What is Sugar?
Sugar is a sweet crystalline substance obtained from various plants, especially sugar cane and sugar beet, consisting essentially of sucrose, and used as a sweetener in food and drink. So sugar is basically a sweetner and the basic component of carbohydrate food stuff
Chances are that you already know that eating too much sugar isn’t good for you and your health.
Sugary drinks, candyand sweetened dairy are the main sources of added sugar. But even savory foods, like breads, tomato sauce and some protein food can have sugar, making it all too easy to end up with a surplus of the sweet stuff. To complicate it further, added sugars can be hard to spot on nutrition labels since they can be listed under a number of names, such as corn syrup, agave nectar, palm sugar, cane juice, etc
No matter what it’s called, sugar is sugar, and it can negatively affect your body in many ways. Here’s a closer look at how sugar can mess with your health.
Negative Effects of Excess Sugar Intake
It causes depression:
I started with this as it is the least noticed, the occasional candy or cookie can give you a quick burst of energy or “sugar rush” by raising your blood sugar levels fast. When your levels drop as your cells absorb the sugar, you may feel jittery and anxious. But if you’re taling the candy too often, sugar starts to have an effect on your mood beyond that 3 p.m. slump.
Studies have linked a high sugar intake to a greater risk of depression in adults due this "sugar crash" effect.
Sugar increases the risk of diabetes, obesity and heart diseases:
Studies have shown that the more high-glycemic foods [i.e. food that affect body sugar level quickly, including foods containing sugar], a person consumes, the higher the risk for becoming obese and for developing heart disease and being diabetic.
Most cases of obesity has its cause as excess sugar intake as compared to causes that are hereditary.
It accelerates Aging
Excess intake of sugar contributes to the signs and symptoms of aging: sagging skin.
In a process called glycation, some sugar consumed after being in the blood ends up being attached to proteins.
These new molecular structures that are formed contribute to the loss of elasticity found in aging body tissues, from your skin to your organs and arteries.
The more sugar circulating in your blood, the faster this damage take place.
It damages the teeth:
Consuming too much of sugar can cause cavities. Bacteria in your mouth feed on sugar and release acid byproducts, which cause tooth demineralization. This causes the teeth to deteriorate.
Increases the risk of gout:
Gout is an inflammatory condition which causes pain in the joints. Excess sugars raise uric acid levels in the blood which increases the risk of developing or worsening gout in an individual.
Other references: https://www.atkins.com/how-it-works/library/articles/10-ways-sugar-harms-your-health
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