Reduce sugar intake or replace it with healthier options !?

Reduce sugar intake or replace it with healthier options !?

From ketchup to peanut butter, added sugar can be found in even the most unexpected products.

Dietary guidelines suggest limiting calories from added sugar to less than 10% per day.

It’s good to bear in mind that eating too much added sugar may harm both your physical and mental health.

Sugar can cause;

1. Weight Gain

– Excessive sugar consumption may cause resistance to leptin, an important hormone that regulates hunger and tells your body to stop eating. In other words, sugary food don’t curb your hunger, making it easy to quickly consume a high number calories. This can lead to weight gain.

– Also, drinking a lot of sugar-sweetened beverages is linked to an increased amount of visceral fat, a kind of deep belly fat associated with conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

2. Increased Risk of Heart Diaseas

– High-sugar diets have been associated with an increased risk of many diseases, including heart disease, the number one cause of death worldwide.

– Evidence suggests that high-sugar diets can lead to obesity, inflammation and high triglyceride, blood sugar and blood pressure levels — all risk factors for heart disease.

– Additionally, consuming too much sugar, especially from sugar-sweetened drinks, has been linked to atherosclerosis, a disease characterized by fatty, artery-clogging deposits.

3. Acne

– A diet high in refined carbs, including sugary foods and drinks, has been associated with a higher risk of developing acne.

– Sugary foods quickly spike blood sugar and insulin levels, causing increased androgen secretion, oil production and inflammation, all of which play a role in acne development.

4. Increased Risk of Type2 Diabetes

– Obesity, which is often caused by consuming too much sugar, is considered the strongest risk factor for diabetes.

The worldwide prevalence of diabetes has more than doubled over the past 30 years.

Prolonged high-sugar consumption drives resistance to insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates blood sugar levels.

– A population study comprising over 175 countries found that the risk of developing diabetes grew by 1.1% for every 150 calories of sugar.

5. Increased Risk of Cancer

First, a diet rich in sugary foods and beverages can lead to obesity, which significantly raises your risk of cancer. Furthermore, diets high in sugar increase inflammation in your body and may cause insulin resistance, both of which increase cancer risk.

6. Increased Risk of Depression

– While a healthy diet can help improve your mood, a diet high in added sugar and processed foods may increase your chances of developing depression.

– Consuming a lot of processed foods, including high-sugar products such as cakes and sugary drinks, has been associated with a higher risk of depression.

– Researchers believe that blood sugar swings, neurotransmitter dysregulation and inflammation may all be reasons for sugar’s detrimental impact on mental health.

7. Increased Cellular Aging of internal organs & skin

-Consuming high amounts of sugar has been shown to accelerate telomere shortening. Which increases cellular aging.

Telomeres are structures found at the end of chromosomes, which are molecules that hold part or all of your genetic information.

Telomeres act as protective caps, preventing chromosomes from deteriorating or fusing together.

As you grow older, telomeres naturally shorten, which causes cells to age and malfunction.

8. Energy Drain

-Foods high in added sugar quickly spike blood sugar and insulin levels, leading to increased energy. However, this rise in energy levels is fleeting.

9. Fatty Liver

A high intake of fructose has been consistently linked to an increased risk of fatty liver. Unlike glucose and other types of sugar, which are taken up by many cells throughout the body, fructose is almost exclusively broken down by the liver. In the liver, fructose is converted into energy or stored as glycogen. However, the liver can only store so much glycogen before excess amounts are turned into fat.

10. Increased kidney disease risk

Having consistently high blood sugar levels can cause damage to the delicate blood vessels in your kidneys. This can lead to an increased risk of kidney disease.

11. Bad dental health

Eating too much sugar can cause cavities. Bacteria in your mouth feed on sugar and release acid byproducts, which cause tooth demineralization.

12. Increased the risk of developing gout 

Gout is an inflammatory condition characterized by pain in the joints. Added sugars raise uric acid levels in the blood, increasing the risk of developing or worsening gout.

13. Accelerated cognitive decline

 High-sugar diets can lead to impaired memory. An increased risk of dementia is also been linked to it.

So try to avoid added sugar and keep these diseases at bay.

Instead, make an effort to follow a healthier diet, only eating foods high in added sugar sparingly. You can always replace Sugar with healthier option. Know these options in next #WellnessWednesday