Is sugar harmful to the body? Does it really affect the entire human body? When we talk about "added" sugar, the answer is "yes". While the sugar industry has been actively struggling to change public opinion about the health effects of sugar. Today we know that "added" sugar is bad for our body. What does "added" sugar mean?

There are two types of sugar that we eat. The first group is those found naturally in fruit (fructose) and milk (lactose). The second is sugar and syrups added to food products during their production, preparation or sprinkled at the table. These  the second group will be called "added" sugar  ( 1 ).

Foods that contain "added" sugars.

The main sources of "added" sugars are:

• non-alcoholic beverages (e.g., sweetened carbonated beverages);

• sugar;

• candy;

• cakes and pastries;

• fruit drinks;

• fruit preserves, e.g. jams;

• milk desserts;

• dairy products (ice cream, sweetened yoghurt and sweetened milk);

• sweet 'shell' grains and nuts;

• others (eg sauces, ketchup, breakfast cereals, "fit" products, porridges for children).

Sugar is not all that sweet for  health.

Many people do not even realize how much sugar they eat in their daily diet. It is worth remembering that our bodies do not need sugar to function properly. The "added" sugars have no nutrients, only a lot of calories, which can lead to extra pounds or even obesity, worsening heart health.

Sugar has many names.

To find out if packaged foods contain "added" sugar, and how much, you need to become a detective. Read labels carefully - especially those products that you don't expect will contain sugar (such as "Fit" products). Also remember that manufacturers often specify the content of ingredients, e.g. for one portion, and not for the entire product, so check the grammage. There are four calories in one gram of sugar, so if a product is 15 g it has 60 calories from the sugar alone, not counting the other ingredients.

To find out if your processed foods contain sugars, see the ingredient list. Sugar has many names. Besides those ending in "oza" such as maltose or sucrose, other names for sugar include  ( 2 ):

• Brown sugar.

• Brown rice syrup.

• Beet sugar.

• Date sugar.

• Sugar cane.

• Black molasses.

• Dextrin.

• Crystalline fructose.

• Glucose.

• Caramel.

• Coconut palm sugar.

• Fruit juice concentrate.

• Maltadextrin.

• Maltose.

• Molasses.

• Muscavado.

• Agave nectar.

• Saccharose.

• Corn sweetener.

• Barley malt.

• Sugar cane juice.

• Glucose-fructose syrup.

• Maple syrup.

• Corn syrup.

• Malt syrup.

• Sorghum syrup.

• Rice syrup.

• Oat syrup.

• Carob syrup.

• Turbinado (cane sugar).

• Golden syrup.

You can also have a look  on the website http://czytamyetykiety.pl here you will find many products, both food and cosmetic, their composition, allergens and suggestions  whether the product is worth buying or not.

Remember that manufacturers use various tricks to conceal  how much sugar does their product contain ( 2 ).

What is a safe amount of sugar consumed during the day?

Scientists lower the border every few years.

A safe amount of sugar consumed depends on the amount of calories expended during the day ( 3 ). For most adult women (spending about 1,800 calories a day), this is no more than 100 calories, i.e. about 6 teaspoons of sugar a day. For most men (spending about 2,200 calories a day) it is no more than 150 calories a day, i.e. about 9 teaspoons of sugar a day  ( 4 ).   Although there are also reports that "added" sugar should not  exceed 2-3% of the daily energy requirement ( 5 ).   Of course, we count not only the sugar with which we sweeten the coffee, but also the sugar contained in all products consumed by us during the day. For comparison, about 340 ml of regular cola is about 130 calories and 8 tablespoons of sugar.

So it's best to eliminate or at least limit your consumption of foods that contain large amounts of "added" sugars, such as sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages, and processed foods.  

How sugar destroys  health:

Heart problems.

Most people blame heart disease on the fat they eat in their daily diet. While it's true that some fats like trans fats cause heart attacks, sugar is the real culprit. In 2016, researchers uncovered a huge scandal with the sugar industry, confirming that the sugar lobby had sponsored bogus research at Harvard in the 1960s. It was then that more and more people started talking about the negative influence of sugar on the human body. It turns out that the sugar lobby has paid Harvard scientists to eliminate the negative health effects of sugar from their reports.

Project 226, funded by the sugar industry, has resulted in a literature review from Harvard's Department of Health Nutrition. Wanting to save reputation  sugar, the sugar industry funded a study that blatantly blamed cholesterol and saturated fat for heart disease, not sugar. The publication has appeared  in the New England Journal of Medicine, one of the world's first media outlets, in 1967. In those years  researchers did not need to disclose funds when publishing such studies  ( 6 ).

