Showing posts with label sugar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sugar. Show all posts

Sweet Poison: How Excessive Sugar Harms Your Health

Sugar: A Hidden Health Hazard

Sugar, a ubiquitous ingredient in modern diets, has become a significant public health concern. While it provides a sweet taste and energy, excessive consumption can lead to a myriad of health problems.

Types of Sugar:

  • Natural sugars: Found in fruits, vegetables, and milk, these sugars are generally considered healthier due to their association with fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
  • Added sugars: These are sugars that are added to foods and beverages during processing. They can be found in a wide variety of products, including sodas, candies, baked goods, and processed meats.

Health Implications of Excessive Sugar Intake:

  • Weight Gain and Obesity: Excess sugar intake can contribute to weight gain and obesity, increasing the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
  • Dental Problems: Sugary foods and beverages can promote tooth decay and gum disease.
  • Metabolic Syndrome: Excessive sugar intake can increase the risk of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that includes obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and abnormal cholesterol levels.
  • Liver Damage: High levels of fructose, a type of sugar found in many processed foods, can damage the liver.

Hidden Sources of Sugar:

  • Processed Foods: Many processed foods, including bread, cereals, and sauces, contain added sugars.
  • Sauces and Condiments: Ketchup, barbecue sauce, and other condiments can be surprisingly high in sugar.
  • Beverages: Sodas, sports drinks, and sweetened teas are major sources of added sugar.

Strategies for Reducing Sugar Intake:

  • Read Food Labels: Check the ingredient list for added sugars, such as sucrose, fructose, glucose, and high-fructose corn syrup.
  • Choose Whole Foods: Opt for whole fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, which are naturally low in added sugars.
  • Limit Processed Foods: Reduce your consumption of processed foods, which are often high in added sugars.
  • Be Mindful of Beverages: Opt for water, unsweetened tea, or sparkling water instead of sugary drinks.
  • Cook at Home: Preparing meals at home gives you more control over the ingredients and the amount of sugar used.
By making conscious choices and being aware of hidden sources of sugar, individuals can significantly reduce their intake and improve their overall health.

Sugar substitutes problems.. Headaches or infectious Upset. The need for moderation in the use

Sugar substitutes problems

Cakes, pies and cookies, oh my! Did you know that Americans consume 165 pounds of sugar each year? Along with this sweet habit comes an increased risk of diabetes, cancer, and obesity. In 2009, the American Heart Association recommended that women reduce their added sugar intake to less than six teaspoons (25 grams) per day, and men less than nine teaspoons (37 grams) per day. Just to put that in perspective, a 12-ounce can of regular soda contains about eight teaspoons of sugar. With these new recommendations, it’s no wonder sugar substitute use is on the rise. But how do you know which one is the safest for you and your family?

Artificial sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners are chemically manufactured molecules, which may be derived from naturally occurring substances (herbs or sugar itself), and added to sweetened foods and beverages in place of table sugar (sucrose). They are sometimes referred to as “intense sweeteners” as they can be thousands of times sweeter than sugar. Because of this, dextrose and/or maltodextrin (easily digested carbohydrates) are added to dilute the sweetness in food products.
Per FDA regulations, any food that has 5 or fewer calories per serving can be labeled as containing “0 calories.” However, if you have diabetes, you must count these starch-based sweeteners as part of your carbohydrate intake, since insulin is required for their metabolism.

There are five artificial sweeteners approved by the FDA for use in the U.S.: Acesulfame potassium (K), Aspartame, Saccharin, Sucralose, and Neotame (the newest). Possible health benefits include: improved weight control, improved blood sugar control, and they do not contribute to tooth decay. Numerous research studies have confirmed that artificial sweeteners are generally safe in limited quantities, even for pregnant women.



