These days, our intake of sugar is alarming. From the cakes and doughnuts we love eating, to all the sweetened drinks we couldn’t do without, you would be shocked at how much sugar we consume and how harmful the sugar in these things that we consume are hurting us.
A single bottle of soft drink, has about 12 teaspoons of sugar in it. Twice the recommended daily limit of sugar intake which is 6 teaspoons. Some people take more than 2 bottles of these sweet drinks.
The bitter truth is that, even though sugar is very sweet, it i very toxic and addictive to the human body. It affects the human body in many ways.
Liver
This is one of the most crucial parts of the body. It is responsible for removing toxins from the body and also helps turn sugar into energy that is used by the body. It does this with the help of insulin. Too much intake of sugar causes the liver to become resistant to insulin, this leads to diabetes type 2 and some other diseases.
Another thing that happens to the liver that has to do with too much sugar intake is leptin resistance. This ‘satiety hormone’ as it is called, is a hormone that is produced when we have had enough food. Studies show that too much sugar switches off this leptin hormone so that we don’t know when we are full, this leads to overeating. It leads to weight gain.
Brain
When we consume sugar, dopamine, the hormone that makes us feel good is released. Drugs like marijuana and cocaine cause this same feeling. But it is a feeling that does not last. So in other for us to maintain this feeling, we tend to go back for more sugar. Causing us to get addicted and crave more sugar. That is why we see people with sugar addictions. Too much sugar causes depression.
Heart
Recent studies show that sugar is the actual cause of high cholesterol and heart diseases. A sugar-rich diet increases chances of a person having obesity and diabetes risk. Furthermore, too much sugar ultimately affects the arteries and circulation and may increase the likelihood of stroke and hypertension.
Skin
If we don’t regulate our intake of sugar, it attaches to proteins in the bloodstream and forms harmful products known as advanced glycation end products, also known as AGEs. this would cause inflammation and cause one to age quicker, you are also exposed to sun damage. Sugar in our system too, affects the production of collagen.
Sexual and Reproductive Organs
Excess sugar negatively affects blood flow throughout the body, including the sex organs. For a man, he might have difficulty having an erection. Too much sugar does not only affect sex life, it affects fertility too. Watch how much sugar you take in if you want to have a healthy sex life and kids too.
There is a sugar in most foods today, cakes, bread and even salads. Generally, we should just mind how much sugar we consume to be safe.
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