When we eat, the pancreas produces insulin. Eating sugar (or any carbohydrate) will cause insulin levels to increase, explained weight-loss physician Linda Hodges, DO. Insulin's job is to take the sugar from food and bring it into the brain and muscle cells that use it as fuel, explained Vera Tarman, MD, an addiction physician who works with people who struggle with food and sugar addiction.
Insulin helps keep your blood sugar in a certain range, and when you eat sugar, it requires more insulin to complete that task. "If one is constantly over-consuming sugar, insulin levels can eventually remain high all the time," Dr. Hodges explained.