Is Sugar really an Evil Villain in our Diet?

Starting with a fun fact, ‘India is the second largest producer of sugar in the world’, so you know that we Indians have a real sweet tooth. Infact, our cravings for sugary foods have been on the rise as reported by The Economic Times, it was estimated, a few months ago, that sugar production would increase by 2.90 percent in the 2021-22 marketing year. But should we be consuming this industrial sugar? Before we begin to understand the role of sugar in our diet, we must understand sugar itself. 

There are basically two types of sugar, we may call them, natural and unnatural. 

• Natural sugar is the one found in fruits, vegetables, honey, or in any natural source. In other words, directly obtained from mother nature.
• Unnatural sugar (which may also be known as refined sugar or processed sugar or added sugar) is the one produced in the industries, mostly from sugarcane. It includes white sugar, brown sugar, or sugar added in soft drinks, fruit drinks, flavored yogurts, cereals, cookies, cakes, candies, soups, bread, sauces and most processed foods (even the unexpected ones).

What’s important to know is that the natural sugar is not harmful to us whereas the unnatural sugar is detrimental, especially if consumed excessively. 

As we have laid the foundation about sugar, we can move to our main question: Is sugar really an evil villain in our diet?

Well, not really. You must know the phrase ‘excess of everything is bad’, it’s exactly what happens in case of sugar. If refined sugar is consumed more than its acceptable limit, it has adverse impacts on our body, not only physically but also mentally. 

According to American Heart Association, the suggested maximum daily  intake of added sugar by gender, divided in measurement by teaspoons, grams and calories is as follows:

It is very uncommon, especially among the youth, to consume sugar of this amount, as junk food is actively consumed by them. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how high amounts of sugar affects our health. 

1. 1. Promotes Obesity: Added sugar contains fructose which encourages hunger and craving. It creates resistance to leptin, a hunger-regulating hormone, which guides our body when to quit eating. Hence, with increased hunger, we gain excess weight, leading to obesity.
   2.  Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: The pancreas pumps out a hormone called insulin which regulates blood sugar. As we continue consuming sugar, our body stops responding to insulin. Due to this, the blood sugar level rises causing Diabetes. This can adversely damage the kidneys.

• Fatty Liver: The fructose contained in refined sugar is disastrous for the liver. As it gets accumulated in the liver, it transforms into fat, hence creating fatty liver. 

• Inflammation: Aforementioned pointers like obesity, fatty liver promote chronic inflammation in the body which leads to joint pains, fatigue and could lead to rheumatoid arthritis.

• Risk of Heart Diseases: Similarly by consuming sugary foods, we get prone to obesity, diabetes, fatty liver, inflammation, high blood pressure, all of these are prime contributors in heart diseases. 

• Lower Immunity: As blood sugar level rises, it attracts bacteria and yeast and accelerates their growth inside our body. This causes frequent infections and harms our immune system.

• Tooth Decay: Most of us, in our childhood, might have experienced tooth decay as a result of eating candies and chocolates excessively. Likewise, it may happen again with high consumption of sugary products as it encourages the growth of cavity-causing bacteria in our teeth. 

• Accelerates Skin Aging: Skin deteriorating molecules known as AGEs (Advanced Glycation End product) are produced when excess sugar binds with the protein in blood. These molecules damage the collagen and elastin in the skin, these two help keep skin firm and youthful. Their damage causes wrinkles and saggy skin before age. 

• Lower Vitamin Intake: Processed sugar replaces the existing vitamins in our system, especially Vitamin A,C,B-12 and calcium. This results in their deficiency and creates further problems.

• Causes Depression: This might come as a surprise but it’s real. Sugar consumption releases high quantities of our happy hormone, Dopamine. This leads to more cravings and hence, we consume excessive sugar for that feeling of pleasure. Therefore, when sugar level drops, it causes anxiety, mood swings and stress which may further lead to depression. A study has shown that sugar can be more addictive than cocaine.  

In a nutshell, it is absolutely safe to consume natural forms of sugar but it is essential that we keep a tab on the intake of added sugar as it may lead to plenty of undesired consequences. 

I hope this blog helped you with your query efficiently. Leave your comments or if you have questions or demand for another blog, drop them as well.