It has been established that high sugar diets may be a cause of mental deterioration. In particular, dietary sugar is a cause of insulin resistance and inflammation, both of which may contribute to detrimental changes in brain neurochemistry. For example, it has been evidenced that a high consumption of energy drinks, which are high in sugar, may be associated with anxiety in human subjects. However, sugar may cause anxious behaviour in other ways. One theory suggests that a high intake of sugar causes the release of opiates in the brain, and this causes the sugar to be addictive. When such a high intake of sugar is withdrawn, there is evidence that this leads to withdrawal symptoms and a significant increase in anxious behaviour. In addition, the withdrawal from high sugar intakes can cause detrimental changes to the nucleus accumbens, whereby acetylcholine levels increase and dopamine levels fall. This imbalance may affect the function of the brain and lead to a disturbance in mood.
Evidence suggests that sugar is addictive in the same way as certain psychoactive drugs are addictive. Drug use and its withdrawal is associated with a number of mood disorders including anxiety and depression, and sugar withdrawal may also have this effect.
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