How sugar affects the brain - Nicole Avena

Kako šećer utječe na mozak - Nicole Avena

Prevoditelj: Ivan Stamenković Recezent: Mislav Ante Omazić - EFZG

Picture warm, gooey cookies,

Zamislite tople, meke kolačiće,

crunchy candies, velvety cakes,

hrskave slatkiše,

baršunaste kolače,

waffle cones piled high with ice cream.

kornete pune sladoleda.

Is your mouth watering?

Ide li vam slina na usta?

Are you craving dessert?

Želite li desert?

Why?

Zašto?

What happens in the brain that makes sugary foods so hard to resist?

Što se događa u mozgu

da čini slatku hranu tako neodoljivom?

Sugar is a general term used to describe a class of molecules

Šećer je općeniti termin

koji se koristi za opisivanje vrste molekula

koje nazivamo ugljikohidrati,

called carbohydrates,

and it's found in a wide variety of food and drink.

i nalazi se u različitim hranama i pićima.

Just check the labels on sweet products you buy.

Samo provjerite etikete slatkih proizvoda koje kupujete.

Glucose, fructose, sucrose,

Glukoza,

fruktoza,

saharoza,

maltose, lactose, dextrose, and starch

maltoza,

laktoza,

dekstroza,

i škrob

are all forms of sugar.

su sve vrste šećera.

So are high-fructose corn syrup,

Također i kukuruzni sirup s puno fruktoze,

fruit juice, raw sugar, and honey.

voćni sok,

sirovi šećer,

i med.

And sugar isn't just in candies and desserts,

I šećer nije samo u slatkišima i desertima,

it's also added to tomato sauce,

dodaje se u umak od rajčice,

yogurt, dried fruit, flavored waters, or granola bars.

jogurt,

sušeno voće,

vodu s okusom,

ili energetske pločice.

Since sugar is everywhere, it's important to understand

Pošto je šećer posvuda,

važno je razumijeti

how it affects the brain.

kako utječe na mozak.

What happens when sugar hits your tongue?

Što se događa kad šećer dotakne jezik?

And does eating a little bit of sugar make you crave more?

I da li jedenje malo šećera

čini da ga želite još?

You take a bite of cereal.

Pojedete pahuljice.

The sugars it contains activate the sweet-taste receptors,

Šećer koji sadrže

aktivira receptore za slatko,

part of the taste buds on the tongue.

dio okusnih pupoljaka na jeziku.

These receptors send a signal up to the brain stem,

Ovi receptori šalju signal u moždano deblo,

and from there, it forks off into many areas of the forebrain,

i odande, razdvajaju se

u mnoga područja velikog mozga,

one of which is the cerebral cortex.

jedno od kojih je moždana kora.

Different sections of the cerebral cortex process different tastes:

Različiti dijelovi moždane kore

obrađuju različite okuse:

gorko,

bitter, salty, umami,

slano,

and, in our case, sweet.

umami,

i u našem slučaju, slatko.

From here, the signal activates the brain's reward system.

Odavde, signal aktivira

sustav mozga za nagrađivanje.

This reward system is a series of electrical and chemical pathways

Ovaj sustav je serija

kemijskih i električnih puteva

across several different regions of the brain.

preko nekoliko regija mozga.

It's a complicated network,

To je složena mreža,

ali pomaže odgovoriti na podsvjesno pitanje:

but it helps answer a single, subconscious question:

should I do that again?

trebam li to ponoviti?

That warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you taste Grandma's chocolate cake?

Taj topli, meki osjećaj koji dobijete

kada probate bakin čokoladni kolač

That's your reward system saying,

To je naš sustav nagrađivanja koji kaže,

"Mmm, yes!"

"Mmm, da!"

And it's not just activated by food.

I ne aktivira ga samo hrana.

Socializing, sexual behavior, and drugs

Druženje,

seksualno ponašanje,

i droga

are just a few examples of things and experiences

samo su neki od primjera

stvari i iskustava

that also activate the reward system.

koji također aktiviraju sustav nagrađivanja.

Ali pretjerana aktivacija ovog sustava nagrađivanja

But overactivating this reward system kickstarts a series of unfortunate events:

pokreće seriju nesretnih događaja:

loss of control, craving, and increased tolerance to sugar.

gubitak kontrole,

žudnju,

i povećanu tolerancije na šećer.

Vratimo se na naš griz pahuljica.

Let's get back to our bite of cereal.

Putuje dolje u naš trbuh,

It travels down into your stomach and eventually into your gut.

i konačno, do želuca.

And guess what?

I znate li što?

There are sugar receptors here, too.

I ondje imamo receptore za šećer.

They are not taste buds, but they do send signals

Nisu okusni pupoljci,

ali šalju signale

telling your brain that you're full

koji govore mozgu da ste pojeli dovoljno

or that your body should produce more insulin

ili da vam tijelo treba proizvesti više inzulina

to deal with the extra sugar you're eating.

kako bi se nosilo sa šećerom koji jedete.

