We have never eaten as much sugar as we do now. Over the last forty years the amount of sugar we eat has gone up by just under twenty percent. This has triggered a lot of research into its effects on our body. No doubt, the more we eat the more research will be done as we have yet to learn the full long term impact on our health. The more research that is done, the more medical conditions are found linked to our increased sugar consumption.
The list of conditions and ailments that are blamed on sugar is a very long one. Some writers claim sugar causes a hundred and forty six conditions others list them in the seventies. Whatever the number, the message is very clear: eating a lot of sugar is not healthy. We all know that high consumption of sugar is a major factor in obesity but we need to be aware of some of the other health risks it poses.
These are some of the results from the research done so far:
*People with very high blood sugar are at risk of stroke and heart disease
*Sugar weakens our immune system, which leaves our body open to infection
*Sugar contributes to arteriosclerosis – clogging of the arteries – by lowering the good cholesterol and raising the bad
*It contributes to osteoporosis
*It can weaken the eyesight
*Sugar can lead to high levels of blood fat and can be as dangerous as a high fat diet
*Long-term sugar consumption can build insulin resistance, which make it harder for the body to bring the blood sugar back to normal levels
It is not only the sugar we all know that is a problem – the table sugar and sugar in sodas. The body makes sugar, in the form of glucose, from carbohydrates. If we eat a lot of carbohydrates our body will convert those to glucose, which goes into our blood stream, thus raising our blood sugar level. That’s why the Glycemic Index was created – to give people a guide to the speed that foods break down in the body and produce glucose. Foods high on the list break down quickly and send up the blood sugar quickly. Anything over about 55 is regarded as high GI and should be eaten sparingly.
There is no doubt, from the research done so far, we do need to limit the amount of sugar we eat to control our blood sugar levels. We need to break the sugar habit. We can do this by eating healthy foods with a GI rating of 55 or under. We can control it more by giving up or cutting down on sugar in our tea, coffee and on our cereals. We can limit the number of candies and chocolates we eat and we can check the labels on food packaging. Breaking the sugar habit can be difficult but our good health depends on it.