How Sugar Affects Your Metabolism, And It’s Not What You Think
What We Think We Eat or Drink, Affects Our Hearts
Imagine this: you're handed a milkshake. Not just any milkshake, but one that's brimming with creamy goodness, a boatload of sugar, and enough calories to fuel a small marathon. Now, what if someone told you that this indulgent treat was actually a low-calorie, low-fat, health-conscious beverage? Would your heart believe it? Turns out, it just might!
The Milkshake And Shame Study
A recent study by Ellen C McGarity-Shipley et al delved into the question; Does our perceived calorie and nutrient intake influence our cardio function? They set out to see whether the way we perceive the calories and nutrients in our drinks could change how our bodies respond to them. In simpler terms, they wanted to know whether telling someone a milkshake was healthy would make it less likely to mess with their heart.
The Experiment: A Tale of Three Beverages
The researchers brought in 25 young women, all in their early twenties and prone to feeling stressed or guilty about food (ugh, been there). These women were given three different drinks on different occasions:
The Real Deal Milkshake: A high-calorie, high-sugar, high-fat milkshake (540 calories, 80g sugar, 14g fat).
The Fake-Nutrishake: The exact same milkshake, but participants were told it was low-calorie, low-sugar, and low-fat (100 calories, 3g sugar, 4g fat).
Good Ol' H2O: Just plain water.
Before and after each drink, the researchers checked the participants' endothelial function. This is a fancy way of saying they measured how well their blood vessels could expand and contract, which is crucial for cardiovascular health.
They also checked in with their perceived shame and stress along with their endothelial function and here’s what they found…
Mind Over Milkshake
When the women knew they were drinking the high-calorie, sugary milkshake, their endothelial function took a nosedive. Their blood vessels weren't as responsive, which isn't great news for heart health. But when they thought the same milkshake was a low-calorie health drink, their blood vessels behaved much better. It was almost as if their bodies were tricked into thinking the drink was less harmful.
Why Does This Happen?
The study suggests that our perceptions about what we're consuming can create a sort of "nocebo" effect. You've probably heard of the placebo effect, where believing something will help you actually makes you feel better. The nocebo effect is the evil twin of this phenomenon: if you think something is bad for you, it might actually make you feel worse.
So, when these women thought they were drinking an unhealthy milkshake, their bodies responded more negatively than when they thought the same drink was healthy. This indicates that our mindsets and beliefs about food can directly impact our physical health.
What This Means for You
If you find yourself stressing over every calorie and gram of fat, this study offers some food for thought. Your beliefs about what you eat and drink might be just as important as the nutritional content itself. Next time you indulge in a treat, maybe try to enjoy it without the guilt. Your heart might just thank you for it.
Time and time again, research has shown us that how we feel about the things that we eat can sometimes be just as important as what we eat. So go ahead, savor that milkshake—just tell yourself it's the healthiest thing ever, and your heart might just play along.
If you like this study, you may also like a similar study from 2011 that shows evidence our body’s ghrelin response changes depending on what participants felt about the milkshake they were drinking. Both studies are linked below.
Resources
Crum AJ, Corbin WR, Brownell KD, Salovey P. Mind over milkshakes: mindsets, not just nutrients, determine ghrelin response. Health Psychol. 2011 Jul;30(4):424-9; discussion 430-1. doi: 10.1037/a0023467. PMID: 21574706.
McGarity-Shipley EC, Vitez ME, Curd ED, Etwaroo R, Ferguson EJ, Lew LA, McGlory C, Pyke KE. Does perceived caloric and nutrient intake influence the acute effect of beverage consumption on cardiovascular function? J Appl Physiol (1985). 2024 Apr 1;136(4):739-752. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00308.2023. Epub 2024 Jan 18. PMID: 38234290.
