London – If you’re feeling stressed, a cup of sweet tea or coffee can seem like the perfect pick-me-up.
Research shows sugary drinks can help to dull feelings of anxiety, whichand could explain the desire to ‘comfort eat’ under pressure.
According to scientists, sugar consumption can suppress the hormone cortisol, which is released into the body when we are experiencing stress.
Researchers in the US examined the effects of sweetened drinks on 19 women aged between 18 and 40.
Half of the group were given sugary drinks at breakfast, lunch and dinner over 12 days, while the other half had drinks made with the artificial sweetener aspartame.
The volunteers were instructed not to consume other sugary drinks, including fruit juice, outside these times.
Before and after the study period, the women were given a difficult maths test and then underwent MRI scans to measure their brains’ response to stress.
Saliva samples were also used to measure levels of cortisol, which is made by the adrenal glands.
The women who had been drinking sugary beverages released less cortisol during the maths test than those given the artificially sweetened drinks.
Dr Kevin Laugero, one of the researchers at the University of California, Davis, said: ‘This is the first evidence that high sugar consumption – but not aspartame – may relieve stress in humans.’
Dr Laugero, whose findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, warned that chronic stress could prompt people to make a habit of consuming too much sugar, which is not recommended due to its links to health problems.
He said: ‘The concern is psychological or emotional stress could trigger the habitual overconsumption of sugar and amplify sugar’s detrimental health effects, including obesity.’
In the US, more than a third of adults and about a sixth of children are obese, with sugar-laden fizzy drinks and fruit juice partly to blame.
Around half of the American population consume sugary drinks on any given day.
Dr Laugero added: ‘The results suggest differences in dietary habits may explain why some people under-react to stressful situations and others over-react. Although it may be tempting to suppress feelings of stress, a normal reaction to stress is important to good health.’
Daily Mail