The Center for Science in the Public Interest has deemed sucralose and neotame as the safest artificial sweeteners. They state that aspartame is probably safe, but people who believe they suffer from headaches or other symptoms after consuming foods that contain aspartame should avoid it. People with the rare disorder phenylketonuria (PKU) can’t metabolize phenylalanine, and should avoid aspartame as well. This consumer advocacy organization does consider saccharin to be the most unsafe, citing a study done by the National Cancer Institute in 2003, which found “some evidence of an increased risk of bladder cancer, particularly for those who heavily ingested the sweetener as a table top sweetener or through diet sodas.” “Heavily” was defined as “six or more servings of sugar substitute, or two or more eight-ounce servings of diet drink daily.”

Sugar Alcohols

Sugar alcohols are carbohydrates that occur naturally in certain fruits and vegetables, but can also be manufactured. They are lower in calories than table sugar (sucrose), but about half of the carbohydrate is still digested, and must be counted towards calorie and carbohydrate intake. Despite their name, sugar alcohols are not actually alcoholic.

The benefits of sugar alcohols are that they do not contribute to dental cavities, may help with weight control, and although they do affect blood sugar levels somewhat, the impact is less than that of sucrose. However, high intakes of foods containing sugar alcohols can lead to gastrointestinal distress including gas, bloating, and diarrhea. The FDA requires any foods whose consumption would add excessive amounts of sugar alcohols (50 grams/day of sorbitol, 20grams/day of mannitol), be labeled with the statement, “Excess consumption may have a laxative effect.”

Common sugar alcohols include: arabitol, glycerol, sorbitol, mannitol, maltitol, erythritol, xylitol, isomalt, and lactitol. Sugar alcohols are typically used in “sugar-free” gums, candies, chocolate, cookies, ice cream, jams and jelly spreads. They can also be used in medications such as “sugar-free” cough syrup, cough drops, and even multivitamins.

Natural sweeteners

Due to health concerns with sugar substitutes, many people have turned to using natural sweeteners instead of table sugar. Although natural sweeteners, including honey, agave nectar, maple syrup, and juice concentrates, are promoted as healthier options, they often undergo processing and refining like table sugar, and vitamin and mineral content is not significantly different from that of sucrose.
Possible health benefits include antibacterial, antiviral, and antioxidant properties, however they still “act as sugar:” raising blood glucose levels, contributing to dietary added sugars and calories, and increasing risk for tooth decay. Agave nectar has been considered a “low glycemic index food,” meaning its slow digestion and absorption produces a gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin levels, potentially controlling appetite, delaying hunger, and reducing insulin levels and resistance.

Stevia

The Stevia plant includes about 240 species of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family, native to South America. The species, Stevia rebaudiana (commonly known as sweet leaf or just Stevia), has been used for hundreds of years as a sweetener. Stevia’s taste has a slower onset and longer duration than sugar, may have a bitter or licorice-like aftertaste in high concentrations, and has up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar. As with other artificial sweeteners, Stevia may help with weight control as it has an insignificant effect on blood sugars, but there is no evidence of an advantage. Highly refined stevia extracts may cause mild side effects, such as nausea or a feeling of fullness.
In 2006 the World Health Organization (WHO) evaluated experimental studies on the by-products of Stevia conducted on animals and humans and found no evidence of carcinogenic effects. Based on long-term studies, the WHO’s Joint Experts Committee on Food Additives has approved an ADI of up to 4 mg/kg/day. Stevia was originally only available as a "dietary supplement" in the U.S. until 2008 when the FDA granted Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status to rebaudioside A (rebiana), one of the chemicals in Stevia that makes it sweet. This allowed it to be used as a “food additive.”

