10 Ways Sugar Harms Your Health
Lynn Prowitt-Smith
How could something so sweet leave such a bitter mark on your health? Learn why you
should shun sugar and make more nutritious food choices.
1. Sugar causes blood glucose to spike and plummet.
Unstable blood sugar often leads to mood swings, fatigue,
headaches and cravings for more sugar. Cravings set the stage for a cycle
of addiction in which every new hit of sugar makes you feel better temporarily but, a few
hours later, results in more cravings and hunger. On the flip side, those who avoid sugar
often report having little or no cravings for sugary things and feeling emotionally
balanced and energized.
2. Sugar increases the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
Large-scale studies have shown that the more high-glycemic foods (those that quickly
affect blood sugar), including foods containing sugar, a person consumes, the higher his risk for becoming obese and for developing diabetes
and heart disease. Emerging research is also suggesting connections
between high-glycemic diets and many different forms of cancer.
3. Sugar interferes with immune function.
Research on human subjects is scant, but animal studies have shown that sugar suppresses immune response. More research is
needed to understand the exact mechanisms; however, we do know that bacteria and yeast
feed on sugar and that, when these organisms get out of balance in the body, infections
and illness are more likely.
4. A high-sugar diet often results in chromium deficiency.
It’s sort of a catch-22. If you consume a lot of sugar and other refined
carbohydrates, you probably don’t get enough of the trace mineral chromium, and one
of chromium’s main functions is to help regulate blood sugar. Scientists
estimate that 90 percent of Americans don’t get enough chromium.
Chromium is found in a variety of animal foods, seafood and plant foods. Refining starches
and other carbohydrates rob these foods of their chromium supplies.
5. Sugar accelerates aging.
It even contributes to that telltale sign of aging:
sagging skin. Some of the sugar you consume, after hitting your bloodstream, ends up
attaching itself to proteins, in a process called glycation. These new molecular
structures 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 takes hold.
6. Sugar causes tooth decay.
With all the other life-threatening effects of sugar, we sometimes forget the most
basic damage it does. When it sits on your teeth, it creates
decay more efficiently than any other food substance8. For a strong visual
reminder, next time the Tooth Fairy visits, try the old tooth-in-a-glass-of-Coke
experiment—the results will surely convince you that sugar isn’t good for your
pearly whites.
7. Sugar can cause gum disease, which can lead to heart disease.
Increasing evidence shows that chronic infections,
such as those that result from periodontal problems, play a role in the development of
coronary artery disease. The most popular theory is that the connection is related to
widespread effects from the body’s inflammatory response to infection.
8. Sugar affects behavior and cognition in children.
Though it has been confirmed by millions of parents, most researchers have not been
able to show the effect of sugar on children’s behavior. A possible problem with the
research is that most of it compared the effects of a sugar-sweetened drink to one
containing an artificial sweetener. It may be that kids react to both real sugar and sugar
substitutes, therefore showing no differences in behavior.
What about kids’ ability to learn?
Between 1979 and 1983, 803 New York City public schools reduced the amount of sucrose
(table sugar) and eliminated artificial colors, flavors and two preservatives from school
lunches and breakfasts. The diet policy changes were followed by a 15.7 percent increase
in a national academic ranking (previously, the greatest improvement ever seen had been
1.7 percent).
9. Sugar increases stress.
When we’re under stress, our stress hormone levels rise; these chemicals are the
body’s fight-or-flight emergency crew, sent out to prepare the body for an attack or
an escape. These chemicals are also called into action when blood sugar is low. For
example, after a blood-sugar spike (say, from eating a piece of birthday cake),
there’s a compensatory dive, which causes the body to release stress hormones such as
adrenaline, epinephrine and cortisol. One of the main things these hormones do is raise
blood sugar, providing the body with a quick energy boost. The problem is, these helpful
hormones can make us feel anxious, irritable and shaky.
10. Sugar takes the place of important nutrients.
According to USDA data, people who consume the most sugar have the lowest intakes of
essential nutrients––especially vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, vitamin B-12,
calcium, phosphorous, magnesium and iron. Ironically, those who consume the most sugar are
children and teenagers, the individuals who need these nutrients most.
Slashing Sugar
Now that you know the negative impacts refined sugar can have on your body and mind,
you’ll want to be more careful about the foods you choose. And the first step is
getting educated about where sugar lurks—believe it or not, a food needn’t even
taste all that sweet for it to be loaded with sugar. When it comes to convenience and
packaged foods, let the ingredients label be your guide, and be aware that just because
something boasts that it is low in carbs or a "diet" food, doesn’t mean
it’s free of sugar.
Here are some excellent SAFE
sugar replacements. We use them all in our house.
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