There is something wrong about sweets and desserts. Read on to find out why?
health
There is something wrong about sweets and desserts. Read on to find out why?
Admit it, desserts are a favourite part of the meal and one can’t just have a proper dinner without indulging in puddings and ice creams. However, as delicious as they are, foods containing sugar have numerous side effects and can damage one’s body to a great extent. Still not convinced? Knowing the disadvantages of consuming too much sugar might motivate you to take charge of your health and reduce your intake. Read on to find out more...
Why is sugar bad?
One of the most obvious reasons why sugary foods and drinks are bad and can undermine your health is that they tend to be high in calories but not all that filling. This makes it easy to over-consume them, and replace sweets with nutritious food. However, even if you remove the aspect of weight gain from the equation, high amounts of sugar entering the body can cause a great deal of harm. The World Health Organization suggests that you keep your sugar intake to no more than 10% of total calories.
Types of sugar:
Two different types of sugar exist: simple and complex. Complex sugar takes longer for your body to break down and is healthier for your body. This type is found in natural carbohydrates such as whole grains and fruit. On the other hand, simple sugar is broken down by your body quickly and causes energy ups and downs. This type of sugar includes refined and processed sugar - found in table sugar and added to many sweets. Consuming an excess of simple sugar comes with numerous health problems.
10 disadvantages of consuming too much sugar:
1. Sugar effects the immune system: When you get a big dose of sugar, like soft drinks or a candy bar, you temporarily stop your immune system’s ability to respond to challenges. Just eight tablespoons of sugar, or 2 1/2, 12-ounce cans of soda, reduces your immune system’s ability to fight germs by 40 per cent.
The effect lasts for several hours, so if you eat sweets several times a day, your immune system isn’t performing at is best ability. The excess sugar blocks your immune system from functioning properly and diminishes the ability of white blood cells to fight bacteria. In contrast, complex carbohydrates do not have these effects.
2. Promotes inflammation: Inflammation, which is part of the immune response, is not always a bad thing. But eating sugary foods can fuel excessive, inappropriate inflammation that serves no useful purpose and actually promotes ageing and disease.
3 Sugar promotes glycation: Once sugar molecules get into your bloodstream, they start looking around for things to combine with, such as protein and fat molecules. This is known as ‘glycation’ and leads to disastrous effects on the body. These glycated molecules produce toxic compounds called advanced glycation end products (AGEs). These compounds throw the ageing process into fast-forward. And much of the damage done by AGEs is irreversible.
4 Sugar raises insulin levels: An influx of sugar into your body raises blood sugar levels. This causes your pancreas to release insulin to help clear sugar from your blood into your cells. As blood sugar levels go down, insulin levels return to normal. But when you eat a lot of sugar, you’re constantly calling for insulin, and that can backfire. Over time, it takes more and more insulin to get the job done.
5 Obesity: Obesity is one of the most-cited risks of excess sugar consumption. Just one can of soda each day could lead to 15 pounds of weight gain in a single year.
6 Pancreatic cancer: A handful of studies have found that high-sugar diets are associated with a slightly elevated risk of pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest cancers. The link may be because high-sugar diets are associated with obesity and diabetes, both of which increase the likelihood someone will develop pancreatic cancer.
7 Liver failure: Because of the unique way we metabolize fructose, it creates a stress response in the liver that can exacerbate inflammation. High doses of sugar can make the liver go into overdrive and lead to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
8 High blood pressure: Hypertension is usually associated with salty foods, not desserts - but eating lots of added sugar has indeed been linked to high blood pressure. In one study following 4,528 adults without a history of hypertension, consuming 74 or more grams of sugar each day was strongly associated with an elevated risk of high blood pressure.
9 The wrinkle makers: Inflammation from sugar produces enzymes that break down collagen and elastin, resulting in sagging skin and wrinkles. Digested sugar permanently attaches to the collagen in your skin through a process known as glycation. Aside from increasing the effects of ageing, glycation can also exacerbate skin conditions like acne and rosacea.
10 Energy: Almost everyone has experienced energy surges and dips after eating simple sugars as they are broken down quickly in your body. While not everyone has the same reaction to sugar, sugar-sensitive people have drastic “sugar highs” from adrenaline surges after eating sugar and “sugar lows” associated with low blood sugar. These effects can lead to behaviour problems, difficulty paying attention and trouble learning.
