The Conversation

Let’s 'declare war on type 2 diabetes' – Australian of the year James Muecke on why we need to cut back on sugar

27-02-2020 Author: James Muecke, Clinical senior lecturer in Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Adelaide

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Humans are physiologically hardwired to love and seek out sweet things. It’s an ancient survival mechanism that evolved to prepare our bodies for periods of fasting when food supplies were scarce.

Like nicotine, alcohol and other drugs, sugar activates the reward system in our brains, resulting in the release of the...

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