These flawed "studies" concluded that "there is no doubt" that the only dietary intervention needed to prevent coronary artery disease is to reduce the consumption of fats.  ( 7 ).

Today we know that this is not true. In 2014, scientists showed that consuming too much sugar can significantly increase the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. In fact, people who get 17% to 21% of the calories from "added" sugar a day increase the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 38% per day, compared to those who get only 8% of their calories from "added" sugar. added "sugar. Those who consumed 21% or more of calories from "added" sugar were twice as likely to die from cardiovascular disease  ( 8 ).

Fatty liver.

Here's another reason to reduce your sugar intake. In the United States, cases of liver disease have increased among people who do not abuse alcohol. Guess what is largely responsible for this condition? Sugar! High fructose corn syrup hidden in drinks and processed foods has been dubbed a "weapon of mass destruction"  ( 9 ). It is estimated that Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)  liver disease has already affected 17% to 33% of Americans ( 10 ). This rising percentage reflects frequent cases of obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.  

Researcher z  Tuft University found that people who drink one,  sweetened with sugar,  drink  per day are at greater risk of non-medicated liver disease compared to  people who do not consume such drinks  ( 11 ).

Leaky gut and other metabolic diseases.

Sugar is bad even when it reaches the intestines. Our intestines are home to microorganisms that function like metabolic "organs". Scientists believe that sugar changes the bacterial flora, increasing the permeability of the intestines, which can cause, for example,  heartburn or acid reflux.

This means that consumption of "added" sugar can lead to chronic inflammation in the gut, which in turn can lead to substances being transported from the gut into the bloodstream. This can cause obesity and other chronic diseases related to metabolism. ( 12 , 13 )   The "added" sugar feeds the bad bacteria that damage the intestinal walls.  Eliminating "added" sugar from your daily diet is a key part of any effective leaky gut treatment plan.

Diabetes.  

A 2013 study published in the PLOS ONE journal found that for every 150 calories of daily "added" sugar (about 38 g or about 7-8 teaspoons of sugar or about  350 ml of cola  ) the risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases by 1.1%.  It is worth remembering that sugar is added to many products, so it depends on how healthy you are  you eat, the amount of sugar you eat each day may vary.

Researchers have also found that the effects of sugar on diabetes are maintained regardless of sedentary lifestyle and alcohol consumption  ( 14 ).

Cancer and neoplastic diseases.

Does Sugar Consumption Increase Your Risk of Cancer?

When researchers at the National Institutes of Health set out to investigate the link between sugar and 24 different types of cancer, they found little published research. They found some relationships between different types of sugar and certain types of cancer.

For example, "added" sugars increase the risk of cancer  esophagus . In contrast, added fructose (high fructose concentrations occur  in corn syrup) appear to increase the risk of cancer in the small intestine  ( 15 ).

A relationship has also been found between high consumption of "added" sugars and colon cancer .   Even considering increased risk remains  another  facts  colon cancer such  such as overweight, obesity or diabetes  ( 16 ).

Sugar "added" may also increase the risk of breast cancer and metastasize to the lungs . Dr. Anderson  with  University of Texas Cancer Center, in a published study  from 2016 ( 17 )  found that large amounts of sugar consumed  typical  for the Western diet  causes  an enzymatic signaling pathway, called 12-LOX (12-lipoxygenase), which increases  breast cancer risk:  

"We found that sucrose consumption in mice comparable to Western diets led to tumor growth and metastasis compared to an alkaline diet (which does not acidify the body) ... Previous studies investigated the role of sugars, especially glucose and metabolic pathways  in the development of cancer. However, inflammation may be an alternative route of research into

carcinogenicity associated with diabetes "- Peiying Yang, PhD in technical sciences, assistant in palliative medicine, rehabilitation and integration.

In a study of animals fed a diet with a sugar content comparable to that of Western diets, it was found that the diet had an effect on mice developing breast cancer. Breast cancer spread more to the lungs in mice fed a sucrose-enriched diet (sucrose is the main ingredient in table sugar) or fructose compared to a control group that was fed a sugar-free diet - a starch diet (starch-based, plant-based diet)  ( 18 , 19 ).

Epidemiological studies have shown that the consumption of sugar in the daily diet influences the development of breast cancer, and that inflammation plays an important role. The researchers identified fructose, a component of table sugar, and high-fructose corn syrup as the main factor in facilitating the metastasis of cancer from the breast to the lungs.  

Memory problems, learning difficulties.

Sugar may be the cause.

