Study: Refined Carbs Are Like Drugs

A recent study by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has found that the brain’s reaction to refined carbohydrates such as corn syrup is similar to the craving that drug addicts experience have for drugs.

The quick spike and subsequent crash in blood sugar that comes from eating the highly processed carbs is similar to what happens when you take drugs.

The authors hypothesize that the sharp drop in blood sugar spurred by cookies, chips or cake may not only stimulate hunger but also make the idea of eating seem more rewarding and pleasurable to the brain.

“The problem is when the modern, highly processed carbohydrates can hijack the highly evolutionarily based rewards system, putting it, in effect, in overdrive,” said study co-author David Ludwig. “To put it simply, we didn’t evolve to eat low-fat Twinkies for breakfast.”