We love sugar. A typical American consumes 66 pounds of added sugar in one year. [1]
I’m sure you’ve heard from your doctor that sugar is bad for you. The only benefit from sugar is that it’s tasty and gives us pleasure, but carries so many dangers. To name a few:
Weight gain due to empty calories: In addition to calories, fructose from starchy food and high fructose corn syrup, found in many processed foods, increases our hunger and desire for food more than glucose. [2]
Increases inflammation, triglycerides, and blood pressure levels — all risk factors for heart disease, atherosclerosis, a disease characterized by fatty, artery-clogging deposits. [3]
Causes resistance to insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates blood sugar levels. Insulin resistance causes blood sugar levels to rise and strongly increases our risk of diabetes. [4]
Higher risk of developing acne [5] and can worsen wrinkles and speed the skin aging process. [6]
Increased risk of breast cancer, endometrial cancer, esophageal cancer, pleural cancer and cancer of the small intestine. [7]
Raises risk of depression. Fluctuating blood sugar can cause mood swings, anxiety, palpitations, fatigue, and headaches. It also contributes to cravings, which begins the cycle of false hunger. [8]
Drains our energy and makes us tired quickly. [9]
Increases risk of kidney disease. [10]
Negatively impacts dental health, causing cavities. Bacteria in your mouth feeds on sugar and releases acid byproducts, which cause tooth de-mineralization. [11]
Increases the risk of developing gout. [12]
Accelerates cognitive decline: High-sugar diets can lead to impaired memory and have been linked to an increased risk of dementia. [13]
Impedes our ability to fight infections by suppressing the immune system, our main defense mechanism. [14]
And the most important:
SUGAR SHORTENS OUR LIFE! [15]
For more information on a healthy lifestyle, please schedule and appointment with Dr. Koganski at 215-750-7000 or https://www.NewtownInternalMedicine.com
Look for my next blog on safer sugar replacements.
[1] http://sugarscience.ucsf.edu/dispelling-myths-too-much.html#.XH3hVFNKjuQ
[2] Shan Luo, at al. Differential effects of fructose versus glucose on brain and appetitive responses to food cues and decisions for food rewards. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2015 May 19; 112(20): 6509–6514. Published online 2015 May 4. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1503358112PMCID: PMC4443321
[3] Seneff S. et al. Is the metabolic syndrome caused by a high fructose, and relatively low fat, low cholesterol diet? Arch Med Sci. 2011 Feb;7(1):8-20. doi: 10.5114/aoms.2011.20598. Epub 2011 Mar 8.
[4] Bo Xi, et al. Intake of Fruit Juice and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLoS One. 2014; 9(3): e93471. Published online 2014 Mar 28. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone. 0093471PMCID: PMC3969361
[5] Christine E. Campbell, Beverly I. Strassmann. The blemishes of modern society?: Acne prevalence in the Dogon of Mali. Evol Med Public Health. 2016; 2016(1): 325–337. Published online 2016 Sep 20. doi: 10.1093/emph/eow027PMCID: PMC5046992
[6] Cosgrove MC et al. .Dietary nutrient intakes and skin-aging appearance among middle-aged American women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Oct;86(4):1225-31
[7] Nataša Tasevska, et al. Sugars in diet and risk of cancer in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Int J Cancer. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2012 Nov 9.Published in final edited form as: Int J Cancer. 2012 Jan 1; 130(1): 159–169. Published online 2011 May 25. doi: 10.1002/ijc.25990PMCID: PMC3494407
[8] Gangwisch JEet al. High glycemic index diet as a risk factor for depression: analyses from the Women’s Health Initiative. Am J Clin Nutr. 2015 Aug;102(2):454-63. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.114.103846. Epub 2015 Jun 24.
[9] Gillian A. O’Reilly et al . Effects of high sugar and high fiber meals on physical activity behaviors in Latino and African American adolescents, Obesity (Silver Spring). 2015 Sep; 23(9): 1886–1894.Published online 2015 Aug 10. doi: 10.1002/oby.21169PMCID: PMC4551584NIHMSID: NIHMS694167PMID: 26256555
[10] Karalius VP, Shoham DA. Dietary sugar and artificial sweetener intake and chronic kidney disease: a review. Adv Chronic Kidney Dis. 2013 Mar;20(2):157-64. doi: 10.1053/j.ackd.2012.12.005.
[11] Prahlad Gupta, et al. Role of Sugar and Sugar Substitutes in Dental Caries: A Review. SRN Dent. 2013; 2013: 519421. Published online 2013 Dec 29. doi: 10.1155/2013/519421PMCID: PMC3893787
[12] Merriman TR et al. Sugar-sweetened beverages, urate, gout and genetic interaction.Pac Health Dialog. 2014 Mar;20(1):31-8
[13] Susana Cardoso et al. Diabesity and brain disturbances: A metabolic perspective. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mam.2018.10.002
[14] Does Sugar Really Suppress the Immune System?https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-sugar-really-suppress-the-immune-system/
[15] Shin Sik Choi. High glucose diets shorten lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans via ectopic apoptosis induction. Nutr Res Pract. 2011 Jun; 5(3): 214–218. Published online 2011 Jun 21. doi: 10.4162/nrp.2011.5.3.214PMCID: PMC3133753
Tags:
sugar
glucose
fructose
corn syrup
cancer
heart disease
diabetes
acne
depression
