Cravings: What’s the Link?
Intermittent fasting prevents sugar cravings over time due to the hunger-suppressing hormone leptin
We ALL crave sugar. Sugar in all forms. You are not alone! We love chocolate, cupcakes, bread, and the list goes on.
However, sugar is highly inflammatory in our body. Type 2 diabetes and/or insulin resistance from prolonged exposure to high blood sugar levels is also linked to higher rates of Alzheimer’s and cancer. Newer research has shown inflammation in our bodies contributes to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s.
We must learn how to curb the intake of sugar in order to increase our HEALTHSPAN. (Definition of HEALTHSPAN is living longer into fuller health)
Intermittent fasting is a tool we can use to help with our sugar cravings. Leptin, the body’s satiety hormone, primarily controls your appetite and how much of your food’s energy is stored as fat. Leptin works by a negative feedback loop.
So basically, MORE LEPTIN, DECREASED APPETITE.
Leptin has also shown to be a suppressor of sweet taste perception. So as your have more leptin levels, you have a decreased sweet taste perception. This negative feedback loop is enhanced with intermittent fasting. When you fast, your LEPTIN levels rise and GHRELIN (your hunger hormone) is lowered.
As more and more leptin is secreted in the body, it will signal your taste receptors to crave less and less super sweet food! Let’s dig deeper.
How Intermittent Fasting Can Prevent Sugar Cravings?
No matter what method of intermittent fasting you follow, with consistent effort it can help you control sugar cravings. A reduction in sugar cravings often makes weight loss efforts easier and boosts success.
Leptin and intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting has an effect on the hunger-suppressing hormone leptin, which in turn will affect your cravings for sugar. Toward the end of a meal, the body releases leptin, which causes hunger signals to subside.
Leptin is released from fat cells. It creates a feeling of fullness and suppresses appetite for a period. It tells the brain you are full and to start burning calories for energy. When leptin levels increase, metabolism speeds up in normal-weight individuals.
Heavier people have higher leptin levels than leaner ones. Obese people become desensitized for leptin, which is called leptin resistance. They usually find themselves in some stage of the sugar craving cycle throughout the day. Their bodies need to release more significant amounts of leptin to achieve that sense of hunger satisfaction. High leptin levels are associated with obesity, overeating, and inflammation-related diseases, including pre-diabetes and heart disease.
Women may find it difficult to overcome leptin resistance because they naturally have higher leptin levels than men. Higher leptin levels may explain why women have more cravings for sugar and carbs. If you are desensitized to leptin, you will constantly feel hungry, have cravings, and your body doesn’t get the calorie-burning boost.
Leptin is also known to suppress the perception of a sweet taste. When one is in a fasted state, leptin levels initially increase, appetite decreases, sweet tooth desires lessen, and in time the sugar craving cycle can be broken.
When starting out, due to lowered leptin levels when fasting you may have a hard time dealing with sugar cravings during intermittent fasting. Short-term studies using the alternate day fasting method and prolonged fasting (fasts lasting typically 36–72 hours) both showed significant drops in leptin levels, leading to increased hunger. However, this may be compounded by an unhealthy diet and lack of sleep.
Nonetheless, adopting a long-term intermittent fasting lifestyle has been shown to increase leptin levels. After a couple of weeks, many intermittent fasters report not feeling hungry very often and their sugar cravings go away.
The Take-Away
It may seem impossible, but you CAN overcome sugar cravings, and intermittent fasting can be a tremendous support. When beginning intermittent fasting you may initially find your hunger levels and sugar cravings increase. If you stick with it for a few weeks your desire for food around the clock and your sweet tooth, thanks to the appetite-suppressing hormone leptin, will be gone!
