‘Sugar Rush’ Is A Myth and Indulging in Sweet Treats Does Not Improve Your Mood, Study Finds

We’ve heard and read time and time again that sugar can boost mood or energy, which is why we believe that reaching for a candy bar is the easiest pick-me-up to push through the afternoon slump at work. Unfortunately, a study revealed that this is not true at all.

Scientists shared that sugar rush is nothing but a myth. They noted that there is no solid evidence that eating sugar can make anyone happy or improve one’s mood.

Researchers at the University of Warwick, Lancaster University and the Humboldt University of Berlin analyzed data from 31 studies, which involved almost 1,300 adults. Different moods like anger, alertness, depression, and fatigue, were evaluated with its connection with sugar.

Of course, not everyone is the same and not all sugary treats are identical, so the type of sugar and the activities of participants were taken into consideration.

Researchers then found that sugar consumption has no effect on boosting an individual’s mood and energy like most of us believed. In fact, it’s the other way around as they found that those who ate sugar felt more tired compared to those who didn’t.

Professor Elizabeth Maylor, from the University of Warwick, said:

“We hope that our findings will go a long way to dispel the myth of the ‘sugar rush’ and inform public health policies to decrease sugar consumption.”

Now that the study confirmed that there is no such thing as a sugar rush, or if there is, it doesn’t really have a good effect, you must be wondering what will you consume to keep you energized. Well, it’s actually a no-brainer. Eating a combination of protein, fat, and carbs is the perfect option to give you a better mood and energy than eating sugary treats.

And of course, your trusty coffee is a great pick-me-up. But you might want to skip adding a spoonful of sugar.