Should no longer dance in your head. The ‘sugar high’ is an oxymoron.

Researchers have concluded that sugar intake actually suppresses neuropeptides known as orexins, making us both sleepy and hungry. Wired’s Jonah Lehrer provides the details and joins the chorus of voices blaming refined sugar’s consumption for a “downward spiral of obesity. Because we eat lots of refined sugars, washing down Twinkies with cans of Coke, we continually reduce levels of orexin in the brain, which then reduces levels of physical activity.”

Not one to ruin anyone’s holiday party plans, Lehrer does offer a solution: protein. Consuming even a little of it with sugar helps cancel the effect, especially when the protein and sugary item are consumed simultaneously.

In other words, keep some almonds handy between now and January.