Why Sugars Are Bad?

Why Sugars Are Bad | 7 MAJOR REASONS

A pink rope made up of sugar jelly in black background

In this article “Why Sugars Are Bad | 7 Major Reasons” we will come across various health problems related to the excess consumption of refined sugar. So, first of all, we should get an idea about what sugars really are.

What are Sugars?

Sugars are a type of simple Carbohydrates, they contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen molecules. When these carbohydrates are consumed they get broken and converted glucose, which serves as a potential energy source for red blood cells, the central nervous system, and the brain. Glucose is a preferred source of energy for red blood cells, the central nervous system, and the brain.

Sugars are caloric, sweet-tasting compounds that occurs widely in nature. Nearly all the fruits, vegetables, honey and dairy milk contains sugars.

Why do we crave for sugars?

Many studies have shown that humans are born with the desire for sweet taste, which is also supported by the fact that the breast milk contains lactose (a type of naturally occurring sugars in milk), it helps ensure that this primary source of nutrition for infants is palatable and acceptable. Chemically and with respect to foods, sugars are monosaccharide or disaccharide carbohydrates, which impart sweet taste. Most foods contain some of each.

Monosaccharide: A type of sugar carbohydrate with a single molecular unit that is absorbed directly into the bloodstream. Some examples are Glucose, Fructose, Galactose, and Mannose.

Disaccharide: A type of sugar carbohydrate-containing two monosaccharides linked together which are broken down in the body into two single sugars. The most common disaccharides are:

Sucrose (or table sugar) = glucose + fructose
Lactose = glucose +galactose
Maltose = glucose + glucose
Trehalose = glucose + glucose, but the two units of glucose are linked differently than maltose

Sugars can vary in sweetness intensity - ranging from the relatively low sweetness of Lactose, to the sweetest occurring Fructose.

SUGAR: An Evil Under the Cloak of a Friend

Now let’s have a look at the major reasons which make our sweet little friend (sugar) turn Evil.

Sugar causes insulin resistance: If an individual takes a diet high in sugar and carbs, this will lead to chronic high blood sugar levels which require a chronic high level of insulin. The high levels of insulin keeps on circulating in the bloodstream and eventually lead to insulin resistance which is a forerunner to Pre-diabetes, Metabolic syndrome, Heart disease, Alzheimer, etc

Sugar can disturb your immune system: Sugars not only reduce the ability to fight infections, but also depletes the body of essential nutrients that are necessary for a healthy immune system.

Sugar displace nutritious foods: By frequently including processed high sugar and high carb junk food such as burgers, chips, cola, cakes, or pizza in our diet, we are unknowingly depleting our nutrition and which is not a good thing. As per many studies on the sedentary lifestyle it has been found that – “ We are the most overfed and undernourished generation in history.

Sugar is the biggest cause of obesity: Sugar disturbs the insulin level in the bloodstream. Insulin being our fat-storing hormone, if it gets disturbed can affect our satiety and so we may continue to feel hungry, eating, and drinking unnecessarily.

Sugar increases the risk of heart diseases: Including a high level of sugar in our diet is linked to fatal heart diseases, even in a fit person. High consumption of sugars depletes the body’s nutrient level leading to a weak immune system.

Sugar can modify the Type of Cholesterol in our body: Studies have shown that saturated fats, HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein), do not increase the risk of heart disease. But a high sugar and carbs diet lowers the levels of HDL and increases the level of LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein ) by making them smaller, oxidized, and dense hence making them lethal for the body.

Sugar gives you tooth decay: You can watch this video in order to see the harmful effects of carbs and sugar on oral health. We all know that decay-causing bacteria love sugar for their growth, but recent studies have shown that high carbs food like bread, etc provides an ambient condition inside the mouth for the bacteria to grow.

What’s The Take Away:

Sugars are not harmful only when they are consumed from the natural sources i.e fruits, vegetables, dairy, etc. But when an excess amount of added sugars is included in our diet, this can result in serious health conditions like Heart attack, obesity, cholesterol, diabetes or even cancer.

So we should always remember this:

“SUGAR is an Evil Under the Cloak of a Friend”

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Why Sugars Are Bad? | 7 MAJOR REASONS