Does your brain crave something sweet?
Are you a “can’t keep a carton of ice cream in the freezer because I’ll finish it” kind of person?
Or can’t you really be bothered about sugary treats?
There are reasons for the differences!
And there’s been research on it, too.
- Part of the answer is genetic. Based on research of identical and fraternal twins — who share 100% and 50% of their genes, respectively — scientists have learned that genes account for about 30% of people’s reactions to sweet tastes.
- Some people have variations in genes that affect their taste buds, making sugar taste sweeter to them. Unsurprisingly, those people also typically report eating more sugary foods.
- Another study found that a gene that controls the levels of a hormone produced by the liver influences people’s preference for sweets. Your liver releases the hormone after you eat sugar or carbohydrates, which are converted to glucose in the body. The hormone signals to the brain that it doesn’t need any more glucose, resulting in you feeling satisfied. However, some people have a genetic variant where the default level of this hormone is lower than normal, leaving you constantly craving cookies.
- Other research has found that people who eat more sweets carry a gene variant that’s associated with obesity. However, this gene doesn’t have anything to do with taste perception; it’s linked to impulsivity. Specifically, people with the genetic variant have less activity in a brain region implicated in self-control. Interestingly, this same area has also been found to be underactive in people with drug addiction.
- Along these lines, there’s an argument that sugary, fatty foods could be a type of addictive substance because they activate the same reward circuitry in the brain as drugs of abuse. Both cause the release of the neurotransmitters dopamine and opioids, which, in addiction research circles, are known as the “wanting” and “liking” chemicals, respectively. Dopamine prompts feelings of anticipation and desire while opioids are associated with blissful pleasure and satisfaction.
- When you bite into a candy bar or even just look at a piece of cake, your brain’s craving and reward circuitry lights up, just like a drug user’s does when they view pictures of their substance of choice. (Broccoli and spinach do not have these same effects on the brain.) It’s important to note, though, that this overlap doesn’t mean that we are “addicted” to sugary, fatty foods. Rather, drugs of abuse hijack the neural circuitry triggered by natural rewards that are evolutionarily reinforced, like food and sex.
- Humans evolved these hyper responses to foods high in fat and sugar millennia ago when calories were harder to come by. Our brains and bodies want the most bang for their buck, so our brains desire and prioritize highly palatable, calorie-dense foods that, if we’re suddenly forced into a famine, will sustain our bodies for longer.
Try this to tame your cravings
Most of the time when we crave something sweet or salty, it’s not prompted by a spontaneous urge within ourselves but a trigger from our environment, like an advertisement for McDonald’s or a box of chocolates sitting on the counter. If you’re trying to conquer your cravings, the best thing you can do is avoid the trigger — i.e., don’t buy (or let your spouse buy) those sweets, or change your commute so you don’t pass your favorite fast-food outlet every day.
If that isn’t an option, Susan Roberts, a professor of nutrition and psychiatry at Tufts University, recommends tapping your forehead and counting backward from 100 when cravings strike.
Seriously.
“Cravings tend to happen in shorter-term memory,” she explains in an Elemental article on the neuroscience of cravings from last year. “You can push them out by focusing on a task.” 100, 99, 98, 97…
[Based on an article in Elemental, by senior writer Dana Smith}
How do you deal with cravings? Have YOU found a way to overcome them? Do share your thoughts with all of us!
I don’t like sweets period. Don’t hate just are not attracted to it. I like savory good food. Junk food also is not appealing to me. Actually is disgusting. I love spinach sautéed in lots of fresh garlic. Also I don’t like anything hot spicy. I don’t like soda if any kind. I drink water as necessary but don’t like either. I like wine and drink a glass of white wine almost every day. Some days just don’t want. I love smoothies with fruits and vegetables. I never diet I just have a natural taste. I was raised in a normal natural environment my family always eat healthy without trendy things. Maybe that’s why I just like good food. I found this article out of curiosity why I don’t like candy or chocolate.
You’ve been fortunate to have the upbringing that shaped your taste for a healthy life! That’s such an important gift for families to give their children. And it has life-long benefits for your brain and body. Thank you for sharing this with us.
this is amazing I’ve never liked sweets in any form I can tolerate maybe 2 g of sugar per serving and I usually have 95% cacao if I need to chocolate I don’t crave sweets I’ve never had an apple I’ve never had an orange I’ve never had grapes one time I went to dinner with dinner was served and it was a Thai dish and I had to pull over and lose everything I ate because it just made me sick I went on an apple juice diet one time and I was sick for 2 weeks it was such a silly thing when I was a kid I didn’t go to birthday parties because I would just sit there and nothing appealed to me I could not eat the cake or the ice cream. I remember when I had my tonsils taken out as a kid I absolutely could not eat the ice cream or the pudding that they gave me I cried so grandma brought me some chicken which I love love. this is haunted me into my childhood that I didn’t eat sweets and I started working out using the fact that I don’t eat sweets because I need to work out but later on in life I had obesity and that was probably just a bad eating skills because I craved high fattening foods and protein and chips. but I like playing the game when I go to Costco and the food samplers are there and they advertise something that is sugar free even the taste of non sugar just sugar flavoring like an apple flavor can make me sick do you know how hard it is to find plain protein powder or unsweetened beef jerky I only found one kind. until reading these posts I thought I was the only one who is not attracted to sweets and I’m glad I don’t because I would have a very hard time with it.
What an interesting account! Knowing what your body will – and won’t – accept is such an important insight. And your brain is part of that. Thank you for posting.
I can handle certain sweets, usually those in pastries and ice cream. however as I have gotten older I dislike moste candies, and even the ones I do like I can only ever tolerate so much of. I don’t drink a lot of soda, and drink mainly water. I have never been a fan of frosting on cake but have always loved the cake itself. I can tolerate natural sugars but even then I don’t eat a lot of fruits. I can taste ptc, sodium benzoate, and a little bit of the thiourea found in super taster test kits. I’ve always loved sour foods and to this day is the only type of candy I can tolerate. while I do get a craving from time to time for sweets, usually a soda, or milkshake is all it takes to get rid of the craving. if sour and bitter are attributes of poison, why do I like those flavors more then sweet?
Our taste preferences are unique and stem from a combination of genetics and personal experience. Interestingly, while sour and bitter flavours are often linked to toxins in nature, many people who are “super tasters” also have a stronger response to sweet flavors, which might explain why you prefer less sweetness. As we age, our tolerance for sweetness can also change due to shifts in our metabolism, hormonal changes, and even exposure to different types of food over time. It’s great that you’re in tune with your body’s cravings and are able to satisfy them with alternatives like soda or milkshakes.