Sugar has been in our diets ever since we have been aware of a variety of different kinds of tastes that nature has provided us with. Ever since our taste buds have tasted sugar we have liked its taste more than any other taste on the planet. But the natural sugars are not that damaging to our body system as much as the artificial sugars are.
“Blueberries, strawberries and blackberries are true super foods. Naturally sweet and juicy, berries are low in sugar and high in nutrients - they are among the best foods you can eat” Joel Fuhrman.
According to a research done by David Gillespie, Australian writer, sugar destroys many of our organs without any symptoms until it is too late. During his research, he learnt how sugar destroys first the liver, then pancreas, then kidneys and finally ending up destroying the heart.
Important fact:
American Heart Association has formulated clear guidelines for sugar intake by individuals. As per AHA, 6 teaspoons of sugar, or 100 calories per day is recommended for women and 9 teaspoons of sugar or 150 calories per day must be taken by men.
Now let us have a look at what are the various harmful effects of sugar on your body.
A combination of sugar, saliva and bacteria lead to the decay of your tooth. The bacterium in your mouth revels up on the sugary foods that you eat and produces acid which dissolves the tooth, thus causing the tooth decay. The added sugars contain no essential nutrients or essential fatty acids, they are simply energy. That is why they are often known as empty calories.
The added sugars contain a high amount of fructose. Liver turns the fructose into glycogen and stores it until we need it. If we are active enough to convert the high amount of sugars and calories that we eat into energy, then it is fine. But if we are inactive and are consuming a diet which is high in fructose(which is found in added sugars) then liver will be overloaded with glycogen and then it will be turned into fat. This will result in a fatty liver. This might also lead to several other kinds of liver damages and other diseases.
The Non-Alcoholic fatty liver disease is a disease in which high amounts of fructose from the added sugars gets deposited into the liver itself and because of the low metabolic rates it is not able to get converted into energy. And thus it is a type of disease which mainly occurs due to high physical inactivity, consumption of western diets and a low metabolic rate. Thus added sugars are bad in every form. Therefore you should avoid the sweetened beverages and cold drinks which are overloaded with the sugar content.
The added white sugars lead to the insulin resistance in the body which will definitely lead you to cause diabetes type 2 in your body.
Now we know the function of insulin is that it allows the blood sugar or glucose into the cells in the body. The insulin guides the cells that they have to burn glucose instead of burning fat. But when we consume high amounts of glucose through high sugary diets, then the cells tend to turn resistant to insulin. This leads to a number of diseases in the human body which are related to obesity, diabetes, low metabolic rate and syndrome.
According to a study that has researched a number of people, it found that people who consume the sugary drinks more have 84% risk of getting diabetes type 2.
Sugar consumed in excessive amounts leads to increased cardiac risks. The added sugar contains all the ‘empty calories’ without any vitamins or fibre in it and therefore adds to the extra calories in the body. According to a 2013 finding done by AHA, the excess consumption of added sugars affects the pumping mechanism of the heart which could lead to heart failure.
Cancer is a disease which takes away many lives every year worldwide. It is characterized by uncontrolled growth and multiplication of cells in the body.
Insulin in the body plays a key role in controlling this type of growth in the cells.
Consuming high quantities of sugary products or beverages increases insulin levels in your body, and the constantly elevated levels of insulin may lead to the growth of cancer. Also, sugar has an adverse effect on the metabolism of the body, further aggravating the condition.
When consuming the sugary foods such as a can of cola or a doughnut or any sweet food, it results in increasing the blood sugar levels and insulin.
Insulin blocks the production of leptin hormone, which sends the signal to your brain that your body is full and is not hungry anymore. The higher the levels of insulin in your body the more hungry you will feel.
As a result of which we end up eating more until we are full. This results in weight gain.
As White sugar increases the levels of dopamine in the brain, it is termed to be addictive as well. And that is why sugar and other junk foods make the people who are susceptible to addiction more addictive to the sugary stuff or junk food.
Having junk food and artificially sweetened products adds to the amount of sugar in your body. This sugar, in turn, increases the blood sugar level in your blood stream and increases the insulin level in your body as well. This leads to triggering various other types of diseases in your body. Experts have found that the constantly elevated levels of insulin might lead to the growth of cancerous cells in your body.
A study in 2012 has found that excessive consumption of sugar and sweetened products is linked to memory deficiency and cognitive health. It may also lead to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Because when you consume sugars, the blood sugar levels increase, and over a period of time the brain cells shrink down due to the excess blood sugar level. And that could really affect your long-term brain health, increasing the likelihood of developing lesions in the brain, which leads to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
Now you really must take a serious note of how much sugar you have to take daily. And necessarily cut down on all the processed food and beverages, junk foods and be aware of that extra tablespoon of sugar you add to your tea daily!
We suggest you to have a meal which is full of fibre, and nutrients which will help your body get some energy. The sugary beverages such as sports drink, soda, energy drinks contain high levels of added sugars which add up to your daily sugar intake.
All the cakes, doughnuts, bread, chocolate bars, soft drinks, health drinks sodas and colas add immensely to your daily sugar intake. Hence care must be taken to avoid these bakery items in your diet. Because even though they might seem to be the loveliest food on Earth, their essential nutrient content might be infinitesimally low and this could damage your health.
“This is what people don't understand: obesity is a symptom of poverty. It's not a lifestyle choice where people are just eating and not exercising. It's because kids - and this is the problem with school lunch right now - are getting sugar, fat, empty calories - lots of calories - but no nutrition.” Tom Colicchio
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