![\"sugar](\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/09104322\/sugar-craving-pills-sugar-on-spoon.jpeg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nWhat if you could take a pill that would slash your cravings for brownies, cookies, and ice cream? Yup, such a pill exists \u2014 and people are taking notice.<\/p>\n
Read on to find out more about sugar craving pills, how they are said to work, and whether or not they\u2019re safe and effective.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
There are clear, biological reasons why\u00a0we all crave sugar from time to time. \u201cOur body relies on glucose as a source of energy to fuel our organs and nervous system. As such, we often crave sugar which is a reliable source of glucose for the body,\u201d says Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, obesity medicine physician scientist and assistant professor of medicine and pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.<\/p>\n
Dr. Stanford explains that\u00a0the brain, particularly the hypothalamus, influences why some of us crave sugar more than others.<\/p>\n
Certain circumstances influence whether or not people crave something sweet, too. \u201cThey may be tired and stressed, or they may be consuming a diet lacking in calories or essential micronutrients,\u201d says\u00a0Summer Yule, M.S., R.D.N.<\/p>\n
Other triggers for sugar cravings include low blood sugar, pregnancy, thirst, and certain prescription medications, Yule says.<\/p>\n
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First, let\u2019s talk about what these pills are made of. Several drugs and supplements, including\u00a0neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor modulators\u00a0(a long-winded name for a type of drug also known to reduce nicotine cravings) have been linked to reduced sugar cravings. But we\u2019ll focus on pills made from the much hyped \u2014 and slightly more researched \u2014\u00a0Gymnema sylvestre.<\/p>\n
The woody, climbing plant native to India, Africa, and Australia has been deemed a \u201csugar destroyer\u201d and found to not only control cravings for the sweet stuff, but actually alter the way sugar-laden foods taste.<\/p>\n
In fact, gymnemic acids found in the plants\u2019 leaves eradicate sweet flavors so much that sugar is said to taste like sand, while\u00a0fruit tastes like an \u201cacid bomb.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMany of these pills work so that they bond to specific receptors on the taste buds to block sugar activation,\u201d Dr. Stanford says. \u201cThis decreases one\u2019s desires for sweet food.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Technically, yes.\u00a0Research indicates\u00a0that pills made of\u00a0Gymnema sylvestre\u00a0can reduce the sweetness and flavor of foods. Pills meant to curb sugar cravings can be a helpful tool for people with diabetes as well as for people who want to lose weight.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is\u00a0some evidence\u00a0that changing the perception of sweet foods may lead individuals to eat less, at least short-term,\u201d Yule says. \u201cThis decrease in calorie intake could lead to weight loss \u2014 at least in theory \u2014 if it is sustained over time.\u201d<\/p>\n
But there are caveats.<\/p>\n
First: \u201cThe effect may only last 30 to 60 minutes,\u201d Yule says. So a holiday meal with a full dessert spread may prove challenging if you don\u2019t time things right.<\/p>\n
Secondly, research suggests pills made to reduce sugar cravings may have an opposite effect \u2014 in one study,\u00a0participants craved more sugar\u00a0when they lost their sensitivity to sweetness.<\/p>\n
And thirdly, taking pills may not be the safest, most sustainable approach to reduce your sugar cravings.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We\u2019re not so sure yet. \u201cThere is not a lot of long term data on these pills, which is why I recommend caution,\u201d Dr. Stanford says.<\/p>\n
We do know that sugar craving pills made from\u00a0Gymnema sylvestre\u00a0should\u00a0should not be taken with certain medications\u00a0without the approval of a physician.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose who are pregnant or breastfeeding should also avoid [these pills] due to limited information on safety,\u201d Yule says.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sugar can in fact be incorporated into a healthy lifestyle. \u201cThe term sugar includes the natural\u00a0sugars in fruits\u00a0and dairy products,\u201d Yule says, \u201cand these absolutely can be a part of a healthy diet.\u201d<\/p>\n
We should, however, limit the amount of added sugars we eat. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that\u00a0no more than 10 percent\u00a0of our daily calories come from added sugars. Rather than focus on altering the flavor of foods to reduce sugar cravings, Yule suggests sticking to foods with natural sugars when you have a hankering for something sweet.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also a good idea to look at your diet as a whole. \u201cOne of the best ways to manage cravings of all types is to make sure you are consuming regular and balanced meals,\u201d Yule says.<\/p>\n
That means incorporating whole foods that contain three key components to keep you satisfied throughout the day. \u201cMeals that are packed with protein, fiber, and water will help you stay full between meals so you may be less likely to reach for sugary snacks,\u201d Yule says. Keep a water bottle on hand to stay well hydrated so you can prevent your body from misinterpreting thirst cues for hunger.<\/p>\n
Whether your goal is to get healthier or lose weight,\u00a0the most sustainable combo\u00a0you can rely on is a healthy, balanced diet and regularly exercising \u2014 not a magic pill.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"sugar](\"https:\/\/bod-blog-assets.prod.cd.beachbodyondemand.com\/bod-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/09104648\/Sugar-Craving-Pills-683x1024.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
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What if you could take a pill that would slash your cravings for brownies, cookies, and ice cream? Yup, such a pill exists \u2014 and people are taking notice. Read on to find out more about sugar craving pills, how they are said to work, and whether or not they\u2019re safe and effective. \u00a0 Why […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2517,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"blocksy_meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3014"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3014\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ozhelp.org.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}