Is that sweet substance really good for you? You need to do away with it now.
Added sugar is a major component of everything on the menu. You may not even know that you had some products with sugar today. It can be found in almost every processed food available.
Food is continuously becoming faster, with people preferring the processed snacks and food options. They consume, knowingly and otherwise, a large amount of sugar. In the US, sugar makes up to 15% of the total calorie intake. This is well above the recommended 8%-10% range.
Sugar has been identified as contributing significantly to the deterioration of health, especially in children. It is a difficult item to completely do away with, but the consequences of prolonged sugar intake necessitate such action.
Here is why sugar and items with added sugar should not be on your menu.
Sugar causes energy loss
Foods rich in sugar may cause your insulin and blood sugar level to rise instantaneously when you eat them. This way, they cause an immediate rise in energy, which is often called the sugar rush.
However, these products do not have the fat, fibre or protein content to maintain the high energy demand that has been raised by consuming your sugary treat.
After the rush, a quick drop in insulin and blood levels occurs, leaving you feeling weary. This may be called the crash.
Rushing and crashing on sugar can cause fluctuating energy levels, which will drain your energy levels.
Sugar causes uncontrolled weight gain
Artificial products that contain sugar, such as juices and soda, have fructose. Fructose uses your body to crave more food, by rapidly consuming available energy supplies.
Fructose is broken down into fat if consumed in large amounts.
It may also inhibit the production of leptin. This enzyme sends signals to your brain to regulate hunger after having had enough food.
These factors may lead to the development of weight issues, which may be a precursor to obesity. The condition is associated with an increased risk of heart problems and diabetes, which are also risks that are associated with a high sugar intake.
It could increase your risk of heart failure and other heart conditions
Sugar increases the likelihood of obesity, which increases the risk of developing heart problems. This relationship is not mutually exclusive. Sugar does not need to cause you to become obese in order to place you at risk of a heart disease.
Sugar diets have been identified as increasing the risk of high blood pressure levels, inflammation of the heart, high triglyceride levels and arteriosclerosis.
Sugary foods and drinks may increase your likelihood of developing these conditions by up to 40%.
Sugar increases the risk of depression
Eating an unhealthy diet could increase your likelihood of experiencing depression. Processed sugary foods are at the peak of the unhealthy diet, and have been shown to significantly increase the risk of developing depression and the symptoms of other mental health conditions.
Sugar may increase this risk by up to 23%.
Sugar could raise your risk of cancer and diabetes
Maintaining a high sugar diet will increase the risk of getting certain types of cancer. It causes an increased likelihood of developing pleural, esophageal and intestinal cancers. It may also increase the likelihood of endometrical cancer in women.
Your sugar diet may also lead to obesity, which increases the risk of contracting diabetes and developing a resistance to insulin. The risk increases by at least 1% for every additional 100 calories of sugar consumed in a day, which can be equated to two thirds of a can of soda.
It increases the likelihood of developing acne and other skin conditions
Sugary products boost the blood sugar levels, which impact the secretion of androgens, and oils. The high sugar diet causes these products to be secreted in high amounts. They may increase your likelihood of developing acne.
Sugar may accelerate your skin’s aging. The products formed through the reaction of proteins and sugar in your body causes your skin to age rapidly and prematurely. You may be developing wrinkles and not know why. Your sugar intake could be the reason behind that.
Sugar also wears out collagen and elastin, which are essential to skin elasticity and appearance. In its reaction with proteins, it wears out these enzymes quicker, which increases the likelihood of aging and other dermatological conditions.
Sugar increases the aging of cells
Telomeres, the components of chromosomes that hold genetic information, naturally shorten with age. They become smaller even quicker due to unhealthy lifestyle choices.
The shortening of telomeres dictates the rate at which your cells age. Faster reductions in size may translate to quicker aging of the cells.
High sugar diets cause telomeres to decrease in size quicker than any other diet. The result is decreased efficiency of body functions, decreased protection from diseases and a higher likelihood of reduced life spans.
It may result in a fatty liver
In the body, only the liver breaks down fructose. Other sugars may be absorbed by cells all around, but fructose can only be broken down through your liver.
Your liver breaks down fructose into glycogen, which is stored, and energy, which is consumed. However, the liver is limited in its capacity to store glycogen. At some point, glycogen becomes fat. The fat builds up around the liver and may cause the development of NAFLD, which is also called fatty liver.
Final thought
Sugar is easily found in most meals. It is a difficult item to eliminate. Food and snacks with sugar taste so good. They might even be your child’s favourite.
Like oxycodone addiction treatment, you can wean yourself off sugar over time instead of a cold turkey approach.
Sugar can be removed from the menu. You do not have to do away with it completely, as plenty of healthy alternatives also offer some amounts of sugar. You can promote these healthy options instead of the processed sugars and added sweeteners that take up most of your plate.