Why do people like sweets. Scientific attempts to understand the sweet tooth

It is customary to end any holiday and celebration with a sweet dessert, cake and sweets. Since early childhood we have been waiting New Year to get a bag of sweets. Visits from guests or grandparents also always brought a lot of goodies.

The romantic period of relations is usually called "candy-bouquet". As adults, we ourselves encourage ourselves in moments of fatigue, sadness or boredom with “something tasty”. Imperceptibly we get used to sweets, and then we reproach ourselves, we ask ourselves the question “well, why do I really like sweets”?

What is it: "sweet addiction" or something else - let's open this topic. Sugar or glucose is the main source of energy for the brain and nervous system. When glucose levels are high, endorphins are produced in a person, which leads to good mood. A decrease in glucose levels leads to a loss of vivacity, activity, as well as growing irritation and apathy.

I love sweets, why?

The human body is a complex thing. Sweets and pastries are simple carbohydrates that are quickly broken down into glucose in the body. As a result, glucose becomes higher than normal, and this leads to an excess of blood sugar levels.

With the help of insulin, the body quickly lowers the level of sugar. A sharp a decrease in glucose leads to an emotional and physical decline, and therefore the body again requires a portion of glucose in order to increase the level of vital energy.

Most fast way to replenish glucose stores is to eat something sweet: chocolate, sweets, cake or sweet bun. Glucose is found not only in sugar and flour products, it is in potatoes, bread, and especially a lot in various fruits and vegetables. The fact is that fruit glucose is quickly absorbed, but its effect is weaker, which is why sweet tooth prefer to replenish the lack of sweets from confectionery.

Causes sweet addiction can be both physiological and psychological.
Physiological reason“addictions” is when the body lacks chromium, magnesium or calcium, that is, the level of adrenaline and serotonin is lowered.

Emotional-psychological cause of sweet addiction:

• stress
• hard mental work
• insomnia
• love failures
• trouble
• depression
• banal boredom
• lack of joyful emotions

Men love sweets - there are reasons for that

Among the representatives of the stronger sex, there are also quite a lot of "sweet teeth". Men for other reasons they like sweets:

• The subconscious mind contains the memory of the very first living food product: mother's milk, it has a sweet taste, this is the basis of the genetic craving for sweets.
• Caring for the figure does not really bother men, they think less about calories and excess weight, and therefore they can afford to eat more sweets
• However, men are more prone to stress, choosing dangerous professions associated with risk and nerve costs, in such situations, some kind of sweetness acts as compensation.

In Britain, they conducted a study: who likes chocolate more - men or women? It turned out that three-fifths of men admitted that they love chocolate and would never refuse it, and only every second woman has a passion for chocolate. Analysts summed it up - while women talk about chocolate, men eat it.

In the army, young men become addicted to sweets. This is due to a sharp change in lifestyle: a different diet, a strict regimen, large physical exercise. After the army, not everyone has a craving for sweets.

Why do kids love sweets?

The main causes of cravings for sweets are the same as in adults. Perhaps, in this way, a lack of carbohydrates in the body is expressed, but more often children “seize” the lack of attention, especially the mother’s, with sweets.

A dangerous product for children is ice cream, which gives a feeling of light bliss and momentary happiness. Clinical studies have shown that just one scoop of ice cream makes the joy zones in the brain glow. Scientists compare this mechanism of action with addiction to drugs.

Have you ever wondered if there is a connection between chocolate and the nature of the sweet tooth? And can a passion for a certain type of chocolate tell about the nature of a sweet lover?
Psychotherapist Murray Langham believes that a person's love for a certain type of this delicacy can tell a lot. Researcher in his book « chocolate therapy: dare to open your inner world", characterizes a person using information about what fillings and shapes you prefer. Yes, and even the way you throw away the crumpled wrapper from your favorite treat can tell a lot...

1. Black bitter chocolate is the prerogative of men. And if the fair sex is addicted to this particular species chocolate treats, then she has a masculine character. Dark chocolate lovers tend to be pragmatic and look forward to the future.
They know exactly their worth and consider themselves strong, almost omnipotent natures. Do not even try to dissuade such a person - he seeks to dominate everything and can be aggressive. For a dark chocolate lover, it is important that he has the last word. A born leader, with him other people feel like behind a stone wall.

2. Do you prefer milk chocolate? - Then you are definitely a romantic nature! And such people like to live in the past, remember the sweetest moments of life and are very sentimental.
At the same time, lovers milk chocolate strong-willed individuals whose strength of character can only be envied. Sometimes it can alert and even scare others. But it is enough just to get to know you better, as they will no longer be able to resist your charm and charm.

