Sugary beverages may help to cut stress, new research claims
Researchers found that the women who consumed them had diminished levels of the hormone cortisol in their saliva
![Could sugary drinks help to reduce stress?](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2015/04/16/20/sugar-rex.jpg)
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Louise Thomas
Editor
Busy workers who turn to sweet drinks and snacks for a quick sugar fix may well feel a pang of guilt for making a habit of their indulgence. But according to new research, reaching for a sugary beverage may help to reduce stress.
In a small study, researchers assigned 11 participants to drink beverages with high sugar content and eight to consume aspartame-sweetened alternatives. Researchers discovered that the women who had been consuming sugar-sweetened beverages had diminished levels of cortisol in their saliva, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands that is essential for the body’s response to stress.
“This is the first evidence that high sugar – but not aspartame – consumption may relieve stress in humans,” said Dr Kevin Laugero of the University of California.
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