Posted on Cardiovascular disease, Diabetes, Diet

Having a sweet tooth is linked to higher risk of depression, diabetes, and stroke, study finds

People with a preference for sweets are at a higher risk of developing depression, diabetes, and suffering a stroke, according to new research from the University of Surrey.
People with a preference for sweets are at a higher risk of developing depression, diabetes, and suffering a stroke, according to new research from the University of Surrey.

The study, which was published in the Journal of Translational Medicine, utilized anonymized data on the food preferences of 180,000 volunteers from the UK Biobank. Artificial intelligence was employed to categorize them into three general profiles:

  • Health-conscious: prefer fruits and vegetables over animal-based and sweet foods. 
  • Omnivore: Likes most foods, including meats, fish, and some vegetables, as well as sweets and desserts. 
  • Sweet tooth: Prefer sweet foods and sugary drinks and is less interested in healthier options like fruit and vegetables.  

The Surrey team analyzed UK Biobank data on blood samples, measuring 2,923 proteins and 168 metabolites to observe how these levels varied in each group.

Proteins are essential for various functions in the body, such as fighting infections, muscle contractions, and cognitive processes. Metabolites, on the other hand, are small molecules produced during digestion and other chemical processes in the body, providing valuable insights into our body’s functioning. By comparing these blood-based proteins and metabolites, researchers can gain a better understanding of the biological variances between different groups.

Professor Nophar Geifman, said: 

“The foods that you like or dislike appear to be directly linked to your health. If your favorite foods are cakes, sweets, and sugary drinks, our study’s results suggest that this may have negative effects on your health. We found that the group with a sweet tooth is 31% more likely to have depression. Additionally, this group had higher rates of diabetes and vascular heart conditions compared to the other two groups.”

“Importantly, by utilizing data-driven artificial intelligence methods, we managed to categorize individuals based on their food preferences. These categories have significant associations with health outcomes and biological markers.”

“Processed sugar is a significant part of many people’s diets. These results provide further evidence that, as a society, we should be mindful of what we eat. It’s important to stress that we’re not trying to tell people what to do; our job is simply to inform.”

The researchers also looked at differences between the three groups in standard blood biochemistry tests.  

Professor Geifman continues: 

“In the sweet tooth group, they had higher levels of C reactive protein, which is a marker for inflammation. Their blood results also show higher levels of glucose and poor lipid profiles, which is a strong warning sign for diabetes and heart disease.” 

Conversely, the health-conscious group, which also had higher dietary fibre intake, had lower risks for heart failure, chronic kidney diseases and stroke, while the omnivore group had moderate health risks. 

According to the British Nutrition Foundation, on average, in the UK, between 9% to 12.5% of an individual’s calories come from free sugar – this is defined as sugar that is added to food or drink.  Biscuits, buns, cakes, pastries and fruit pies are the biggest single contributors for adults, but together, sugary soft drinks and alcoholic drinks contribute the most to free sugar intake. 

Posted on Autism

7 Most DANGEROUS Foods for Arthritis – Don’t Eat!

In this video, Dr. Diana Girnita, a board-certified rheumatologist, reveals the seven most dangerous foods that could make your arthritis symptoms worse without you realizing it. These foods can trigger inflammation, increasing joint pain and stiffness from dairy to sugar. She will count them from the least to the most harmful, offering practical tips for healthier alternatives. Watch until the end to discover the number one food to avoid. Simple dietary changes could lead to significant pain relief and an improved quality of life!

Posted on Diabetes

How muscle energy production is impaired by diabetes

Anna Krook

Anna Krook Credit Johannes Frandsén

A new study from Karolinska Institutet shows that people with type 2 diabetes have lower protein levels that break down and convert creatine in the muscles. This leads to impaired function of the mitochondria, the cell’s ‘powerhouses’.

Creatine is a natural compound found in foods such as meat and fish. It is also a popular supplement for improving exercise performance, as it can make muscles work harder and longer before they become fatigued. Despite creatine’s recognized positive effects, previous studies have suggested a possible link between high blood creatine levels and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. This has raised questions about whether creatine supplementation may contribute to that risk.



New research based on studies in both humans and mice shows that people with type 2 diabetes have lower protein levels in their muscles that metabolise and convert creatine—a protein called creatine kinase.

“This reduced protein level leads to impaired creatine metabolism in the muscle. This may explain why people with type 2 diabetes accumulate creatine in their blood,” says Anna Krook, Professor at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at Karolinska Institutet and the study’s principal investigator.

Scientists don’t know exactly what high creatine levels in the blood mean for the body, but they do know that they affect cells outside the cells.

“The findings indicate that impaired creatine metabolism is a consequence of type 2 diabetes rather than a cause of the disease,” says Anna Krook.

The study also shows that low levels of creatine kinase are linked to higher creatine levels in the blood and the impairing function of mitochondria in the muscle. Mitochondria, which convert nutrients into energy, function less well in muscle cells with reduced creatine kinase, leading to lower energy production and increased cell stress.

“This is quite consistent with the fact that people with type 2 diabetes have poorer energy metabolism. In the future, one possibility could be to regulate creatine kinase as part of treating metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes,” says Anna Krook.

An unexpected finding of the study was that changes in creatine kinase levels affected the appearance of mitochondria and also their ability to produce energy, regardless of the amount of creatine available.

“This suggests that although the main role of creatine kinase is to process creatine, it affects mitochondrial function in other ways,” explains David Rizo-Roca, the study’s first author.

“Our next step is to find the molecular mechanisms behind these effects,” he says.