This Is Why You've Been Craving Sweets!

Do you crave for sweets? A new study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism seems to have found the real reason we crave sweets and it's not as simple as the love of sweets. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen, have discovered for the first time the molecular mechanisms that may be able to explain why some people have a sweet tooth. You can now blame your liver for all the sugar cravings.

According to them, people with certain specific gene that makes a hormone called FGF21 are 20 per cent more likely to enjoy sweets than the others. The hormone is produced by the liver and has a major impact on our eating behaviour. In their previous study, conducted in 2015 on rodents, they have already established that the hormone FGF21 also impacts the reward center of the brain and in their current study they aimed at exploring the role of the hormone in human sweet consumption. To prove their point, experts studied 6500 Danish individuals and found that people who has two specific FGF21 variants, which are rs838133 and rs838145, were much more likely to harbour love for sweets.

The researchers explain that once the food has been digested by the stomach, it is sent to the liver. They believe that the liver secretes hormones that can govern our food choices. For their study, the team collected data on the dietary intake and measures of cholesterol and glucose in the blood for all participants. The FGF21 hormone levels were measured twice - once after a 12-hour fast, and then again after the participants drank sugary water which was equivalent to two cans of a fizzy drink.

Surprisingly, it was seen that people who were not fond of sweets had fasting FGF21 blood levels 50% higher than the others. On the other hand, when the participants drank sugar-laced water, the FGF21 blood levels rose to the same level for people who disliked sweets and those who liked sweets. The results of the study indicate that the hormone FGF21 may be a "negative regulator" of sweet consumption in humans. They also found a link between the hormone and smoking and alcohol consumption but further studies are required to validate the same.

Heres how you can control sugar cravings

If you're craving sugar, here are some ways to stop those cravings:

• Eat a tad bit of what you're craving, maybe a small cookie as it can help you steer clear of feeling denied.
• Be creative and think before you fulfil your craving. Combine your cravigs with soemthign healthy. For example if your craving chocolate, dip a banaa in chocolate and eat it.
• Cutting out all simple sugars works for some people, although the initial 2-3 days are tough. This may diminsh the craving altogether.
• If you want to avoid giving in to a sugar craving completely, try chewing a stick of gum.
• Keep fruit handy for when sugar cravings hit as this would provide both nutrtion and fibre with the sweetness.
• When a sugar craving hits, walk away. Take a walk or take your mind off the food you're craving.
• It helps to choose quality over quantity. If you need a sugar splurge, pick a decadent sugary food but keep it small.
• Eat regularly and dont go with long gaps between meals. This may set you up to choose sugary, fatty foods that cut your hunger.

(With inputs from ANI)