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Each week on Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke, explore different aspects of human behavior and the brain.

Why We Crave Sugar

youngbrokeandhungry.com

Why is it hard to have just one of those delicious slices of pound cake over the holidays? Well, it turns out it has less to do with the creamy butter and more to do with the way our brains react to those sweet white grains of sugar.

In this edition of Two Guys on Your Head, Dr. Art Markman and Dr. Bob Duke discuss the ways our brains respond to sugar by releasing dopamine.

While we may think this dopamine is supposed to make us feel good, what the chemicals in our brains are trying to do is to teach us that this sugar is a good thing and that we want more of it for our survival.

This might have been beneficial to us 150,000 years ago, but with sweets in every candy dish, gas station and coffee shop, craving sugar has its consequences.

So what do we do? Maybe eat fake sugar or sweeteners? Not such a good idea according to Markman. He says trying to trick our brains has its down side as well, and can make us crave more.

The best advice may be to log how much sugar you consume each day. The data itself can help us consume less, says Duke.

If you really need help keeping your New Years resolutions check out last week's show for some pointers!

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