Take two cookies, and call me in the morning.
That’s the advice from Norwegian researchers who say a sugary snack can actually ease the pain of a gut-busting holiday feast.
“A sweet taste can allow the stomach to hold more, and we can eat a little more without experiencing discomfort,” says Dr. Arnold Berstad, of Lovisenberg Diakonale Hospital in Oslo.
In a paper published this month in The Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association, Berstad and Dr. Jorgen Valeur said sugar appears to stimulate the vagus nerve, which controls digestion, speech, breathing and other functions.
The tickled nerve signals the stomach muscle to loosen up and allow a bit more food to fit in.
At the same time, the looser stomach muscle lets the food you’ve already eaten settle comfortably.
But Berstad wouldn’t sugarcoat the findings, noting the effects last “long enough to influence the current meal but maybe not more.”
Sugary fare can relax the stomach so much that it doesn’t feel full even when it really is. In fact, sugar’s effect on the vagus nerve may be one reason it’s easy to overdo it when it comes to dessert, experts say.