Refined Sugar and its Harmful Impact on Health

In the past few years, strong concerns about excessive sugar consumption and its impact on health have been raised. All kinds of sugar are simple carbohydrates that the body breaks down into glucose for energy. 

However, whether you eat natural foods or refined ones has an impact on your body and general health. Overconsumption of refined sugar increases the risk of metabolic disorders like obesity and diabetes as well as cardiovascular diseases.

We consume a lot of refined sugar while drinking tea, coffee and other beverages, savoring doughnuts, pastries, ice cream, jelly, jams, cupcakes, and a bowl of dessert, in milkshakes and juices and in many other food items.

Let's briefly discuss the differences between natural and refined sugar.

Natural Sugar:

As the name indicates, natural sugars are naturally present in the cellular structure of fruits, some vegetables, milk and grains. All foods that include carbs, all naturally contain sugar that is digested slowly in the body and contains essential nutrients. Fruit contains fructose while dairy products contain lactose, a natural sugar.  Dairy foods contain protein and calcium, whereas plant foods are rich in fiber, vital minerals, and antioxidants.

Natural sugars found in whole foods are crucial to a balanced, nutritious diet. 

Refined Sugar:

Refined sugar is processed sugar that is extracted from sugarcane or sugar beet. This type of sugar contains a lot of calories and has low nutritional value. Refined sugars are used to sweeten crackers, flavored yogurt, tomato sauce and salad dressing. They are also used to sweeten cakes, cookies, coffee, cereal and high-fructose corn syrup. Refined sugar is also called added sugar.

Removing or lowering refined sugar consumption should be marketed as a healthy alternative in food selection.

Added Sugar Recommendation:

The American Heart Association advises keeping daily added sugar intake to no more than 6% of total calories. This could mean:

• For women: No more than 100 calories (25 g or 6 teaspoons) each day.

• For Men: No more than 150 calories (36 g or 9 teaspoons) each day. 

• For children under 2 years of age: Not recommended to use refined sugar.

The Harmful Impact of Refined Sugar on the Body

Too much sugar-trigger for illnesses and disorders. Foods with a lot of sugar are what cause empty calories. These foods replace nutrient-dense foods and at the same time, cause people to be both overfed and undernourished. 
Here are some of the harmful impacts that excessive consumption of refined sugar and food products containing refined sugar has on the body:

Obesity:

Consumption of Excess sugar induces unhealthful weight gain and the accumulation of belly fat. It causes your body to produce excess fat and tricks your brain into wanting more of it. It only contains empty calories and promotes obesity. Additionally, consuming sugar interferes with the production of leptin, which can increase your appetite and lead to weight gain. Reducing the intake of added sugars lowers the risk of becoming overweight or obese.

Diabetes:

The intake of excess sugar increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Eating too much sugar in any form disturbs the proper functioning of the pancreas and insulin. The body stops responding properly to insulin, and the pancreas begins producing even more insulin. Your overworked pancreas will eventually fail, causing your blood sugar levels to rise. 

Cardiovascular Diseases:

Excessive added sugar consumption can elevate blood pressure and chronic inflammation, both of which are pathological routes to heart disease. The liver metabolizes excess sugar and turns it into fat, which can result in increased fat buildup and elevated cholesterol levels that lead to cardiovascular diseases. Basically, the risk of heart disease increases with additional sugar consumption.

Cancer: 

Refined sugars are considered major cancer-causing foods, because of their role in the development of cancer cells. Higher intake of sugar-containing foods and beverages was associated with an increased risk of cancer including breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers, prostate cancer, gastrointestinal cancers (pancreatic, colorectal, hepatic).

Dental Caries:

Dental caries affects 80% of the world's population and sugar consumption is a major risk factor for developing dental caries. Consuming sweets before bedtime may be a significant risk factor for dental caries. Bacteria process the sugars to produce acids that may demineralize the hard tissues of the teeth. In addition to dental caries, sugar has been linked to an increase in gingival bleeding.

Impaired Cognition:

Consumption of refined sugars has also been linked to cognitive dysfunction. A high-saturated and refined sugar diet results in poor memory performance due to impaired function of the hippocampus which can lead to poor academic performance.

Skin Aging and Wrinkles:

Sugar is also responsible for speeding up the aging process and wrinkles formation. A diet high in sugar causes the body's proteins to react with glucose, creating molecules known as Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs). These molecules cause damage to collagen and elastin (a protein involved in keeping skin firm).

Complications in Pregnancy:

A nutrient-dense diet is crucial for the optimal health of the mother and fetus during pregnancy. Consuming excessive sugar increases the mother's risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus, preeclampsia, and excessive weight gain during pregnancy. Cola drinks with added sugar are associated with a rise in preterm births.

Tips to Limit Sugar Intake 

• Replace sugary drinks cola beverages and processed juices with infused water and fresh fruit juices.
• Do not add refined sugar to any fresh fruit juice, milkshakes or smoothies. Use a small amount of honey and jaggery where required.
• Do not use sugar in oatmeal or chia pudding instead add fruits like mango, banana, apple etc.
• Avoid using refined sugar in brownies and pancakes. Add banana, honey and date palm as natural sweeteners.
• Reduce the quantity of sugar in tea and coffee.
• Read food labels to identify food items with less added sugar.

Conclusion:

Sugar is extensively used in sweets, tea, milk, juices, shakes, bread products and many other food items in every home worldwide. Its excessive use contributes to many health problems like obesity, diabetes, CVDs, cancer, tooth decay etc. The risk of these health problems can be reduced by limiting sugar intake or replacing it with natural sweeteners like honey, date palm, and jaggery.