Sugar in the Body and Brain

Here are a few videos from UC Berkeley on the biochemistry of sugar - from obesity to addiction to the high that sugar creates in the brain.

Sugar Highs and Lows: Sugar on the Brain

Kent Berridge, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, discusses his lab's research into fundamental question about the brain and behavior. He discusses how food pleasure is generated in the brain, the neural bases of wanting and liking, and how fear and stress relate to desire. Series: "UCSF Center for Obesity, Assessment, Study and Treatment" [7/2011]

Food and Addiction: Sugar Addiction - Proof of Concept

Nicole Avena of the University of Florida researches abnormal eating behaviors to understand brain mechanisms that contribute to overeating of sugars and fats. She and her colleagues find that rats maintained on a diet schedule that induces binge eating of sugar can result in several behaviors and changes in the dopamine and opioid brain systems that resemble an "addiction." Series: Food and Addiction: Environmental, Psychological and Biological Perspectives [5/2010]

Sugar: The Bitter Truth

Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin. Series: UCSF Mini Medical School for the Public [7/2009]

Tags: sugar, brain, Health, addiction, obesity, UC Berkeley, Robert H. Lustig, Nicole Avena, sugar addiction, Kent Berridge, sugar high, neuroscience