In 2012, the FDA released this statement: "FDA has not permitted the use of whole-leaf Stevia or crude Stevia extracts because these substances have not been approved for use as a food additive. FDA does not consider their use in food to be GRAS in light of reports in the literature that raise concerns about the use of these substances. Among these concerns are control of blood sugar and effects on the reproductive, cardiovascular, and renal systems." The FDA has approved GRAS status to sugar substitutes such as Truvia (Cargill and the Coca-Cola Company) and PureVia (PepsiCo and the Whole Earth Sweetener Company), both of which use rebaudioside A derived from the Stevia plant, as they say these products are not Stevia, but a highly purified product. Stevia is also available as a sweetener in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Russia, Israel, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela, Columbia, Brazil, Argentina, and the European Union.

Sweeters (sugar substitutes).. Saccharine. Aspartam. Sucralose

Sweeters 

  • It is highly sweet substances.
  • Do not give the body calories.
  • Does not require insulin to digest.
  • Used in the production of food for obesity disease, or diabetes own food.

  There are currently a number of these localities ..

  1. Saccharine : Health organizations gathered that the use of saccharin Is acceptable.
  2. Aspartam : It is a semi-natural product adjusted sweetness to 150-200 times the sweetness of sugar. The American health organizations agree to use it for diabetics and weight loss ·The fact that the only people who can cause them Aspartame Problem Medical are living with a rare genetic disease called phenylketonuria   And ill Advanced liver and pregnant ·
  3. Sucralose and of the degree of sweetness 600 times the degree of sweetness of sugar, And enter into baked foods and beverages Dairy, frozen desserts and juices. It gives a taste ofNatural sugar because it is made ​​from table sugar, but can not digest it, and therefore does not give anyCalories.

Sugar.. Cause of obesity and coronary heart disease and high blood pressure

Cause of obesity and coronary heart disease and high blood pressure 

ver the last half century, obesity rates have skyrocketed. In 1962, 46 percent of adults in the U.S. were considered overweight or obese. By 2010, that figure had jumped to 75 percent.

Obesity is a complex problem with multiple causes. But among the likely suspects, sugar is high on the list. As sugar consumption has increased, so too has our national waistline.

If you’re concerned about protecting your health and your heart, you might want to take a closer look at the sweet stuff in your life.

Does Sugar Contribute to Weight Gain?

The average American eats a whopping 20 teaspoons of sugar every day, according to U.S. government figures. That’s well above the American Heart Association’s recommendation of 6 teaspoons per day for women and 9 per day for men.

A variety of research has drawn a link between sugar consumption and excess body weight. “I don’t think we have enough evidence yet to suggest that sugar is the reason for the obesity epidemic,” says Johns Hopkins cardiologist Chiadi E. Ndumele, M.D., M.H.S. “But there is enough evidence to say that elevated sugar consumption is an important contributor to weight gain.”

All those sweet snacks seem to be affecting the heart as well. In a study published in JAMA: Internal Medicine in 2014, researchers compared people who consumed a lot of added sugar (accounting for 17 to 21 percent of their total daily calories) with people who ate less sugar (just 8 percent of their total calories). Those in the high-sugar group had a 38 percent greater risk of dying from heart disease .

The Obesity-Heart Disease Link

Excess weight increases the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes . Research by Ndumele and colleagues has shown that those factors usually explain the link between obesity and heart disease. “All of those factors make it more likely that someone will develop cardiovascular disease,” says Ndumele.

But obesity itself can be harmful even in the absence of those other conditions. Ndumele and colleagues found that after accounting for factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, obesity by itself increases the risk of heart failure.

In other words, there are many reasons to aim for a healthy weight. And cutting back on sugar is a good place to start.

How to Tame Your Sweet Tooth

Ready to cut back on the sweet stuff? Here are some tips to try:


  • Avoid sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages, which are among the top sources of added sugars.
  • Reach for fruits instead of candy, cookies or other sweet treats.
  • Read ingredient labels. Sugar is often hiding in places you wouldn’t expect it, such as spaghetti sauce and sandwich bread.
  • Added sugars have a lot of aliases. When reading labels, keep an eye out for terms like corn sweetener, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, lactose, malt syrup, maltose, molasses, raw sugar and sucrose.