I’ve heard people say it is because of a brain signal but I’m not sure.
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Encountering too much salt is a thing that is not uncommon in the wild. Even on land salt is often present in large deposits and an organism could easily consume too much. So evolving mechanisms to know not to take too much salt at a time was important.
That is just not nearly as big an issue in the wild when it comes to sugar. Very rarely are we going to have more than we can process. And even if we do in the short term that almost certainly will not last in the long term. So there was much less reason to evolve a mechanism to limit the amount of sugar we consume.
Sugar is often considered more addictive than salt due to several key factors:
1. **Brain Chemistry**: Consuming sugar triggers the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward, in the brain. This response is similar to the effect of addictive substances like drugs and alcohol. The more sugar consumed, the more dopamine is released, leading to a reinforcing cycle of craving and consumption.
2. **Evolutionary Factors**: Humans have evolved to seek out high-calorie foods for survival, and sugar is a quick source of energy. This evolutionary drive makes sugar particularly appealing and can contribute to its addictive nature.
3. **Cravings and Consumption Patterns**: Sugar consumption can lead to rapid spikes and drops in blood sugar levels, which can cause cravings for more sugar. This cyclical pattern can create a dependence on sugar to maintain energy levels and mood.
4. **Widespread Availability and Marketing**: Sugar is prevalent in many processed foods and beverages, often in large amounts. The constant availability and aggressive marketing of sugary products can reinforce habitual consumption and make it harder to reduce intake.
5. **Psychological and Social Factors**: Sugar is often associated with comfort, celebration, and reward. These positive associations can contribute to habitual and excessive consumption, reinforcing its addictive qualities.
While salt also plays a critical role in the diet and can be craved, it does not trigger the same intense dopamine response in the brain. Additionally, the body’s mechanisms for regulating salt intake are more finely tuned, making it less likely to lead to the same kind of addictive behavior seen with sugar.
Our bodies run on sugar (glucose). We are evolutionarily programmed to seek out sugary foods, since they are a good source of energy. The problem is that sugary foods are overly abundant in the modern diet, it’s too easy to consume a lot of it in a small amount of time. A hundred thousand years ago fruit was much rarer, and was only available when it was in season. Humans didn’t start eating grains regularly until about 20,000 years ago. Salt is important for a lot of bodily processes, but it isn’t a source of energy so we aren’t programmed to seek it out as much.
As humans, we are genetically programmed to seek out sugar due to it being a food source.
Anyone who has had an infant knows this. They almost always prefer sweet flavors like fruits more than cereals or vegetables.
I’ve never heard of salt triggering any sort of endorphin release in the brain. In fact, too much salt is often a negative experience.
Dip your finger in sugar and then lick it off, it’s peasant, it makes you happy. With salt, it makes you wince and reach for a drink to cleanse your palate.
Sugar literally triggers the brains to release chemical messengers that makes you feel better. That feeling is what leads to addiction. You always want to feel that way, and you know that eating sugar will make you feel that way, so you eat more sugar.
Salt simply doesn’t work like that. It’s not a thing.
Sugar has calories. You can fill yourself up with sweet stuff, and your body can process it – the negative consequences are mostly long-term. Sugar is kinda rare in nature, so a sugar addiction is self-limiting in a world without modern transport logistics.
Salt is not fuel. Your body needs to top off sometimes, but it doesn’t burn salt the way it burns sugar. If you binge eat salt, you will probably die in the next day or so. Additionally, salt can (sometimes) be very common – there are literal oceans of the stuff just lying around and an addict would not have a chance to survive and pass on their genes.
Once Upon A Time, people starved to death a lot.
Sugar is a sign of a calorie-dense food which your body can very easily break down for energy.
Your brain makes sugar desirable so that you seek out more of those calories.
Salt is also necessary to stay alive, yes. But your brain is *far* more concerned with preventing you from starving to death, so it gives you *much more* of a drive to see out sugar.
It’s true that most people nowadays have ample access to calories and aren’t at risk of starving to death…but you haven’t evolved to deal with that. You’ve evolved to deal with constant starvation, so that’s still how you’re wired today.
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