3. Or maybe you are for world peace? There are few such people. What sets them apart from everyone else is their love of white chocolate.
Such people are born fighters for justice, believing that they can change the world for the better with just one act of will. A girl also prefers white chocolate, this may mean that she is very romantic, dreams of a family idyll, quiet happiness and happy married life. It is these women that men most often choose to be their wives.
Whatever chocolate you like, the main thing is that it be of excellent quality: http://mixville.ru/choco/create. ;)

4. Can't resist chocolate hazelnuts? Congratulations, you are a very purposeful person who strives to get everything from life and even a little more! You are distinguished by perseverance and energy, always and in everything you are used to achieving your goal. And often the very process of moving towards success brings you no less pleasure than success itself. Chocolate lovers with nuts have more than enough energy, it splashes over the edge, and you are able to truly captivate, “infect” with your ideas and make others believe in yourself. Do you like chocolate with nuts, but in stores there are only the usual combinations? How do you like the idea of ​​choosing from 15 nuts? That is how much you can find on the website mixville.ru in the "Nuts" section.

5. Or maybe your gaze stops at chocolate bars with fruit or berry filling? You are a bright and sometimes extravagant nature, your horizons are wide and nothing is left without your attention. Surely you have already appreciated what big choice fruit and berry fillings offers our site mixville.ru.

6. Do you think we've lost sight of the form chocolate bar? No matter how! Let's see what she can say about your character. Prefer oval shape at the chocolate bar? Your element is communication and love, tenderness and sensuality. And with your favorite chocolate, your life becomes even brighter. The same is true for form selection. chocolates. Or maybe you prefer not the form, but the volume? And traditional 100-gram tiles are not enough for you? Yes, you are used to taking the maximum out of life! But even such a request is up to us! A kilo of chocolate? Easily! And the address is still the same mixville.ru.

But instead of postcards, chocolate with marzipan plates is given by sociable and open natures, those who like to pamper and arrange small holidays for themselves and their loved ones every day.

If you are attracted to strawberries in chocolate, then this speaks for itself ...

Friends, love chocolate and be happy!

Who doesn't love sweets? Probably, there are practically no such people. From early childhood, we perceive sweets as something pleasant, giving us great pleasure. Even in fairy tales, everything that they want to praise is called delicious: the lips of a beauty are sugary, or the nightingale sings sweetly. Sweet tooth is indeed sometimes happier than ordinary people. There are currently no restrictions for them, and all of them today can make their voluptuous dreams come true. After all, what is there on the shelves of stores: chocolates, sweets, gingerbread, cakes, ice cream, and this list is endless. However, despite all this abundance, we must not forget about moderation. After all, goodies can not only improve mood and well-being, but also harm health. Therefore, today we are talking about why people love sweets so much, and about how much you can eat.

An echo from the past: depending on sweets, evolution is to blame

« Blueberry pie, orange chocolate, strawberry ice cream, raspberry pop and lemon jelly. Five servings of berries and fruits per day. Yummy!" - this is the ideal diet for a sweet tooth, according to the hero of the popular Norwegian comic book "Nemi".

But why do some people love sweets so much?

According to most scientists, cravings for sweets are one of side effects evolution. Millions and millions of years ago, our ancestors literally survived on the consumption of sugar derived from fruits and other herbal products, because by eating a large amount of this white water-soluble substance, you can get as much energy as you need to have at a time when dangers could interrupt the life of an individual at any moment.

In addition, the use of simple carbohydrates will help increase body weight, and this will protect a person from hypothermia, which was especially important during the Ice Age. Thus, the craving for sweets has very, very ancient roots, modern experts say.

A special gene is responsible for delivering sugar to cells. An experiment by Canadian scientists

Researchers from the University of Toronto have been able to determine what makes people have a sweet tooth. To do this, they divided all the volunteers into two groups. The first consisted of elderly people who were obese or overweight, the second - young and slender people.

For three days, the researchers monitored the taste habits of the participants in the first group and recorded all the foods they consumed. The subjects in the second group were asked in detail about their food and drink habits.

After the end of the experiments, blood samples were taken from all subjects for DNA analysis. As a result, in participants who consumed a lot of sweet goodies, in particular glucose, fructose and various substitutes, doctors found changes in the GLUT2 gene, a type 2 glucose transporter that controls the delivery of sugar to cells. As the lead author of the project, Ahmed el-Soemi, notes, these genetic modifications do not depend on gender and age. However, further study of this issue will help in the fight against such serious diseases as obesity and diabetes.

Danish experts continue to study "sweet" genes

A group of scientists representing the University of Copenhagen managed to find a hormone that affects a person's love for sweets, and this is FGF21. According to experts, it is produced by the liver, and it is able to control certain gastronomic preferences of people.

To make a similar discovery, experimenters conducted an experiment. DNA samples were collected from all subjects, and then experts compared the structure of FGF21. As the results showed, when the hormone turned off, the subjects still continued to eat sweets, even feeling full.

