Welcome to the Uberman Lab podcast where we discuss science and science-based tools for everyday life.

I'm Andrew Uberman and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine.

Today we are going to discuss sugar, in particular how our nervous system regulates our sugar intake and our seeking of sugar.

We're also going to discuss how sugar regulates our nervous system and as you'll soon learn sugar really impacts our brain and body by two main mechanisms.

One of those mechanisms is based on the sweet taste of sugar which itself is rewarding.

Even if you're not much of a sweet tooth, I confess I'm not.

Most people enjoy sweet taste more than bitter taste and the sweet taste of sugar and its various forms is strongly reinforcing, meaning it triggers the activation of neurons, nerve cells in the brain and body.

That makes us want to consume more of that sweet substance.

Incidentally, sweet taste also makes us want to eat more of other substances as well.

You may be familiar with that phenomenon.

Sugar also triggers mechanisms in the brain and body based on its nutritive content independent of its sweetness.

What that means is that the actual caloric content and the way that sugar interacts with your nervous system at a subconscious level without your awareness

also impacts your craving and seeking of sugar and other foods.

Today we are going to discuss what happens when you ingest sugar in terms of your body's reaction and your brain's reaction.

We're also going to talk about what happens when you don't ingest enough sugar.

Because it turns out sugar is such a powerful fuel for the brain that under conditions where people don't ingest enough sugar or where their so-called blood glucose, which is basically blood sugar of a particular form, gets too low.

Their neurons don't function as well.

That said, their conditions of very low blood sugar in which neurons can function even better.

Today we are going to talk about the ins and outs, the ups and downs of sugar as it relates to your nervous system.

By the end of this episode, I'm confident that you have a much clear picture as to how much sugar you should be ingesting, whether or not you should avoid sugars that you're currently eating.

And you will certainly understand much, much more about the energy and fuel sources that your brain relies on, which I'm certain will allow you to make better informed choices about the foods you eat and avoid toward mental health, physical health, and performance.

Before we begin, I'd like to emphasize that this podcast is separate from my teaching and research roles at Stanford.

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