You are probably stuffing the health effects of added sugar inside your body. Because added sugar is something we don’t talk about much because that’s harmful to the cravings of our taste buds. In this article, I will get down to this discussion.
What to know before learning about the health effects of added sugar
Many people just miss the point of knowing about their consumed foods and get struck by major health minus points later. So here is a short getting down of what we have here.
What is added sugar?
As the name suggests, added sugar is the process of sweetening foods and beverages when they are being processed.
Added sugars are just for the fulfilment of your taste buds, really, they don’t have any nutrients to be tagged as food values. Also added sugars contain calories with no nutrients. So simply, added sugars are no good for your body.
Its just simple science behind extracting process of adding sugar, when syrup is extracted as sugar from corn, all nutrients are left behind with corn and thus your mouth-watering sweeteners are born.
Where can you find added sugar?
Simply everywhere. All types of processed and packaged food contain added sugar. Here is a common list of foods where you can add sugar.
- Sweet beverages like soda, energy drinks, sports drinks even sweetened coffee drinks
- Sweets and desserts
- Condiments as sauces and spices
- Chips and biscuits
- Cakes and candies
More to know:
Natural Sugar vs Added Sugar
Health problems caused by added sugar
There may be countless health issues contributed by added sugar which are not being mentioned in this article. Here I am sharing the most common health issues caused by added sugar.
Acne provoked by added sugar
Acne is nothing but some kind of skin cell growth and the latest research found the interaction between sugar and acne with the effect of IGF-1.
Let me break it down like a brainer, as we consume more sweetened foods or beverages, our blood sugar level increases. To even this effect, insulin comes in. But insulin arouses IGF-1 Levels.
Now, increased IGF-1 level instigates sebum production. Sebum production is what we call skin cell growth. The more IGF-level, the more acne severity. In other words, the more you consume added sugar, the more you get to deal with these skin bumps
Added sugar on your teeth treating
We got plenty of healthy bacteria inside our mouth and they are to protect our gum from erosion, germs and other gum management stuff. Sugar can take it away from your mouth, leaving your teeth unguarded and vulnerable to-
- Erosion
- Cracks in the middle of two tooth
- Tooth decay
Also when you eat too much candy, gummy or sticky sweets it’s also destructive for your gums. Your gums can experience-
- Bleeding
- Swelling
- infection
Obesity call
Obesity is one of the most famous disasters of human health in this 21st century and sugar is one of the contributors to it. Evidently, beverages and candies are rich in fructose. A very controversial type of sugar.
Fructose is twice as strong for a villain role. Once it’s in your body, it resists the leptin hormone which controls our hunger. In other words, consuming some fructose as a beverage craves your taste buds to have some more.
Another thing is, that fructose is not a part of human metabolism like glucose. Therefore, there are almost no cells to use fructose and end its substance. However, few cells which work on fructose trunk it into fat.
Type 2 diabetes
Sugar is one of the strong factors of type 2 diabetes. The consumption of our sweetened substances increases sugar levels in the blood. As it happens, our brain signals our body to stabilize the effect.
As a result, the pancreas releases a hormone called insulin. Insulin takes sugar into cells and reduces that threat. However, as we consume more and more added sugar, which we do already, it creates resistance for insulin to come out.
Resulting in an increased blood sugar level. Thus risking your body with type 2 diabetes. However, researchers estimated that sweet drinks like beverages are more likely to cause diabetes.
Some sugar for your depression
As ironic as it sounds, sugar can sweeten the level of your depression much more. Overconsumption of added sugar is responsible for a chemical imbalance in your brain. Ultimately, resulting in a depressing mood.
Also in another take, added sugar resists the effects of insulin and thus takes away the effect of vitamin B required to sustain a stable mood.
Moreover, added sugar can cause chronic inflammation which is linked to depression according to research findings. Researchers found people who consume 60gm of added sugar tend to be 23% more depressed than those who consume 35%.
Final review
To wrap up, there is no alternative to reducing added sugar intake to stabilize the health effects of added sugar. I hope this article finds you helpful.