Sugar-sweetened beverages affect hormones, which are the leading cause of weight gain

Drinking a lot of sugary drinks and foods can cause weight gain and obesity is no longer unfamiliar to many people. According to the scientists, sugary drinks are the biggest source of calories from added sugar and interfere with hormones that suppress hunger and regulate appetite.

Sugar-sweetened beverages are becoming a popular beverage among young people, and are the largest source of added calories from sugar for adults.

Currently, researchers have discovered, sugary drinks interfere with the hormones that regulate hunger and human appetite. This study is published in the Journal of Clinical Metabolism & Endocrinology.

Dr. Kathleen Page, head of the diabetes and obesity research institute at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine (USA) and author of the study, said: “Our research found that Young people drink beverages containing sucrose, which often produce lower levels of appetite-regulating hormone than when they drink drinks containing glucose - the main sugar that circulates in the blood.

This study included 69 participants, between the ages of 18 and 35, who drank beverages containing sucrose or glucose in two separate groups. Sucrose is a combination of glucose and fructose made from cane sugar or beets. Glucose is a simple sugar found in honey, grapes, figs and plums.

Blood samples were taken from study participants at 10, 20, and 35 minutes after they drank a drink containing sucrose or glucose. The results showed that, when they drank drinks containing sucrose, the amount of hormones produced to suppress hunger was lower than when they drank beverages containing similar amounts of glucose.

At the same time, the researchers also found that factors like body weight and sex affect the way different sugars affect those hormones. For example, obese people and those with lower insulin sensitivity had less increase in hunger suppressing hormones after they drank sucrose-containing beverages compared to when they drank glucose-containing beverages.

According to Dr. Page, this finding doesn't mean you should switch from one sugary drink to another, but rather try to cut back on any sugary drinks. Worryingly, Dr. Page adds, “The majority of sucrose comes from everyone's diet and sugar-sweetened foods, while glucose is found naturally in most foods containing sugar. carbohydrates, including fruits and whole-grain breads ”.

“I recommend reducing your consumption of sugary foods and beverages. Instead, try to eat more natural foods, like fruit, ”Ms. Page shared.

Ha Thanh

According newsmax.com