Depression in sweet-toothed children
While most children like sweets, those with an extra-sweet tooth may be depressed or at higher risk of future alcohol problems.
Advertisement
While most children like sweets, those with an extra-sweet tooth may be depressed or at higher risk of future alcohol problems.
Certain children are especially drawn to very sweet tastes. Sweet taste is rewarding to all kids and makes them feel good. In addition, certain groups of children may be especially attracted to the intense sweetness due to their underlying biology. According to experts, alcoholics tend to have a sweet tooth. But the link is less clear in children.
Researchers asked 300 children in USA aged five to 12 years, of whom half had a family member with alcohol dependency, to taste five sweet water drinks containing different amounts of sugar. The children were asked to say which tasted the best and were also asked questions to check for depressive symptoms. A quarter had symptoms that the researchers believed suggested they might be depressed.
It was found that liking for intense sweetness was greatest in the 37 children who had both a family history of alcoholism and reported depressive symptoms. These children preferred the drink containing the most sugar - 24% sucrose, which is equivalent to about 14 teaspoons of sugar in a cup of water and more than twice the level of sweetness in a typical cola. This was a third more intense than the sweetness level preferred by the other children.
The researchers then decided to test whether the children's taste difference had any impact on their reaction to pain or discomfort - past studies have suggested sweets may help act as analgesics as well as mood lifters. They found non-depressed children were able to tolerate keeping their hands in very cold water for longer if they had a sugar hit. However, the extra sugar did nothing to the depressed children's pain threshold.
While it is true that sweet things activate reward circuits in the brain, the problem is that sweets and sugar are addictive, because the activation of these reward circuits causes opioid release, and with time more is needed to achieve the same effect. But the taste difference may be explained by differences like parental control over sweet consumption.
Although the above findings are interesting, but it is hard to make firm conclusions or generalisations from one study alone. The findings could be down to brain chemistry, but might also be explained by behaviour and upbringing.
Certain children are especially drawn to very sweet tastes. Sweet taste is rewarding to all kids and makes them feel good. In addition, certain groups of children may be especially attracted to the intense sweetness due to their underlying biology. According to experts, alcoholics tend to have a sweet tooth. But the link is less clear in children.
Researchers asked 300 children in USA aged five to 12 years, of whom half had a family member with alcohol dependency, to taste five sweet water drinks containing different amounts of sugar. The children were asked to say which tasted the best and were also asked questions to check for depressive symptoms. A quarter had symptoms that the researchers believed suggested they might be depressed.
It was found that liking for intense sweetness was greatest in the 37 children who had both a family history of alcoholism and reported depressive symptoms. These children preferred the drink containing the most sugar - 24% sucrose, which is equivalent to about 14 teaspoons of sugar in a cup of water and more than twice the level of sweetness in a typical cola. This was a third more intense than the sweetness level preferred by the other children.
The researchers then decided to test whether the children's taste difference had any impact on their reaction to pain or discomfort - past studies have suggested sweets may help act as analgesics as well as mood lifters. They found non-depressed children were able to tolerate keeping their hands in very cold water for longer if they had a sugar hit. However, the extra sugar did nothing to the depressed children's pain threshold.
While it is true that sweet things activate reward circuits in the brain, the problem is that sweets and sugar are addictive, because the activation of these reward circuits causes opioid release, and with time more is needed to achieve the same effect. But the taste difference may be explained by differences like parental control over sweet consumption.
Although the above findings are interesting, but it is hard to make firm conclusions or generalisations from one study alone. The findings could be down to brain chemistry, but might also be explained by behaviour and upbringing.
DoctorNDTV is the one stop site for all your health needs providing the most credible health information, health news and tips with expert advice on healthy living, diet plans, informative videos etc. You can get the most relevant and accurate info you need about health problems like diabetes, cancer, pregnancy, HIV and AIDS, weight loss and many other lifestyle diseases. We have a panel of over 350 experts who help us develop content by giving their valuable inputs and bringing to us the latest in the world of healthcare.
Advertisement