When Mark Bittman wrote in the New York Times, on 02-27-2012 that we should consider regulating sugar as well as tobacco and alcohol and prohibit Food Stamp recipients from using their stamps to buy sugary faux foods, Dr. Wilson replies.
I agree that it’s time to regulate sugar perhaps not just for folks on food stamps. As it turns out, sugar is much more than “empty calories”. As a practicing physician with an interest in neuroscience, especially the interface between food and brain function, we have known for years that sugar is bad for us. Excessive fructose mainly from sugar and HFCS is the primary driver of insulin resistance where cells no longer respond well to insulin when carbohydrates are consumed.
Once a person has insulin resistance and they consume high glycemic carbohydrates, their brain is subjected to magnified glucose spikes. Over time these glucose spikes trigger a chronic brain disorder where cells become depleted of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. When you deplete these neurotransmitters, you end up with a long list of brain dysfunction symptoms that eventually quality you for conditions like depression, ADHD, PTSD, eating disorders, anxiety disorders, bipolar II, fibromyalgia, IBS, autism and other conditions. We call this disease Carbohydrate Associated Reversible Brain syndrome or CARB syndrome.
Because the brain plays a key role in regulating fat stores, people with CARB syndrome end up storing extra fat at any caloric intake. Excessive body fat and a brain that doesn’t work so well—does this sound like anyone you know? Our waiting rooms are now filled with patients that fit this description.
