Here is the bitter truth: sugar is toxic to your body.

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Chances are, sugar is a big part of your daily diet. You can find sugar in everything you eat. Sugar is so cheaply available and food manufacturers use it to develop delicious foods that we cannot avoid.

You can find sugar in all packaged food. If you pay attention to the ingredients on the packaging and you can see that they come in the form of sucrose, fructose, honey, corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup. Common foods that are high in added sugar are yoghurt, sauces, bread, fruit juices, sugary drinks and desserts. Refined carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta, and biscuits are considered as sugar, too.

Sugar itself is not toxic. What makes it toxic is the dose that we take. The American Heart Association recommended dose of sugar at 100 kcal or 25g a day for women and 150 kcal or 38g a day for men. Since 1970, the intake of sugar has increased by 40%. Just look at the amount of sugar in the food that you like and you will realize why.

A 250 ml can of Coke has 65 g of sugar, 240 calories.
A Blueberry Crumb Donut from Dunkin Donuts has 52 g of sugar, 500 calories.
A serving of Ben & Jerry Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice bream has 25 g of sugar, 260 calories.
Consuming any of these alone is enough to break the limit of your sugar intake a day.

5 Harmful Effects Of Too Much Sugar

1. Accelerated aging

Added sugar is refined sugar and is depleted of vital proteins, vitamins and minerals. The body cannot metabolize refined sugar, which is lacking in vital nutrients, properly. Incomplete metabolism causes the formation of toxic chemicals called pyruvic acid, which accumulates in the brain and nervous systems. This chemical interferes with the cell respiration, which affect the cell’s energy level. Impaired cell functions accelerate aging.

2. Fatty liver

Glucose and fructose is metabolized in the liver. When sugar intake exceeds the limit, they are converted into lipids causing fatty liver. The excess lipids leave the liver and are taken to every part of the body such as belly, breast, thigh, heart and kidney.

3. Heart and kidney disease

The excess lipids form plaque in the blood vessel, restricting the blood flow and delivery of vital oxygen and nutrients to the heart and kidney cells. The tissues degenerate and turn into fat and affecting the functions of the organs.


Researcher Dr. Kimber Stanhope from the University of California, Davis did a study of 48 patients in a hospital. She observed their food intake, recording every calorie and taking a blood test every 30 minutes around the clock. 25% of the calories was replaced with a drink sweetened with fructose, glucose and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). The result showed an immediate increase in LDL, the bad cholesterol and the increase is the highest for HFCS. High LDL level is associated with increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

4. Brain function

Eric Stice, a neuroscientist at Oregon Research used a MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scanner to study how brain cells respond to sweetness. He found that sugar impacts the pleasure center of the brain, triggering the release of Dopamine, a chemical that controls pleasure and makes you feel good. That is the reason why we like sweet foods.

People who consume sugary drinks frequently build up a tolerance for sugar. So, sugar acts like a drug. You have to eat more to get the same pleasure and good feeling. You get addicted to it like cocaine!

5. Cancer

Sugar causes a sudden spike in insulin in the blood. Insulin is a catalyst to fuel certain types of cancer. Nearly one-third of common cancer cells have insulin receptor on their surface. When insulin binds to the receptor, it signals the cancer cells to consume sugar and multiply.

Since sugar is as bad as cocaine and alcohol, shouldn’t it be restricted to above 18 years old? What do you think?

 

_{This post was first published on Look Good Feel Great Always blog and has been reposted on Executive Lifestyle with the permission of the author.}

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