Added sugars and their relationship with mental health

Azúcares añadidos y su relación con la salud mental

Objective. To describe the influence of sugars on mental health and their action mechanism.  Materials and Methods. A search for scientific manuscripts was done on PubMed and Google Scholar Data based related to the consequences on mental health of excessive sugar consumption, using the keywords: added sugar, mental health, neurotransmitters, and consumption. At least 50% of the selected articles were published in the last 10 years (2012–2022). Only review articles, original research, or reports from recognized official entities were included. Results. Out of the 200 manuscripts found, 28 were chosen, meeting the inclusion criteria and being aligned with the studys objective. Mental health relies on the balance of six neurotransmitters (dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine, acetylcholine, GABA, and noradrenaline) that regulate emotional and affective individuals’ reactions. Excessive sugar consumption induces neuronal degradation due to the overwhelming increase in reactive oxygen species originated from the dopamine reward system (positive feedback). This leads to a cycle of habituation and tolerance associated with decreased serotonin production, which has been linked to depression, schizophrenia, or Parkinsons diseases. Conclusion. Excessive sugar consumption leads to a biochemical imbalance of neurotransmitters which are key for mental health, and this will depend on its habituation and/or tolerance, which can cause temporary or permanent mental disorders. It is suggested to reduce ultra-processed food intake and free sugars in daily diet.