The metabolic syndrome causes the body to wipe out. UCLA researchers applied this  concept to the brain. One animal study found that high-sugar diets made learning and memory difficult. Sugar has a detrimental effect on our entire body causing metabolic syndrome, which also affects synaptic plasticity and function  cognitive  the brain. Research shows that  Over time, eating large amounts of sugar can damage communication between brain cells ( 20 ).  

To sum up:

• "Added"  sugar can significantly increase your risk of early death.

• Sugar affects brain function, can cause non-alcoholic liver disease, and increases the risk of heart disease.

• "Added"  sugars seem to increase the risk of breast cancer and metastasis  to the lungs.

• The ingredient label has dozens of names for "added" sugar. However, natural and added sugars are not distinguished from these labels.  

• Avoiding highly processed foods  and sweetened beverages can lower your sugar intake.

• If you are using sugar, use less processed molds, and use them sparingly. Application may be an alternative  stevia.

Our bodies if out  we listen to them, they send us signals when something is not right. Below are some signs that may indicate that it would be worth giving up sugar consumption.

Some of the most common symptoms of a high-sugar diet:

1. Craving for something sweet.

If you have a hard time giving up on sugar, you are not alone. Research confirms that an overwhelming craving for sugar is similar to drug addiction ( 21 ). Addiction works in a cycle of rewards and desires. When you eat sugar, your brain rewards you  pleasure, but the pleasure state reappears only in the process of eating sugar. The more you eat, the more you crave and the cycle continues.

You can only overcome your cravings for sugar and an unhealthy snack if you eat wholesome foods that saturate your body, making that feeling lingering for a long time.

Some of the most "filling" foods, according to another study, are potatoes, lentils, bananas and oats, while ice cream, cookies and potato chips leave something to be desired  ( 22 ).

2. Wrinkles

Sugar affects the quality of collagen and elastin, two proteins that give the skin strength and elasticity. Sugar begins a process called glycation, which takes place when glucose and fructose, two sugar molecules, bind to other proteins and lipids. Contact between these sugars and proteins can accelerate the aging process of the skin. Sugar also binds collagen molecules together, making them difficult to repair if damaged  ( 23 ).

To keep your skin strong and supple for many years, you need to give up sugar or reduce it significantly, try to avoid sweet snacks and packaged products with added sugar. Hydration is also important for healthy skin. Lotions and skin care products can moisturize your skin at times, but drinking plenty of water, herbal teas, fruit water will keep you young for a long time inside and out. Sun and ultraviolet light can also damage the skin, so use sunscreen  ​​ sunbathing and avoid tanning beds.

3. "Oponka"

Sugar also affects the storage of fat in the body, especially around the middle and internal organs - the so-called the tire that appears around  tali.

In one study, the subjects were divided into 4 groups and assigned to one drink group. In one group it was a cola sweetened with sugar. In the second, it was a Diet Coke sweetened with aspartame. In the third group, it was milk. The last group got water. Participants drank daily for 6 months  assigned drink. Researchers measured changes in the participants' bodies after 3 and 6 months. The group that drank Coke  sweetened with sugar had more visceral fat, liver and skeletal muscle, and higher levels of triglycerides and cholesterol than the other three groups  ( 24 ).

A sugar-free diet is a key factor in losing body fat.  of course exercise can help you reach certain parts of the body, but it is the right diet that guarantees success.  

4. Toothache

The main cause of tooth decay is the sugar-feeding bacteria that live in the mouth. These bacteria produce acids that break down two layers of teeth, enamel and dentin, causing holes. Old studies estimated that humans shouldn't deliver  more than 10% of the daily energy requirement from sugar, but recent studies conducted on a global scale have shown that the daily amount of sugar consumption should be less than 2-3%  ( 5 ).

A large number of adults with the disease  Tooth decay shows that sugar intake should be  less than 2-3% of the daily energy requirement throughout life.  

5. Inflammation

The study found that children aged 2 to 9 whose diets were full of refined sugar and processed foods were more likely to develop chronic inflammation-related diseases later in life than children whose diets were high in fruit and vegetables  ( 25 ).

Another study found that long-term consumption of high-fructose beverages like cola and packaged orange juice could contribute to the development of gout - an inflamed joint in women  ( 26 ). Recent studies show that this may also apply to men.

Fructose causes a rapid increase in serum uric acid levels especially in ( 26 ) people with hyperuricemia (increased blood uric acid levels)  or in a history of gout disease.

Research suggests that gout is strongly associated with the metabolic syndrome (high sugar intake) and can lead to myocardial infarction, diabetes and premature death.