Evidence suggests that diet plays an important role in the development of mood disorders. In particular, low quality diets may cause changes to neuronal pathways that lead to a deterioration in normal brain function. Sugar has been implicated as a key factor in this process and diets high in sugar may cause changes to brain function that resemble that of addictive drugs. Therefore those that consume sugar show signs of dependence on the sugar. In one study rats were fed a high sugar diet that contains a 10 % sucrose solution. Following this the rats were fasted. The results of the study showed that when the sugar fed rats were exposed to experimental stress, their behaviour became anxious when compared to rats not fed the sugar diet. In addition, the sugar fed rats experienced increases in extracellular acetylcholine and decreases in dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. Therefore sugar may cause changes to brain tissue that may be the cause of anxious behaviour observed following consumption.
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