1. Díez Roldán MP. Efectos nocivos del consumo excesivo del azúcar en el cerebro [Internet]. Universidad de Valladolid; 2020. Disponible en: http://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/42056
2. Wang GJ. Impact of sugar on the body brain and behavior. Front Biosci [Internet]. 2018;23(12):4704. Disponible en: https://imrpress.com/journal/FBL/23/12/10.2741/4704
3. Allemandi L, Tisconia V, Castrounuovo L, Ponce M, Schoj V. Análisis de los niveles de azúcares en las bebidas no alcohólicas en argentina [Internet]. Fundación Interamericana del Corazón - Argentina. Buenos Aires; 2014. Disponible en: https://www.ficargentina.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/informe_azucar_19_11_2014.pdf
4. Prada M, Saraiva M, Viegas C, Cavalheiro B, Garrido M. Examining the Relationship between Sugar Content, Packaging Features, and Food Claims of Breakfast Cereals. Nutrients [Internet]. 2021;13(6):1841. Disponible en: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/6/1841
5. Zupanič N, Miklavec K, Kušar A, Žmitek K, Fidler Mis N, Pravst I. Total and Free Sugar Content of Pre-Packaged Foods and Non-Alcoholic Beverages in Slovenia. Nutrients [Internet]. 2018;10(2):151. Disponible en: http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/2/151
6. Cabezas C, Hernández B, Vargas M. Azúcares adicionados a los alimentos: efectos en la salud y regulación mundial. Revisión de la literatura. Rev la Fac Med [Internet]. 2016;64(2):319-29. Disponible en: http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0120-00112016000200017&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=es%0Ahttp://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0120-00112016000200017&lng=en&nrm=iso&tlng=es
7. Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS). Alimentos y bebidas ultraprocesados en América Latina: tendencias, efecto sobre la obesidad e implicaciones para las políticas públicas [Internet]. Departamento de Enfermedades no Transmisibles y Salud Mental. Washington DC; 2015. Disponible en: http://iris.paho.org/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/7698/9789275318645_esp.pdf?sequence=5
8. Valdez LM. Riesgos dietéticos y alimentos ultraprocesados. Rev Medica Hered [Internet]. 2019;30(2):65-7. Disponible en: https://revistas.upch.edu.pe/index.php/RMH/article/view/3544
9. Rodríguez Delgado J. Azúcares ¿los malos de la dieta? Azúcares. ¿los malos la dieta? 2017;19(26):69-75.
10. Gil Á, Urrialde R, Varela-Moreiras G. Position statement on the definition of added sugars and their declaration on the labelling of foodstuffs in Spain. Nutr Hosp [Internet]. 2021;38(3):645-60. Disponible en: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/33720744
11. Cárdenas Sánchez D, Calvo Betancur VD, Flórez Gil S, Sepúlveda Herrera DM, Manjarrés Correa LM, Cárdenas Sánchez D, et al. Consumo de bebidas azucaradas y con azúcar añadida y su asociación con indicadores antropométricos en jóvenes de Medellín (Colombia). Nutr Hosp [Internet]. 2019;36(6):1346-53. Disponible en: https://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0212-
12. &lng=es&nrm=iso&tlng=es%0Ahttps://scielo.isciii.es/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0212-16112019000600018&lng=es&nrm=iso&tlng=es
13. Jacques A, Chaaya N, Beecher K, Ali SA, Belmer A, Bartlett S. The impact of sugar consumption on stress driven, emotional and addictive behaviors. Neurosci Biobehav Rev [Internet]. 2019;103:178-99. Disponible en: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0149763418308613
14. Cabrera-García JR. Azúcar y cerebro [Internet]. Universidad de La Laguna; 2018. Disponible en: https://riull.ull.es/xmlui/bitstream/handle/915/9080/Azucar y cerebro.pdf?sequence=1
15. Knüppel A, Shipley MJ, Llewellyn CH, Brunner EJ. Sugar intake from sweet food and beverages, common mental disorder and depression: prospective findings from the Whitehall II study. Sci Rep [Internet]. 2017;7(1):6287. Disponible en: http://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-05649-7
16. Murphy M, Mercer JG. Diet-Regulated Anxiety. Int J Endocrinol [Internet]. 2013;2013:1-9. Disponible en: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ije/2013/701967/
17. Shih-Hsien L, Lan-Ting L, Kuang Yang Y. Serotonin and Mental Disorders: A Concise Review on Molecular Neuroimaging Evidence. Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci [Internet]. 2014;12(3):196–202. Disponible en: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4293164/
18. Liu Y, Jingping Z, Wenbin G. Emotional Roles of Mono-Aminergic Neurotransmitters in Major Depressive Disorder and Anxiety Disorders. Front Psychol [Internet]. 2018;9:1-8. Disponible en: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6262356/
19. Duman RS, Sanacora G, Krystal JH. Altered Connectivity in Depression: GABA and Glutamate Neurotransmitter Deficits and Reversal by Novel Treatments. Neuron [Internet]. 2019;102(1):75-90. Disponible en: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S089662731930220X
20. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. El desequilibrio entre neurotransmisores, origen común de los trastornos psiquiátricos. Nota de Prensa CSIC [Internet]. 2018;3. Disponible en: www.csic.es/sites/default/files/28junio2018 neurotransmisores_0.pdf
21. Suárez Bozo G, Sanguino Díaz M, Lucena G, Ocampo Hernández M, Rodríguez Villasmil L, Balza Jiménez K, et al. Agentes dopaminérgicos centrales análogos N-aralquil metoxilados del 2-aminoindano. Rev Colomb Ciencias Químico-Farmacéuticas [Internet]. 2018;47(2):233-53. Disponible en: https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/rccquifa/article/view/73968
22. Xu H, Yang F. The interplay of dopamine metabolism abnormalities and mitochondrial defects in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Transl Psychiatry [Internet]. 2022;12(1):464. Disponible en: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-022-02233-0
23. Carmo JT do, Andrés-Pueyo A, López EÁ. La evolución del concepto de tabaquismo. Cad Saude Publica [Internet]. 2005;21(4):999-1005. Disponible en: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-311X2005000400002&lng=es&tlng=es
24. Rada P, Avena NM, Hoebel BG. Adicción al azúcar: ¿mito ó realidad? Rev Venez Endocrinol y Metab [Internet]. 2005;3(2):1-11. Disponible en: http://ve.scielo.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1690-31102005000200002
25. Winterdahl M, Noer O, Orlowski D, Schacht AC, Jakobsen S, Alstrup AKO, et al. Sucrose intake lowers μ-opioid and dopamine D2/3 receptor availability in porcine brain. Sci Rep [Internet]. 2019;9(1):16918. Disponible en: http://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-53430-9
26. Palma Ramírez G, Navarro Fernández A, Lozada Castillo I, Hernández Valdés F. El azúcar, tan nociva como cualquier droga. Educ y Salud Boletín Científico Ciencias la Salud del ICSa [Internet]. 2014;3(5). Disponible en: https://repository.uaeh.edu.mx/revistas/index.php/ICSA/article/view/777
27. Lenoir M, Serre F, Cantin L, Ahmed SH. Intense Sweetness Surpasses Cocaine Reward. Baune B, editor. PLoS One [Internet]. 2007;2(8):e698. Disponible en: https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0000698
28. Freije SL, Senter CC, Avery AD, Hawes SE, Jones-Smith JC. Association Between Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and 100% Fruit Juice With Poor Mental Health Among US Adults in 11 US States and the District of Columbia. Prev Chronic Dis [Internet]. 2021;18:200574. Disponible en: http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2021/20_0574.htm
29. López-Valcárcel BG. ¿Mejoran la salud los impuestos sobre las bebidas azucaradas? The Conversation [Internet]. 2021;1. Disponible en: https://theconversation.com/mejoran-la-salud-los-impuestos-sobre-las-bebidas-azucaradas-158793