Sugar and other refined sweeteners have little nutritional value and are harmful to our health. We refer to the sugar and sweeteners that we usually find in stores and supermarkets that do not contain vitamins and minerals, essential substances for their metabolism to benefit our body. Sugars and other refined sweeteners provide empty calories that, when transformed into fat, accumulate in the blood and obstruct circulation.
Carbohydrates – sugars are – only get into cells when vitamins and minerals accompany them. As refined sugars do not contain these substances, they act as thieves in our bodies.
All the sugar that our body needs is in fruits, vegetables and cereals. Excessive sugar consumption produces cavities and decalcification and imbalances in the metabolic process and different diseases. In contrast, consuming refined sugar and sweeteners only provide empty calories, which accumulate in fat cells. This consumption causes diseases:
a) Hypoglycemia. Refined sugar reaches the digestive system, where it is absorbed on the spot, producing an immediate flood of sugar in the blood, which disappears immediately. As the sugary blood passes through the pancreas, insulin secretion is produced, which lowers glycemia (blood sugar), producing hypoglycemia.
b) Diabetes. Diabetes in adults is characterized by decreased insulin production; Insulin is produced by the B cells of the pancreas, responding to a high amount of sugar in the blood (hyperglycemia).
c) Cardiovascular diseases. Consuming sugar raises triglycerides and cholesterol and thereby increases vascular diseases.
d) Dental caries. Refined sugars adhere to the teeth and are used by some bacteria to produce the acids that attack tooth enamel.
e) Obesity. The most sensitive organ to insulin is adipose tissue, where glucose enters fat cells and turns them into more fat.
f) Emotional disorders. They are dependent on hypoglycemia, restlessness, depression, anguish, instability, fits of anger and insecurity.
g) Migraine and migraine. Migraine sufferers are hypersensitive to sugar, so they are advised to eliminate it from their diet.
Instead, they argue that they are betting on ways to limit added sugar consumption and keep it at a healthier level. “The only exception to this is for infants and children under the age of 2, as this is a very critical developmental window and evidence suggests that added sugars are especially harmful during this time. For this reason, we suggest that all added sugars be avoided whenever possible. This includes the sugar found in the juice”, they add.
In the specific case of minors, they warn that the excessive consumption of sugar and sweeteners can have a wide range of effects on children’s health “from head to toe,” which includes both short and long-term consequences.
“From effects on memory and concentration to tooth decay, cardiovascular disease and diabetes risk, the development of fatty liver disease, gastrointestinal problems, and large-scale inflammation that can manifest with many symptoms, including asthma and acne,” maintain doctors Goran and Ventura.
In the specific case of the humour of the little ones, they argue that the consumption of excess sugar influences that the minors are less stable in terms of humour and temperament since they would find themselves immersed in a “sugar roller coaster.”
Take care of your health: Reduce sugar consumption
"As blood sugar levels rise and fall, so do energy levels and mood. They tend to get stressed more easily. A diet high in sugar has also been linked to long-term mental health problems, such as depression," they warn.AN EXCESS OF SUGAR AFFECTS YOUR LEARNING
On the other hand, the doctors warn that excessive sugar consumption affects their memory, learning and brain development: “Studies have shown that when children eat a diet high in sugar, they are less able to remember what they learn and also less able to concentrate. This can translate into worse academic performance”.
Interestingly, they state that evidence suggests that even the sugar that babies are exposed to during their stay in the womb is associated with future learning ability when measured in early childhood.
“The long-term effects of consuming both normal and artificial sweeteners, especially in beverages, have been linked to early cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease in adulthood. This is believed to happen through effects on important brain proteins and enzymes that maintain function and plasticity, or the ability of brain synapses (connections) to grow and change,” Goran and Ventura add.
Another point that they draw attention to in their book, according to Infosalus, is how high sugar levels can interrupt the growth of vital organs. An “obvious” example, they point out, is the way sugar can destroy developing teeth. “Children are more susceptible to tooth decay caused by sugar in the mouth. The reason developing teeth are more susceptible to acid is that they don’t yet have enough enamel to protect them,” he adds.
They also warn about how sugar influences the gut microbiome, which evolves in the first years of life and is affected by nutrition during this period, including a diet high in sugar. “A diet high in sugar can change the way the gut microbiome evolves, and this can be irreversible. Another example is how fructose and artificial sweeteners, even in tiny amounts, can modify cell development and make developing cells more likely to evolve into fat cells”, these experts say.
They also draw attention to the fact that liquid forms of sugar are “particularly harmful” because they provide a concentrated dose of sugar in a short period and generally do not provide nutritional benefits other than calories. “This includes soft drinks, juices, energy drinks and sugary coffee and tea drinks,” they specify.
The Child Nutrition and Obesity expert and the public health educator also point out that fructose is a “particularly harmful” sugar that is now consumed in much more significant amounts in our modern diet: “Juices and juice-based drinks also have a high fructose content, as well as healthy-sounding sweeteners, such as fruit juice concentrates, which are now routinely added to foods marketed for children. “