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Is your blood sugar going up because of your sweet tooth? A new study has answers

Instead of trying to ‘kill’ your sweet tooth, focus on managing it

It seems that your love for sweet taste doesn’t really change, no matter how much or how little you eat.

Most of us have heard this advice: “If you stop eating sugar, you’ll stop craving it.” Many people believe that the more sweets you eat, the more you will want them. But new research shows that this might not be true. It seems that your love for sweet taste doesn’t really change, no matter how much or how little you eat.

As a doctor, I think this makes sense—and here’s why.

Why We Like Sweet Foods

Humans are born liking sweet tastes. This comes from our ancestors, who looked for sweet fruits and honey for energy. This liking for sweetness is built into our body and brain. Yes, our cravings can go up and down depending on mood, stress, or hunger, but our basic “sweet tooth” stays mostly the same. That means eating a lot of sweets for a short time won’t make you like sugar more, and cutting it out for a while won’t make you stop liking it.

What the Study Found

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The new study followed people for several months. Some ate a lot of sweet-tasting foods, some ate less, and some ate only a little. In the end, their preference for sweet taste stayed the same in all groups.

From my medical experience, this is believable. Taste preferences in adults—especially for basic tastes like sweet or salt — don’t change easily unless something major happens, like illness or certain medicines.

What This Means for You

If you enjoy sweets, you should still try to control how much sugar you eat for your health. Too much sugar can increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. But don’t expect your sweet tooth to disappear just because you stopped sugar for a month.

Instead of trying to “kill” your sweet tooth, focus on managing it: So choose fruits instead of cakes or candy. Have small portions of sweets instead of large ones. Check food labels for hidden sugars in drinks and packaged snacks. Over time, you may notice that very sweet foods start tasting “too much” for you, but this is a slow change.

Why Some People Feel They Lose Their Sweet Tooth

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Some people say they no longer like sugar after cutting it out. This is often because their taste buds get used to less sweet food, so very sweet things feel too strong. But this doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy sweet tastes again—it just means their taste adjusted for a while.

Your sweet tooth is mostly set from birth. Short-term changes in diet won’t erase it. Cutting down sugar is still good for health but the goal should be to balance, not complete removal of sweetness from your life.

(Dr Bhattacharya is senior consultant, endocrinology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi)