Carbs Make You Crazy: Foods with High Glycemic-Index Activate Addiction Centers in Brain

We love our carbs, and when it comes specifically to refined starches and sugar, check the label on your products. They're in just about,oh, everything.

Well, according to a recent study discussing highly refined carbs and the brain, it shows that the same amazing taste that comes from consuming a highly processed food activates the reward system in our brain that's located in the same center where addiction takes place. 

The small study looked at overweight and obese men, with implications that cutting refined carbs can be an excellent way to rid yourself of unnecessary calories, lose some excess weight and stop unsettling cravings for cookies. (Well, not necessarily cookies, but you get the idea.)

"Refined carbohydrates seem to be able to provoke food cravings many hours after consumption, at least in susceptible people," said study co-author David Ludwig, the director of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center in Boston, according to Mother Nature Network. "Limiting these foods could help overweight people avoid overeating."

Researchers examined 12 overweight and obese young men, who were given drinks that contained cornstarch-a product with a low glycemic index-and corn syrup, which has a high glycemic index.

With a dramatic spike in blood sugar found in those who consumed the corn syrup drink, the study showed that highly processed carbs do cause hunger pangs in a region of the brain called the nucleus accumbens, which showed increased activity.

Researchers hope further studies examining carbohydrates and their effect on hunger can help determine new dietary habits for those who are overweight and obese.

More information regarding the study can be found in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.