The major currency of our reward system is dopamine,

Glavna deviza

našeg sustava nagrađivanja je dopamin,

an important chemical or neurotransmitter.

važan kemijski ili neurotransmiter.

There are many dopamine receptors in the forebrain,

Postoje mnogi receptori u velikom mozgu,

but they're not evenly distributed.

no nisu jednako raspoređeni.

Certain areas contain dense clusters of receptors,

Neka područja imaju gušće nakupine receptora,

and these dopamine hot spots are a part of our reward system.

i ova žarišta dopamina

su dio našeg sustava nagrađivanja.

Drugs like alcohol, nicotine, or heroin

Opijati kao alkohol,

nikotin,

ili heroin

send dopamine into overdrive,

šalju dopamin u pretjerane razine,

leading some people to constantly seek that high,

što dovodi do toga da neki ljudi stalno traže taj osjeća,

in other words, to be addicted.

drugim riječima, biti ovisan.

Sugar also causes dopamine to be released, though not as violently as drugs.

Šećer također uzrokuje otpuštanje dopamina,

no ne tako nasilno kao droge.

And sugar is rare among dopamine-inducing foods.

I šećer je rijedak među hranama koje potiču dopamin.

Broccoli, for example, has no effect,

Brokula, na primjer, nema nikakav učinak,

which probably explains

što također objašnjava

zašto je teško natjerati djecu da jedu povrće.

why it's so hard to get kids to eat their veggies.

Govoreći o zdravoj ishrani,

Speaking of healthy foods,

let's say you're hungry and decide to eat a balanced meal.

recimo da ste gladni

i želite pojesti uravnotežen obrok.

You do, and dopamine levels spike in the reward system hot spots.

Pojedete, i razine dopamina skoče

u sustavu nagrađivanja.

But if you eat that same dish many days in a row,

Ali ako jedete isto jelo puno dana za redom,

dopamine levels will spike less and less, eventually leveling out.

razine dopamina će se dizati sve manje i manje,

na kraju se izjednačavajući.

That's because when it comes to food,

To je zbog toga što je kada je u pitanju hrana

the brain evolved to pay special attention to new or different tastes.

mozak razvijen da posebno pazi

na nove okuse.

Why?

Zašto?

Two reasons:

Dva razloga:

first, to detect food that's gone bad.

prvi da registrira pokvarenu hranu,

And second, because the more variety we have in our diet,

i drugi , što je raznolikija

naša ishrana,

the more likely we are to get all the nutrients we need.

izglednije je da ćemo

dobiti sva potrebna hraniva.

To keep that variety up,

Kako bi se održala raznolikost,

we need to be able to recognize a new food,

moramo moći prepoznati novu hranu,

and more importantly, we need to want to keep eating new foods.

i što je bitnije,

moramo htjeti opet jesti novu hranu.

And that's why the dopamine levels off when a food becomes boring.

I zato dopamin pada

kada hrana postane dosadna.

Now, back to that meal.

Vratimo se na to jelo.

What happens if in place of the healthy, balanced dish,

Što se događa ako umjesto

zdravih, uravnoteženih jela,

you eat sugar-rich food instead?

pojedete hranu punu šećera?

If you rarely eat sugar or don't eat much at a time,

Ako rijetko jedete šećer

ili ne jedete puno odjednom,

the effect is similar to that of the balanced meal.

učinak je jednak onom uravnoteženog obroka.

But if you eat too much, the dopamine response does not level out.

Ali ako jedete previše,

razina dopamina se ne smanji.

In other words, eating lots of sugar will continue to feel rewarding.

Drugim riječima, jesti puno šećera

stvarat će osjećaj nagrađivanja.

In this way, sugar behaves a little bit like a drug.

Na ovaj način šećer je pomalo kao droga.

To je jedan razlog zbog kojeg se ljudi doimaju ovisnima

It's one reason people seem to be hooked on sugary foods.

o slatkoj hrani.

So, think back to all those different kinds of sugar.

Razmislite o svakoj vrsti šećera.

Each one is unique, but every time any sugar is consumed,

Svaka je jedinstvena,

ali svaki puta kada konzumiramo šećer,

it kickstarts a domino effect in the brain that sparks a rewarding feeling.

on pokreće domino efekt u mozgu

koji aktivira osjećaj nagrađivanja.

Too much, too often, and things can go into overdrive.

Previše, prečesto,

i stvari mogu biti preopterećene.

So, yes, overconsumption of sugar can have addictive effects on the brain,

Pa, pretjerano konzumiranje šećera

može imati učinke koji izazivaju ovisnost na mozak,

but a wedge of cake once in a while won't hurt you.

ali komad kolača tu i tamo neće škoditi.