Is sugar bad for you? Can
it really have a head-to-toe impact on the human body? When we’re talking
about added sugar, the answer is a resounding “yes.” Although the sugar
industry has actively fought to change public opinion about the health effects
of sugar, we now know today that sugar impacts just about every organ system
in the body. And not in a good way. I’m hoping the latest science on sugar
will help inspire you to deal with sugar addiction. Let’s take a look at the top ways added sugar destroys
your body.
Is
Sugar Bad for You? Here’s How It Destroys You Health
Ticker Trouble
Most people blame dietary fat for heart disease. And while
certain industrial, inflammatory fats like trans fats do cause heart
attacks, sugar is the real culprit. In fact, in 2016, researchers unearthed a
huge sugar industry scandal, proving that the sugar
lobby sponsored phony Harvard research in the 1960s. Turns out the sugar
lobby paid Harvard researchers to take the heat off of sugar’s health effects,
instead turning the focus on naturally-occurring fats’ supposed role in heart
disease. (1)
This faulty “research” concluded there was “no doubt” that the only dietary intervention required to prevent coronary heart disease
was to eat less cholesterol and to eat polyunsaturated fat instead
of saturated fat. (2)
We not know this is not true. In 2014, researchers
were able to scientifically show that ingesting too much added sugar could
significantly increase your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. In fact,
people getting 17 to 21 percent of calories from added sugar face a 38 percent
higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to those who got just
8 percent of their calories from sugar. The relative risk was more than double
for those who consumed 21 percent or more of their calories from added
sugar. (3)
Today, most U.S. adults consume about
22 teaspoons of added sugars a day. That’s waymore than what the American Heart Association recommends. AHA
says:
• No more than 6 teaspoons or 100 calories a day of sugar
for most women
Fatty Livers
Here’s another reason to reduce sugar intake. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is on the rise in the U.S. And guess
what’s largely to blame? Sugar! High-fructose corn syrup hiding out in drinks
and processed foods has been called a “weapon of mass destruction.” (5) Nonalcoholic fatty liver occurs when fat
builds up in the liver. According to a study conducted at the University of
Sydney at Westmead Hospital in Australia, NAFLD is present in 17 percent to 33 percent of Americans.
This growing percentage parallels the frequency of obesity, insulin resistance,
metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. And many Americans with the disease
don’t experience any symptoms.
Tuft University researcher discovered people who drink one
sugar-sweetened beverage a day face a higher risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver
disease compared to those who steer clear of beverages containing added sugars.
(6)
Interestingly, the microbiome is at play, too. You see, the
microbiome serves as the interface between diet and the liver and modifies
dietary effects. Scientists are actively investigating our guts’ role in
non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. What is clear? Drastically backing down on
added sugar intake does seem to improve this disease to some extent. (7)
Leaky Gut & Other Metabolic
Diseases
Is sugar bad, particularly when it comes to the gut? You
bet. Knowing that the microorganisms that live in gut actually act similarly to
a metabolic “organ,” researchers now believe sugar changes the gut microbiota
in a way that increases intestinal permeability, AKA leaky gut symptoms.
This means the chronic, low-grade inflammation that sugar
triggers can lead to the transfer of substances from the gut into the
bloodstream. This can trigger obesity and other chronic, metabolic diseases. (8, 9)
Eliminated excess added sugar is a key part of any
effective leaky gut treatment plan.
Added sugar feeds yeast and bad bacteria that can damage the intestinal wall
creating a leaky gut.
A Diabetes-Prone Body
A 2013 study published in the journal PLOS
ONE found for every 150 calories of sugar
a person consumes a day (about the equivalent of a can of soda), they increase
their risk of type 2 diabetes by 1.1 percent. This increased risk held true
even considering researchers adjusted for the other types of foods people eat
(including , meat, oils, cereals, high-fiber foods,
oils).
Researchers also found the impact of sugar on diabetes
held true regardless of a sedentary lifestyle and
alcohol use. (10)
A Number of Cancers
Does sugar impact cancer risk? When the National
Institutes of Health set out to investigate sugar’s link to 24 different
cancers, they didn’t find tons of published research, noting more is needed.
