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WHY IS IT SO HARD TO STOP EATING SUGAR?

Thursday, October 19, 2023

In today’s newsletter, we discover pneumonia’s enduring grip, learn about a rare ‘domino effect’ that triggered powerful quakes in Afghanistan ... and find out how to sneak more vegetables into our diets.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY GETTY IMAGES

We crave sugar. Indulgent dishes enticing us with it can feel impossible to avoid, especially around holidays like Halloween.

Foods rich in sugar (like those above) and fat can increase dopamine levels as much as 200 percent above normal—a similar bump to what’s observed with nicotine and alcohol, the two most common addictions in the U.S.

Here’s exactly how that works.

READ THE FULL STORY

STORIES WE’RE FOLLOWING

In the aftermath of a 6.3 magnitude earthquake that struck Herat, people employ construction machines and even simple tools like shovels and picks to remove the debris.

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAFAR MOSAVI, MIDDLE EAST IMAGES/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Back-to-back-to-back-to-back 6.3 magnitude earthquakes in Afghanistan (above) has stunned scientists. What happened?

A stubborn, complicated killer: There are actually 4 types of pneumonia. These are the differences.

Another weapon to fight climate change? Put carbon back where we found it

New explanation emerges for long COVID and its brain fog

These insects are masters of disguise—even before hatching

Harry Houdini’s unlikely last act? Taking on the occult

Doctors said exercise would help beat this mystery illness. It made it worse.

A look at the quirkiest forms of public transport

Murder. Greed. Conspiracy. What really happened in Osage County?

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

A United States Marine Corps recruit trains at Camp Lejeune as her unit readies for deployment.

PHOTOGRAPH BY LYNSEY ADDARIO

Life through the lens: From documenting the terror of war to British hospitals in the grip of COVID-19, acclaimed Nat Geo Explorer and photographer Lynsey Addario gives her view of the craft. Pictured (above) is a U.S Marine recruit training in North Carolina as her unit readies for deployment in 2017.

CAPTIVATING IMAGES

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Federico Agostinelli monitors work on a horse head at a facility in Carrara, Italy.

PHOTOGRAPH BY RICHARD BARNES

Whose heritage? With October as Museums and Galleries Month, a profound question emerges: Are museums celebrating cultural heritage—or clinging to stolen treasure? Above, Federico Agostinelli, monitors work on a horse head in Carrara, Italy. He and other artists and researchers are creating replicas of Parthenon sculptures. The hope: the British Museum could use such precise replicas—and return the originals to Greece.

RETURNING LOOTED ARTIFACTS

LAST GLIMPSE

A display of leafy greens in a store

PHOTOGRAPH BY COME SITTLER, REA/REDUX

Mom apparently knew what she was talking about when she told you to eat your vegetables. Experts now say that for the sake of our bodies—and the Earth’s climate— people across the world need to make roots, beans, leafy greens (above), and other plant foods a bigger part of our diets.

“We’re not saying go vegan," one expert on food climate policy tells Nat Geo. "But significant changes can happen from shifting away from meat and towards plants.”

Related: Which leafy greens are healthiest—and which might make you sick?

VEGGIE BENEFITS

Today’s soundtrack: Beautiful World, Colin Hay

We hope this newsletter brightened your Thursday! It was curated and edited by David Beard, Nancy San Martín, and Cameron Peters. Know someone who might want our newsletter in their inbox? Here’s the signup. See you tomorrow!

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