Our Love for Sugar — Zuker Lab

Our craving for sugar comes from the gut. Neurons recognize the glucose in the intestines after it has been infested and converted from sugar. They send a signal to the brain. We learn to associate foods that contain sugar even if they don’t taste like it through these circuits. We learn to associate the texture, viscosity,…

We evolved to crave sugar because it was a scarce source of energy. But when we learned to produce it on an industrial scale, suddenly our love for sweet things became a liability. The same is now true of data. In an age of information overabundance, our curiosity, which once focused us, now distracts us. And it’s led to an epidemic of intellectual... See more

A renowned medical professional and neuroscientist called Dr. Charles Zuker says obesity isn't a metabolic disease, but rather a brain circuit disease and a physical one." By activating the gut-brain axis, which controls our preference for sugar, we're able to satisfy our sweet tooth. Due to the fact that artificial sweeteners don't get absorbed in... See more

We evolved to crave sugar because it was a scarce source of energy. But when we learned to produce it on an industrial scale, suddenly our love for sweet things became a liability. The same is now true of data. In an age of information overabundance, our curiosity, which once focused us, now distracts us. And it’s led to an epidemic of intellectual... See more