But the were able to find some associations between different types of sugar
and certain cancers.
For instance, added sugars increase the risk of esophageal
cancer, while added fructose (think high-fructose corn syrup dangers) appeared to
increase the risk of cancer in the small intestine. (11)
Other research hints at a connection between high intake
of added sugars and colon cancer. This higher risk remained even after
adjusting for other colon cancer risk facts like being overweight or obese or
having diabetes. (12)
Dietary sugar could also increase the risk of breast
cancer tumors and and metastasis to the lungs. The University of Texas MD
Anderson Cancer Center published a 2016 study finding high amounts of dietary
sugar in the typical Western diet seem to effect an enzymatic signaling pathway
known as 12-LOX (12-lipoxygenase) in a way that increases breast cancer risk. .
“We found that
sucrose intake in mice comparable to levels of Western diets led to increased
tumor growth and metastasis, when compared to a non-sugar starch diet … Prior
research has examined the role of sugar, especially glucose, and energy-based metabolic pathways in
cancer development. However, the inflammatory cascade may be an alternative
route of studying sugar-driven carcinogenesis that warrants further study.” —
Peiying Yang, PhD, assistant professor of palliative, rehabilitation and
integrative Medicine.
The researchers pinpointed fructose, a component of table
sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, as the responsible sugar facilitating lung
metastasis in the breast tumors studies. Previous epidemiological studies
have shown that dietary sugar intake has an impact on breast cancer
development, with inflammation thought to play a role.
In the animal study, 30 percent of mice on the
starch-control diet exhibited tumors. The
sucrose-enriched diets? Fifty to 58 percent
had mammary tumors. (Sucrose is the main component of table sugar). The breast
cancer was more likely to spread to the lungs in mice fed the sucrose- or
fructose-enriched diet compared to the starch-control diet. (13, 14)
Is
Sugar Bad for You? Yes, and Here Are Sugar Ingredients to Avoid
Added sugars can fall under all sorts
of different names on ingredient labels. While it’s currently nearly impossible
to tell the percentage of sugar comes from natural or added sources right now,
better labeling is right around the corner. By mid-2018, we should expected to
see an “Added Sugar” line on the Nutrition Facts label. (15)
One rule of thumb to find these hidden sugars is that any
ingredient ending in “ose” is a type of sugar.
Don’t be fooled by more natural-sounding names either.
Sweeteners like cane juice, beet sugar, fruit juice, rice syrup and molasses
are still types of sugar. Check out their place in the ingredients, list, too.
The higher up an ingredient is on the list, the more of it is included in a
product.
Other names for added sugar include:
·
Anhydrous dextrose
- Brown sugar
- Confectioner’s powdered
sugar
- Corn syrup
- Corn syrup solids
- Dextrose
- Fructose
- High-fructose corn syrup
(HFCS)
- Invert sugar
- Lactose
- Malt syrup
- Maltose
- Molasses
- Nectars (for example, peach
or pear nectar)
·
Pancake syrup
·
Raw sugar
·
Sucrose
·
Sugar
·
White granulated sugar (16)
Final
Thoughts on the Question: “Is Sugar Bad for You?”
·
Is sugar bad for you. Yes, indeed.
Added sugar can significantly increase your risk of early death.
- Sugar impacts brain
function, can cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and increases your
risk of heart disease.
- Added sugars appear to
increase the risk of breast cancer and metastasis to the lungs.
- There are dozens of names
for added sugar on ingredient labels. However, natural versus added sugars
are not differentiated on those labels. That’s all supposed to change in
mid-2018, when added sugars are expected to land on Nutrition Facts
labeling.
- Simply dialing back on
processed foods and drinks can lower your sugar intake.
- If you do use sugar, use
less processed forms, but use them sparingly. Alternatively, I recommend
using green stevia for sweetening purposes.
- Getting enough high-quality
protein, fiber and fermented foods can help you lose your sugar cravings
over time.
Source: Dr. Axe
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