Why are kids today so Anxious? You might not want to hear the answer.
Anxiety, depression, brain fog, ADHD – the statistics show that brain health issues are on the rise. What was considered pathological anxiety in the 50’s, is considered a ‘normal’ level of anxiety today? Why is our brain health faltering at such an alarming rate?
Neuroinflammation is inflammation in the brain. We think of brain trauma such as concussions causing inflammation in the brain; but the lifestyle, diet, pollutants, bacteria, viruses, and stress can all cause subtle shifts in brain inflammatory cells, resulting in neuroinflammation (1).
What’s more, a 2017 study shows that the brain actually shrinks when inflammatory markers in the blood are high (2). What was the most significant marker? HBA1C – a marker for sugar. Even if your number is in the ‘normal’ range, brain shrinkage could still be occurring. In Canada, we don’t worry about diabetes until your HBAIC is over 6, however, this study showed that when comparing the degree of brain tissue loss in those individuals with the lowest hemoglobin A1C (4.4 to 5.2) to those having the highest hemoglobin A1C (5.9 to 9.0), the brain loss in those individuals with the highest hemoglobin A1C was almost doubled during a six-year period.
As moms, we know that sugar is ‘bad’ for our kids, so we try to limit it. We are proud of ourselves that they only get 1, or 2 day, so much we think, sadly, even the 1 or 2 sessions is causing priming of those inflammatory neurological cells. Why are kids so anxious these days, so many factors, with diet being a major one and society makes it almost impossible to fix.
In 1957 Richard O. Marshall and Earl P. Kooi developed high-fructose corn syrup and changed the face of the food industry as we know it. (3) Mass production of sugary, sweet products hit the shelves, and we ate it up, literally.
Many fruits have both glucose and fructose, such as a banana. Fruit sugar in massive amounts can be an issue, sure, but most of us typically don’t over-indulge in fruit. Unlike glucose, which is metabolized in every cell in the body, fructose can only be broken down by the liver. This can put a massive strain on the liver, and sugar is now known as the major cause of fatty liver disease – we love to put all the blame on alcohol but that’s no longer the case. In fact, it is estimated that 10% of kids today have fatty liver due to sugar. (3)
As one sugar researcher, Jamie Honohan in his article “What happens to your brain on sugar explained says:
“Even though we associate significant health hazards in taking drugs like cocaine and morphine, high-fat/ high-sugar foods may present even more of a danger because of their accessibility and affordability. So basically, Oreos are legal crack”.
Sugar is only one of many causes of neuroinflammation, but one that we, as parents need to learn more about. I see young kids drinking soda pop, and parents will tell me that it’s caffeine-free or non-carbonated such as iced tea, so it’s okay, perhaps we should just give them wine instead, at least it is an antioxidant.
** Notes and references taken from 2018 OAND Conference seminar by Dr. Bob Scott
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Sayed, A.S., Gomaa, I.E.O., Bader, M. et al. Mol Neurobiol (2018) 55: 5798. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-017-0801-
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Keenan A.Walker,R C. et al, Neurology2017,89(22)2262-2270;DOI:10.1212/WNL.0000000000004688
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http://www.sugarhistory.net/who-made-sugar/sugar-timeline/
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https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/liver-disease/nafld-nash-children/definition-facts