Most people know that too much sugar is bad for you. Few people claim that a high-sugar diet is healthy.
But knowing that sugar is bad may not be enough if we want to live healthier lives. We should also ask: why Is sugar bad for you?
Know that high sugar intake is associated with higher risk of heart disease, diabetesand cognitive decline Can inspire us to clean up our diets. If not for us, then for loved ones who want us to be with us for many years to come.
Luckily, quitting sugar is easy when you have sugar Zero Calorie Sugar Substitutes in front of you. You too can own your candy and your health.
In this article, you’ll learn why sugar causes health problems, which diseases are sugar-related, and how to replace sugar with healthy sweeteners. First, though, let’s start by defining sugar.
What is sugar?
The term “sugar” refers to a variety of carbohydrate molecules that have a sweet taste. These molecules include:
- glucose
- fructose
- maltose
- lactose
- sucrose
- high fructose corn syrup
When someone mentions sugar is bad for you, they’re usually talking about the last two molecules: sucrose and high fructose corn syrup. These molecules — a mixture of glucose and fructose — are called “added sugars” or “refined sugars.”
Added sugars are ubiquitous in modern diets. It is found in cookies, crackers, soups, sauces and many other packaged foods.
What are the main sources of added sugars in the American diet? sugary drinks. If we can cut back on soda, juice, and sports drinks, our collective health will be happier.
Sugar, insulin resistance and inflammation
To understand why sugar is bad for you, you need to understand insulin resistance and inflammation. Let’s take these one at a time.
Insulin resistance describes the hormone insulin not working properly Regulate blood sugar levels. It is at the heart of type 2 diabetes.
Where does sugar consumption come from? Well, when someone eats sugar for a long time, their blood sugar is chronically elevated. This puts a lot of pressure on the insulin, ultimately reducing its ability to “clean up” the insulin. high blood sugar confusion. That is insulin resistance.
The hyperglycemic mess also drives a wave of unwanted immune activity called chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is associated with most modern diseases, and always (you guessed it!) high sugar diet.
Insulin resistance and inflammation underlie many of the health problems in the next section. continue reading.
Health Issues Associated with a High-Sugar Diet
This part should provide the motivation to avoid eating a lot of sugar. The consequences are not trivial.
#1: Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes
Obesity and type 2 diabetes are often combined. Both conditions are associated with insulin resistance and inflammation, and both involve runaway fat storage.
Sugar is a clear driver of obesity.As someone’s sugar intake increases, their weight goes up.
Why? Because the empty calories in added sugar are not filled. You always want more.
Sugar intake is also associated with type 2 diabetes.in a study In a study that followed more than 90,000 women for 8 years, drinking one sugar-sweetened soda per week increased diabetes risk by 83 percent compared to drinking one per month.
#2: Heart Disease
according to a 2018 Papers published in magazines nutrientsThe risk of heart disease increases by 10-20% for every extra sugar-sweetened beverage consumed each day. Given that heart disease is the number one killer globally, a 10-20% increase in relative risk is significant.
#3: Cognitive Decline
If you want to stay sharp later in life, you should avoid sugary foods.Population data show that cognitive decline With the increase in sugar consumption.
Even in children, researchers have linked high fructose intake to problems in the hippocampus, an area critical to brain development memory processing.
#4: Cancer
Discovered by Otto Warburg in the 1920s, the Warburg effect describes the tendency of cancer cells to prefer glucose (sugar) for fuel.In theory, starving them to death could help starve them to death cancer.
Can cutting out sugar prevent cancer? unnecessary.But overall, lower sugar intake was associated with reduce cancer incidence.
#5: Tooth decay
The heady toothbrush in dental comics is right: Sugar will give you cavities.
Sugar feeds an oral bacteria called Streptococcus mutans, which promotes the formation of dental plaque.Unsurprisingly, children who eat a lot of sugar develop a lot of cavity.
#6: Other Conditions Associated with High Sugar Consumption
Need more motivation to skip sugar? Here are several other health problems associated with a high-sugar diet:
Well, enough bad news. Now let’s turn to the solution.
How to Replace Sugar
If you have a sweet tooth, congratulations: you are a normal person.We evolved to enjoy sweetness because sugary fruit was a valuable fattening food in the past prehistoric times.
Sure, fruit in moderation is good, but when added sugars become a major source of calories (ie, the modern diet), our health takes a toll. We just covered this.
Faced with this conundrum, we have two paths to a low-sugar lifestyle:
- Try to ignore, suppress or deny our sweets
- Satisfy our sweet tooth with healthy sugar substitutes
The first way is possible, but difficult. It goes against biology.
why not work and Biological preference and sugar replacement? It’s the more pleasant path and doesn’t have any bad consequences.
Ideally, sugar substitutes should meet several criteria. it should:
- Contains zero (or almost zero) calories
- not improve blood sugar or insulin levels
- Safe and non-toxic for human consumption
- Taste and bake like sugar
There is one more criterion that, if met, will make your life easier. what is it? Sugar substitutes should be swapped 1:1 with sugar in your favorite recipes.
Splenda Sweetener No. 1 sweetener brand recommended by doctors and nutritionists* It meets all these criteria. Splenda Granulated Sweetener Made with Splenda Sucralose, it has zero calories and is baked and measured 1:1 like sugar.see all the deliciousness brilliant recipe Let you start switching sugar!
four nature Keto-Friendly Sweeteners Also met these criteria: stevia, monk fruit, erythritol and allulose. You may have heard of them.where is that Splenda Stevia Sweetener, Splenda Monk Fruit Sweetenerand Splenda Allulose Sweetener come in. They’re sweet, convenient, and guilt-free. They make reducing sugar a breeze.
Of course, this is good news for your long-term health.
By: Brian Stanton, author of Keto Intermittent Fasting, a certified health coach and authority on the keto diet. Visit Brian’s website to follow his work: brianjstanton.com.
