---
title: Is There a Link Between Blood Sugar and Mood?
description: High-glycemic diets that spike blood glucose and insulin are linked to higher depression risk, and magnesium may help support blood sugar and mood.
image: https://www.casi.org/hubfs/casi/featured/adobestock_299822264.jpeg
---

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Research & Education

# Is There a Link Between Blood Sugar and Mood?

DM Danielle C. Male, MS, CNS, LDN Jul 13, 2023

![Is There a Link Between Blood Sugar and Mood?](https://www.casi.org/hs-fs/hubfs/casi/featured/adobestock_299822264.jpeg?width=960)

It is widely recognized that food can positively impact mood due to its cultural, nostalgic, or traditional significance. However, the body's blood glucose response also plays a crucial role in how food affects a person's mood. The [glycemic index](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7322666/) (GI) categorizes carbohydrates based on their rate of digestion, absorption, metabolism, and subsequent impact on blood glucose and insulin levels. [Research](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7322666/) suggests that [high GI foods](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7322666/), such as sugary drinks and pastries, can negatively affect mood in the short and long term.

In the short term, consuming high-GI foods can lead to [rapid fluctuations in blood glucose levels](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7322666/). This triggers the release of [counter-regulatory hormones](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7322666/), such as cortisol, adrenaline, growth hormone, and glucagon, which work to restore blood glucose levels to normal. These physiological responses may result in changes in [anxiousness, irritability, and hunger](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7322666/). 

Over the long term, unhealthy glucose responses due to consistent high-GI food intake can have a negative impact on normal insulin responses. This can potentially lead to [insulin resistance, prediabetes, and eventually type 2 diabetes](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7322666/). [Human](https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2021.20101479?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%2520%25200pubmed) and [animal studies](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4371978/) have suggested a potential connection between mood disorders (particularly depression) and insulin resistance. A 3-year [prospective cohort study involving 69,954 participants](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4515860/) concluded that a high-GI diet could be a risk factor for depression in postmenopausal women. Similarly, [two cohort studies with 85,500 participants](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30054563/) found a significant positive association between high-GI diets and depression.

Insulin plays a role in regulating [neuronal signaling and plasticity](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4371978/), and unhealthy insulin metabolism in the brain may alter [dopamine turnover](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4371978/), which can contribute to anxiety and depressive-like behaviors. [Animal models of insulin resistance](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4371978/) have shown an increased risk of depression-like behaviors, possibly due to [dysregulated mitochondrial function](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4371978/), [neuroinflammation, and reduced neurogenesis](https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2021.20101479?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%2520%25200pubmed). Unhealthy insulin metabolism is also associated with dysregulation of [glucocorticoids in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis](https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2021.20101479?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%2520%25200pubmed), which can be associated with some mood disorders.

The [Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA)](https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2021.20101479?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%2520%25200pubmed), a longitudinal multisite study involving 601 adults aged 18 to 65 without a lifetime history of depression or anxiety disorders, observed that a moderate clinical increase in insulin resistance measurements (e.g., high triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein ratio) corresponded to an [89% increase in the incidence rate of major depressive disorder over a 9-year follow-up period.](https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2021.20101479?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%2520%25200pubmed) The researchers suggest that insulin resistance is a risk factor for developing major depressive disorder in [both men and women](https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.2021.20101479?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%2520%25200pubmed). 

Promoting normal blood glucose and insulin metabolism can potentially support a healthy mood. Along with a nutrient-dense, [low-GI diet](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7322666/), adequate intake of specific nutrients like [magnesium](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8065437/) may help to promote [normal blood glucose metabolism](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28526383/) and [overall mood health](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8065437/) simultaneously. 

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### Danielle C. Male, MS, CNS, LDN

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## Continue your research

#### [Science Update A Case Series on an Allulose-Containing Gummy in Healthy Adults Monitored by Continuous Glucose Monitoring Sep 09, 2026](https://www.casi.org/articles/a-case-series-on-an-allulose-containing-gummy-in-healthy-adults-monitored-by-continuous-glucose-monitoring)

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