Most of us cannot even imagine our lives without the use of sugar. We all are attracted to its taste just like bees to honey. Sugar has become an essential part of our diet and plays a prominent role in our food. Not only present in sweet things, sugar has gradually made its way into every type of food that we eat. But do you know how much this sweet tasting thing is harmful to your health? By consuming large quantities of sugar we are poisoning ourselves. It is because of the consumption of sugar only that we see diseases like diabetes and obesity at an increase these days. Sugar is known as the worst ingredient in the diet of people these days.
Here are 10 reasons why you should eliminate the use of sugar in your diet-
10. Sugar can be addictive-
Yes, sugar and the products made from it are very much addictive and you can even get high on sugar. When it comes to sugar your brain stops functioning the way it should, and you begin to lose all the control. Sugar can be highly addictive for a lot of people. The addiction is same as addiction to abusive drugs. The only difference lies in the substance and the consequences of the addiction. Eating sugar results in the release of dopamine in the brain and which in turn causes dopamine receptors to regulate down. The craving for sugar is similar to that of nicotine and cocaine.
9. Sugar causes problem in the liver-
The calories which are not burned by the body get stored in the liver. It is only liver that can metabolize sugar and if the liver gets filled with glycogen then the sugar will transform into fat. If one continues to eat a large amount of sugar then it can lead to swelling of the liver which can, in turn, give rise to non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases. Sometimes liver becomes insulin resistant, and the level of insulin increases in the body which can lead to many other problems. Both alcohol and sugar can cause similar dangerous effects on the liver.
8. Sugar causes obesity-
Sugar is the major reason for causing obesity in children and adults. It is capable of making people an addict which leads to loss of control over their consumption. People who regularly consume sugar are prone to become obese. With obesity come various other diseases. It also makes the brain feel that it is hungry and drives fat storage. Obesity is spreading like an epidemic amongst people. Sugar adds calories in your body but will never make you feel that you have had too much of it. It must be regulated as it is toxic and can cause abuse. Also due to overweight, it becomes difficult for the heart to pump blood to all the tissues.
7. Nutrients are lost-
The consumption of sugar might also lead to displacing and less intake of essential nutrients for the body. People prefer to eat sugary food rather than nutritious food which automatically leads to nutrition deficiency in the body. Sugar and its products contain no important nutrients and that is why they are also known as empty calories. There are no proteins, vitamins, or minerals found in sugar. The lack of magnesium and calcium in a person’s diet can cause diseases like arthritis, low blood sugar, asthma etc. Children are the most vulnerable to deficiency of nutrients as they eat a lot of sugary food.
6. Sugar increases stress-
Whenever we feel depressed, sad, or angry the first move we make towards is sugar. We feel that our current situation will surely improve and it does if we get to eat a piece of chocolate or ice cream and yes it actually makes us feel good for some point of time. But have we ever thought how much harmful it can be for our health? It definitely puts away stress temporarily but it is actually the main reason for our stress. The blood sugar levels get altered when we consume too much sugar which can slow down our ability to cope with stress and other problems of life.
5. Tooth decay-
The most basic damage done by sugar is tooth decay. Sugar is dangerous to the teeth than any other food. The doctor always recommends us to not to eat too much sweets and this advice is worth following because sugary food can actually be very harmful to your teeth. The bacteria in our mouth use sugar as a form of energy. And then turns into plaque which starts clinging to the tooth surface. The bacteria present in our mouth transforms sugar into acids and it is this acid which weakens our teeth and then starts decaying them.
4. Sugar accelerates aging-
One of the greatest disadvantages of sugar is that it stops the release of growth hormone. It contributes to the early signs of aging. The more sugar you consume the faster is your aging process. Sugar is the most damaging as compared to any other food items in your diet. It also promotes the growth of fat cells around various organs. Sugar increases insulin and leptin levels in the body but decreases the receptor sensitivity of these hormones and this adds to the aging process and various other heart diseases. It is because of aging cells that we see wrinkles and recent studies have found out that sugar can cause aging of the brain as well.
3. Deficiency of Chromium-
If one continues to eat food rich in sugar then there is a possibility that they may suffer from chromium deficiency. It is a major function of chromium to regulate blood sugar levels. Chromium can be obtained from various plant and animal food including meat, fruits, and vegetables. However, in the recent years, intake of chromium has reduced due to the dependency of people in sugary food. Food rich in sugar content has very low amount of chromium. The deficiency of chromium may stop the body’s ability to use glucose to meet its energy needs and also raises requirement of insulin.
2. Disrupts the functioning of immune system-
A lot of stress is put on the immune system when one consumes sugar in large amount. The immune system starts getting weaker and weaker if a proper amount of vitamins, minerals, and proteins are not provided to the body. It is the white blood cells in our bodies which help us to fight all types of diseases but consuming sugar weakens our white blood cells. Their ability to fight with diseases reduces when they are not supplied with essential vitamins and minerals.
1. Sugar causes various diseases-
The more you consume sugar in your daily diet the more is your risk to suffer from diseases. Sugar is the number one agent responsible for causing various types of diseases ranging from heart diseases to cancer. Type 2 Diabetes is the most common disease caused by sugar. When people begin to eat sugar at an increased level it causes resistance to insulin hormone which causes various other diseases. If the insulin stops doing its work then it gives rise to metabolic syndrome and various cardiovascular diseases.
Adverse impacts of sugar are more than the positive ones. So, it’s better to reduce the intake of sugar which is the root cause of various diseases in today’s world. We all must be careful from next time that how much sugar are we consuming and how much is healthy for us. People need to understand that they do not have to completely ban sugar from their lives but they must learn to eat it in a way that it does not cause harm to their body after all health is wealth!