Back in the 1960’s, ‘Sugar Research Foundation,’ a group of food industry paid three Harvard researchers about 6,500$ (50,000$ today) to hide a research that showed a lot of links between sugar and heart diseases, blaming these illnesses on fat instead. Here are the effects too much sugar has on your body.
Those Harvard researchers published a report on American Diet advising people to stay away from fatty foods and telling them that sugar-packed food has no harm on their body. This led people to consume food that had an excessive amount of sugar.
Even though we’re now more aware of the risks when consuming too many sugar and sweets, there are still plenty of myths about sugar and the effects it has on us. After all, sugar is a carbohydrate, and it is present in our every day diet, but the problem is that the average American nowadays consumes more than twice of the recommended amount of sugar.
That’s dangerous because studies have shown that excessive sugar and fat consumption reduce the performance in some parts of the brain, parts that are responsible for memory. Also, studies have shown a worrisome connection between sugar and both high-blood pressure and heart disease.
“And people who eat too much sugar or added sugars are much more likely to develop heart disease,”
according to Sam Gidding, cardiology doctor at AI duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington.
Too much sugar starts to create insulin resistance, which causes people to crave more food, especially sugar. This might contribute to diabetes. Apart from diabetes, excessive sugar consumption is associated with a host of diseases, including pancreatic cancer, gout and kidney disease.
Sugar consumption is linked to cavities. Bacteria in your mouth feeds on sugar and then produces enamel-destroying acid. Excess sugar intake is strongly associated with weight gain, even in people who exercise regularly. Fructose is metabolized in the liver. That’s why too much sugar can inflame your liver and is associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
“Right now in the United States a kid is more likely to eat food with added sugar than to eat a fruit or vegetable,”
said Sam Gidding.
For example, one-cup bowl of cereals has three teaspoons of sugar. A single tablespoon of ketchup has one teaspoon of sugar in it. A 12-ounce can of soda contains roughly ten teaspoons of sugar –nearly double the recommended daily limit.
Do you prefer sweets or fruits? What’s your opinion regarding this subject? Let us know!
Image Source Wikipedia