Sugar: The Energy Loan Shark
By Nutritional Weight and Wellness Staff
January 27, 2025
Have you ever noticed that consuming sugar gives you a quick burst of energy, only to leave you feeling more tired and anxious later? This phenomenon is often compared to an "energy loan shark," a term popularized in the book Beat Sugar Addiction Now! by Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum.
As Leah Kleinschrodt RD, LD explained in a recent episode of Dishing Up Nutrition:
“It’s like a credit card. When you get that hit of sugar, it gives you a lift in your energy and mood for a short time. But what you’re doing is borrowing against future energy, future moods, and future stability.”
Listen to the full podcast episode for more comprehensive information about Sugar Addiction and Depression.
This analogy really struck a chord with us, so we’re expanding on it to illustrate how sugar affects your energy, mood, and anxiety.
How Sugar Acts Like an 'Energy Loan Shark' That Fuels Anxiety
Borrowing Energy You Don’t Have: Blood Sugar Fluctuations
When you consume sugary foods or refined carbohydrates like soda, candy, or pastries, your blood sugar levels spike rapidly due to their high glycemic index. This surge provides a temporary boost in energy and mood. However, many foods that contribute to these spikes may not seem obviously sugary.
Hidden Sugars in Everyday Foods:
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Packaged and Processed Foods: Items like granola bars, flavored yogurts, and even whole-grain cereals often containhigh levels of added sugars. These foods not only contain hidden sugars but also have a high glycemic load, which can lead to significant blood sugar spikes.
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Condiments and Sauces: Ketchup, barbecue sauce, and salad dressings frequently have significant amounts of hidden sugars.
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Refined Carbohydrates: Foods such as white bread, crackers, and pasta are quickly converted into glucose, causing similar blood sugar spikes as sugary snacks.
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Beverages: Flavored coffee drinks, sports drinks, and smoothies can contain as much sugar as desserts.
The Standard American Diet (SAD) and Its Impact
The Standard American Diet, high in sugar, refined carbohydrates, and processed foods, contributes to:
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Chronic Inflammation: Linked to increased anxiety and depression.
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Blood Sugar Instability: Leads to emotional and physical stress.
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Poor Gut Health: Affects mood regulation and overall mental health.
Loan Shark Connection: The initial sugar high is like taking out a loan—you get immediate gratification, but it’s borrowed energy that demands repayment with interest, leading to negative consequences later.
Symptoms of Low Blood Sugar
Low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, can manifest in a variety of symptoms that often resemble anxiety. Imagine feeling shaky, your heart racing, and breaking out in a sweat—these are classic signs of low blood sugar. But they can easily be mistaken for anxiety attacks. Other symptoms include irritability, mood swings, nausea, and even difficulty concentrating. You might feel dizzy, lightheaded, or experience headaches and fatigue.
These symptoms occur because your body releases stress hormones like epinephrine (adrenaline) and cortisol in response to low blood sugar. These hormones trigger physical and emotional reactions that can mimic anxiety, making it hard to distinguish between the two.
The Crash: Paying the Price
After the temporary high, your blood sugar levels drop sharply, leading to a crash. This is when the “loan shark” demands repayment, and your body experiences the repercussions.
Blood sugar instability is a significant risk factor for developing anxiety and other mental health issues.
Physiological Responses During a Crash: Blood Glucose Levels
Insulin Surge: Your body releases insulin to clear the sugar from your bloodstream, but this often overcorrects, leading to low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia).
Stress Hormone Release: Your body produces cortisol and adrenaline to stabilize blood sugar, which can leave you feeling anxious, shaky, and irritable. These physiological responses can mimic or exacerbate symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, making it difficult to manage both blood sugar and mental health.
Blood Glucose Fluctuation and Sleep Quality
Blood glucose fluctuations don’t just affect your waking hours—they can also disrupt your sleep, which is crucial for mental health. If your blood sugar drops during the night, you might experience nightmares, vivid dreams, or frequent awakenings. Insomnia or difficulty falling asleep can also be a problem, leaving you feeling tired and groggy in the morning.
These fluctuations can throw off your natural sleep-wake cycle, leading to restless sleep and morning headaches. All these disruptions can take a toll on your mental well-being.
How Blood Sugar Fluctuations Mimic Anxiety
Blood sugar fluctuations can play tricks on your body, making you feel anxious when it’s really your blood sugar levels that are out of whack. When your blood sugar drops, your body releases adrenaline, causing symptoms like a racing heart, sweating, and irritability—classic signs of anxiety. This can even trigger anxiety attacks in some people.
Moreover, these fluctuations can mess with your brain’s chemistry. Low blood sugar can reduce the production of serotonin and dopamine, neurotransmitters that help regulate mood. When these levels drop, you might feel sad, anxious, or irritable, further blurring the line between blood sugar issues and anxiety.
How Cortisol Affects Anxiety and Weight
Cortisol, often called the stress hormone, amplifies the effects of a sugar crash. It keeps your body in a state of stress, increasing anxiety and making it difficult to relax. Over time, it contributes to:
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Increased Appetite and Sugar Cravings: Leading to a cycle of dependence.
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Fat Storage: Particularly around the abdominal area.
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Muscle Breakdown: Which makes it harder to regulate blood sugar naturally.
Elevated cortisol levels are often found in individuals with anxiety disorders, further complicating their mental health and well-being.
Loan Shark Connection: This is the moment when sugar takes the biggest toll. You’re left feeling depleted, anxious, and burdened with long-term consequences like weight gain and muscle loss.
The Vicious Cycle: How Sugar Traps You in Anxiety
After a sugar crash, your body craves quick energy to restore balance, which often leads to eating more sugar. This cycle keeps you trapped in a loop where sugar temporarily relieves anxiety but ultimately makes it worse.
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When your blood sugar drops, your body releases cortisol and adrenaline, which mimic anxiety symptoms like a racing heart and shallow breathing.
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Eating sugar without protein or fat causes more dramatic spikes and crashes, leaving your body stuck in stress mode.
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Over time, sugar contributes to systemic inflammation, which disrupts mood regulation and increases feelings of anxiety and unease.
Loan Shark Connection: Each sugar crash locks you into a vicious cycle of borrowing more energy, creating a dependency that worsens both your physical and emotional health.
Want to Break Free from the Sugar Loan Shark?
Understanding how sugar affects your energy and anxiety is the first step toward breaking free.
If you’re ready to stop borrowing energy from sugar and take control of your mood and health, learn about our 28-Day Sugar Challenge.
More Resources:
Sugar’s Effects on Stress and Anxiety: Sugar Making You Stressed
Health Effects of Hidden Sugars: Health Effects of Hidden Sugars as You Age
Stress, Cortisol, and Weight: The Connection Between Stress, Cortisol, and Weight Gain
