Sugar, the Sweet Poison

Sugar is a crystalline carbohydrate which gives sweet taste to our food. There are different types of sugars. They are glucose, fructose, lactose, maltose and sucrose.

Sucrose is the table sugar that we add to our food and the rest are the sugars present in fruits, vegetables and milk.

We eat varieties of food in our daily life. We eat fruits, vegetables, milk, coffee, fruit juices, cakes, chocolates, biscuits, sweets, desserts etc.  Foods like coffee, tea, fruit juices, cakes, chocolates contain added sugars in it. The foods with added sugar are harmful to our health.

The added sugar is the single ingredient in our modern diet that contributes to several health disorders in our body. Following are the reasons why we should avoid added sugar from our daily diet.

Foods containing added sugar contain only calories and no essential nutrients.  There are no proteins, essential fats, vitamins or minerals in sugar. It is just pure energy. So when we eat a bar of chocolate, it produces 20% of calories in our body and contributes to nutritional deficiencies. Sugar is also very bad for the teeth, because it provides easily digestible energy for the bad bacteria in the mouth.

Foods containing added sugar is high in fructose which can overload our liver. When sugar enters the blood stream from the digestive tract, it is broken down into glucose and fructose. Glucose is found in our living cells. But fructose is not required by our body for any physiological functions. Fructose cannot be metabolized by our liver. Excess of fructose will overload the liver causing fatty liver.

When liver is overloaded with fructose, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is caused. When fructose get turned into fat in the liver, it is shipped out as VLDL cholesterol particles. However, not all of the fat gets out, some of it remains in the liver. This can lead to Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), a growing problem and it is strongly associated with metabolic diseases.

Insulin is an important hormone that controls many processes in our body. This hormone is secreted by an organ called the pancreas. When we eat foods containing added sugar, it increases the level of blood glucose. This is sensed by the cells in the pancreas, which then release insulin into the blood. Then insulin travels around the bloodstream, telling the cells that they should pick up sugar from the blood. Due to various reasons the cells stop responding to insulin and they become “resistant” to it.  Insulin resistance is the main cause for several other diseases like obesity, cardio vascular diseases and diabetes.

Pancreas should produce more insulin whenever we eat foods with added sugar or a diet rich in carbohydrates. Our body will stop responding to the insulin produced by pancreas when we eat foods rich in high sugar. That is our body will start resisting insulin.  Now, the pancreas will not be able to produce more insulin to keep up the demand of our body. So, the blood sugar level will increase resulting in Type 2 diabetes. 

When we eat lot of foods with added sugar, cancer is caused. These foods increases the level of insulin in the blood constantly. Cancer is caused due to the uncontrolled growth and multiplication of cells. Insulin is the key hormone regulating the growth and multiplication of cells. Scientists believe that people having elevated insulin levels due to excess of sugar consumption are more likely to develop cancer.

Excess of intake of foods with added sugar increases the production of hormone dopamine in the brain. The release of dopamine causes addiction to junk foods in people.

Food containing sugar increases consumption and decreases satiety. Foods with added sugar affect the hormones and brain. People who are used to eating foods containing sugar will tend to eat more food and they lose control over consumption. People who consume foods with sugar are most likely to become overweight or obese. This applies to all age groups.

For many years scientists were under the impression that inclusion of saturated fat in the diet caused heart disease, which is the number one killer of mankind. However, the present studies are showing that saturated fat is harmless but foods having high sugar is the leading cause for heart disease. Studies have revealed that excess of fructose in our body due to foods with high sugar content has harmful effects on our metabolism. Large amount of fructose in our blood can raise triglycerides, LDL cholesterol levels in our blood. These are all major risk factors for heart disease. Medical researchers have come to conclusion that there is a strong association between sugar consumption and heart disease.

Our human body is designed to breakdown complex carbohydrates found in whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables into glucose. This glucose then slowly releases into the bloodstream while absorbing the vital nutrients from them.  Glucose, the sugar that fuels the body, needs insulin which is released from the pancreas, to do its job.  Feeding the body with the correct foods will allow the gradual release of glucose with small amounts of insulin, into the bloodstream.  This process keeps the body running smoothly, with stable energy level and mind and body feeling balanced and nourished. 

When we eat the wrong type of foods, like processed foods and sugar, ill health begins. Sugar is the key product causing almost all the degenerative and dangerous diseases.  Therefore sugar is the potent killer of mankind. The processed sugar comes into our bodies like a villain, robbing and pulling nutrients out of our bones, muscles, brain and other tissues in order to be metabolized. 

Every tablespoon of sugar stops the immune system for about 6 hours. If we get sick often, it must be due to sugar consumption.  Sugar has a detrimental effect on the gut flora, promoting the growth of parasites, worms and fungi, encouraging the growth of Candida. Fungi attacks the living tissue and survive by producing toxins and enzymes to defeat the host’s immune system. Sugar also increases the growth of cancerous tumors, as cancer cells love sugar. So Sugar is a Sweet Poison which should be totally avoided if we want to lead a healthy life.