Limit your sugar intake and stay healthy. Most food products have a lot of sugar content in them ranging from cakes, cookies, yogurt, soda and milk products. However, it is harmful to the body when taken in excess.
Why you need to limit your sugar intake
Promotes poor oral health
Sugary foodstuffs are bad for your oral and dental health. Bacteria take advantage of fructose from sugar to form lactic acid which damages the enamel and cause cavities. This acid may also cause teeth demineralization. Besides this, consuming food full of sugar and sleeping without brushing gives bad breath in the morning.
Causes heart problems
Sugar is known to damage your arteries and your heart as a whole. This may lead to heart attack and cardiovascular disease. Sugar raises the level of insulin thereby activating sympathetic nervous causing increased heart rate and blood pressure. High blood pressure forces the arteries to work harder which eventually leads to strokes and other coronary complications.
Increase diabetes
Taking sugar in excess raises insulin in the blood which contributes to diabetes. Sugar results in fatty deposit build up around the liver. This with time affects pancreas functionality leading to insulin resistance. This damages the beta cells in the pancreas making it not to produce enough insulin. Sugar-sweetened beverages are also known to be associated with metabolic syndrome which is a type of diabetes.
Causes liver problems
Sugar is rich in glucose and fructose that get metabolized and converted to lipids in the liver. This means that taking excess sugar forces the liver to overwork which eventually affects its functionality. High intake of sugar raises insulin level and cause fat accumulation in the liver cells. The result of this is inflammation and scars to the liver. Excess sugar can increase chances of getting fatty liver disease, characterized by fatigue, abdominal discomfort, and jaundice.
Causes depression and anxiety
An excess of glucose and insulin to the brain causes anxiety and restlessness in you. It may lead to mood swings and irritability too. This is due to excess of sugar in your diet. Sugar also releases dopamine in the brain. This raises your affinity to substances like drugs and alcohol.
Weight gain
You are at a high risk of obesity if you consume much sugar. Sugary diets cause your body lipoprotein lipase. This is a type of enzyme that will encourage your body to store in fat cells. Sugar can suppress satiety thus increasing ghrelin which is a hunger hormone. This consequently means you will end up overeating especially carbohydrate based foods that cause fat accumulation in the belly.
Sugar affects every organ in your body, the immune system, cardiovascular, brain, and digestive. Refined sugar has no essential nutrients for your health.