We know that sugary beverages pack a lot of calories into their sweet little containers (they've taken a lot of heat in the obesity debate). But now the results of a new study are showing that they may also trick our brains into thinking that we're hungry!
Actually, it's the fructose in sugar-sweetened drinks that researchers say affect the brain region that regulates appetite. The researchers--who point out that the study does not show that fructose causes obesity--say that participants who drank a cherry-flavored drink with fructose in it experienced a spike in their hypothalamus. The participants who drank the same beverage made with glucose didn't have the spike.
The conclusion: high-fructose corn syrup and other forms of fructose might actually help lead us to overeat more than glucose does. (Plain table sugar contains both glucose and fructose.)
Which means, say the experts, that it's generally a good idea to cook your own food at home and limit processed foods and drinks that have fructose or high-fructose corn syrup. It doesn't mean you can't ever have them--just keep how often (and how much) you have them in check!
Do you try to avoid fructose? What about sugary drinks in general?