screen shot via YouTube/TED-Ed

Dr. Nicole Avena put together a short lesson for TED-Ed about how sugar affects the brain and why some people seem to be addicted to sweets. Similar to a drug, sugar activates the brain’s reward system, making people crave more. And similar to drug users, people who eat a lot of sugar can actually build up a tolerance to its effects, making them crave it even more. This lesson is especially important in a world in which even our water has added sugar.

Watch the video below, or head to Ted-Ed to learn more about sugar and its effects.

Katherine Pilnick

Katherine Pilnick primarily writes about money for Wall Street Insanity. She’s previously written for sites including Forbes, The Washington Post and Business Insider.

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