Don't defoliate. It is bro science, lol... not a debate.
Plants will recover? from damage you caused, lol, but why cause it in the first place?
leaves are lungs, storage and solar panels. Whimsical, bro-science defoliation is retarded. Sugar, the product of photosynthesis, easily traverses the vascular tissue to reach areas of low concentration - i.e. sugar goes where it is needed. Where it orginates is not what dictates growth. Apical dominance does that.