The Reason You Have A Sweet Tooth After Dinner

When dining out, dessert feels like a must. No matter what anyone else at the table wants, that molten chocolate cake always seems to call your name. You may chalk it up to a love of chocolate (and lava cake), but it turns out there's a scientific reason behind it. It's called "dessert stomach," and it's a real phenomenon rooted in evolution. Even after we're full, our brains are wired to light up at the sight of sugar.

A study by the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research found that mice, after being left to eat their fill, will eat sugar even if they're stuffed. When the mice saw or tasted sugar, neurons in their brains released ß-endorphin (beta-endorphin), a natural opioid that causes feelings of pleasure and reward. When the scientists gave the mice opioid blockers, they stopped eating extra sugar.

The scientists then replicated the study in humans using brain scans and sugar solutions, finding similar brain activity in the same reward-related regions. This suggests that the "dessert stomach" could be hardwired into the brain. It also paves the way for more research on potentially using opioid blockers to help treat obesity.

According to the institute's findings, "From an evolutionary perspective, this makes sense: Sugar is rare in nature, but provides quick energy. The brain is programmed to control the intake of sugar whenever it is available." While sugar used to be hard to find, it's everywhere now — and its detrimental effects on our overall health continue to reveal themselves. To help, the Food and Drug Administration proposed a major change to our food packages, where the amount of added sugar, sodium, and fat needs to be on the front of product packaging. This change, however, isn't expected until at least 2028.

If you want to manage dessert stomach, you can move away from processed sugars to natural sweet treats. Eat dates, which are 80% sugar and a superfood (and not to mention delicious). Frozen grapes are a fun indulgence, and a small piece of dark chocolate is decadent (and yes, it is considered healthier than other types of chocolate). A four-ingredient, refreshing dessert of strawberries, bananas, dark chocolate, and coconut oil also makes a tasty, fruity frozen fudge that serves as a healthier swap for the original. You can also portion your bites, if you aren't already doing so. Have one scoop of ice cream instead of two. Speaking from experience, sometimes even just one spoonful can curb the cravings.