Researchers say that this discovery in the future may help overcome sugar addiction, thereby solving the problem excess weight which is so acute for humanity today.

Scientists from the USA: race determines the love of sugar

An interesting study was conducted by researchers from the US National Institute of Communication Disorders. They suggested that representatives of different races may have different dependence on sweets.

For the experiment, the researchers invited 144 people: 92 Europeans, 37 Asians and 15 Africans.

Each of them was given a taste of nine solutions. They were different different concentration sugar (from 0 to 4%). The scientists wanted to determine the lower limit of sensitivity to sucrose and to find out how accurately representatives of the three main races can distinguish sugar drinks.

As it turned out, the whole reason lies in the structure of the TAS1R3 gene, it is responsible for how much sugar should get to the receptors so that a person understands that the food is sweet enough for him. By the way, Europeans love sweets most of all, since two copies of this gene were found in their genotype, processing signals taste buds. In representatives of Asian and Middle Eastern countries, the doubled version of the “sweet” gene is much less common and very rare in Africans.

Such a difference in the perception of this taste is again explained by evolution and living in a certain area. So, for example, in northern latitudes there were practically no foods that tasted sweet, which cannot be said about hot countries where sweet plants and fruits grew everywhere.

The love of sweets gradually disappears with age. American Doctors Hypothesis

We know that newborns can recognize sweet taste and prefer sweeter solutions. The basic biology of a child is such that they do not need to be taught what is sweet and what is salty. It's built in before birth.

Psychobiologist Julia Menella of the Monell Chemical Senses Research Center in Philadelphia talks about children's innate cravings for sweets. She claims that in addition to the fact that little people just like sugar, it can also serve as a light analgesic for them, but, unfortunately, this property disappears when they grow up.

Scientists from the University of Washington, led by Sue Caldwell, conducted an experiment that confirms the hypothesis of the candidate of biological sciences, Julia Menell. During the study, children and adults received a solution of sugar in water of various concentrations. Older participants preferred a drink that was similar in sweetness to ordinary lemonades. And those who were smaller chose the liquid of double sweetness, the smallest ones had no limit at all: they put sugar until it ceased to dissolve in water, and they still did not want to stop.

But, as experts note, this behavior has an age limit.

To prove this, biologists gave a sugar solution to teenagers 11–15 years old. Next, they measured the content in the urine of a special hormone responsible for bone growth. Adolescents with the lowest levels of this signaling molecule also showed the lowest interest in sugar.

Based on these results, it can be concluded that a change in taste occurs at the end of bone growth. Until that moment, young children follow the hormonal orders of their growing skeleton and enthusiastically absorb any sweets that fall into their hands.

About health problems in sweet tooth. And the Americans again

“So what harmful gifts did you bring today? Caramel… gets stuck between the teeth. A lollipop called "Hello, dear caries." And all this, all this… chocolate.” How true is this far from joke quote from the movie "Charlie and chocolate Factory". We know from infancy that drinking a large number sweet can cause tooth decay, which can damage our teeth. Only, according to scientists, inveterate sweet tooth will not be limited to this very common disease.

A study by specialists from the Health Science Center in Houston found that the passion for cakes and sweets can cause heart attack or even sudden cardiac arrest.

Agree with colleagues and experts from the American Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Their observations showed that “voluptuaries” risk their hearts several times more than those who eat sweets in moderation.

As follows from their explanation, after eating sweets, a molecule of glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) remains in the body. Accumulating, it reduces the contractility of the myocardium. Because fast carbohydrates make the heart weaker, those with a sweet tooth are more likely to suffer from hypertension and carbohydrate-type metabolic disorders.

Not always the body's desire to eat sweets is perceived by people correctly. Scientists from the USA and Brazil unite

When you want “something tasty”, as a rule, the human brain just asks for calories, but it doesn’t matter how you get them. This is stated by a group of specialists from Yale University, the University of Sao Paulo and the University of Brazil.

They conducted an experiment on hungry mice with a sweet tooth, offering them a choice of high-calorie fatty food with not very attractive taste or something sweet, but low in calories.

Oddly enough, most animals chose the first option. And this is easy to explain: the same areas of the brain are responsible for the need for sweets and the need for energy, although they use different mechanisms. But, faced with a choice, we instinctively reach for what is really needed at the moment.

Dopamine, which is responsible for the feeling of satisfaction or pleasure, does not appear from sweets, but from calories, scientists found out along the way. Therefore, giving up sweets is actually much easier than we all think, they summed up.

Sweet tooth is most likely a diagnosis. Getting them to give up goodies is almost impossible. However, lovers of sweets and chocolate should understand that addiction to sugar can be fatal. Therefore, we must not forget about the golden mean: moderate consumption of sweets will not only bring pleasure, but also preserve health.

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