THE DANGERS OF ENTERTAINING SUGAR AT THE HOLIDAYS!

You may find it interesting to know that sugar is the largest source of calories for individuals living in industrialized nations. It not only increases blood sugar and insulin levels, but it is also a major driver of fat accumulation and inflammation throughout the body. This is helpful to know, as many of our clients have no idea where their inflammation even started or how to help reduce it.

In addition, sugar is a very destructive ingredient in our food sources that accelerates aging and promotes degenerative diseases, so we need to pay close attention to its dangers. Sugar’s chemical makeup varies based on the number of carbohydrates it contains.

You may be familiar with the terms glucose, dextrose or fructose. Glucose and dextrose are basically the same form of sugar. Many sugar units combined together form more complex sugars like sucrose, which is your typical table sugar. It is made up of half glucose and half fructose. Many of you are familiar with the term “high-fructose corn syrup,” which is appropriately named, as it contains 55% fructose and 45% glucose.

Most forms of sugar other than fructose metabolize quickly in the body into simple glucose. Insulin then shuttles it into the cells to be used for energy. This process works well when our cells are sensitive to insulin, but chronically elevated blood sugar and insulin levels cause your cells to be resistant to insulin.

Driving this elevated blood sugar and insulin, which causes  damage and inflammation throughout the body, is excessive sugar intake and processed foods, many of which also contain a lot of sugar.

And in case you think you don’t consume sugar at all because you don’t eat it outright, you would be surprised to find out that the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that about 75% of packaged foods in the supermarkets contain added sugar – 75%!

Sugar causes a host of issues in the body. In fact, sugar is one of the most harmful and addictive substances you can consume. What makes it so addictive? When you eat sugary foods, the reward center in your brain gets stimulated by a neurotransmitter called dopamine, that plays a role in your perception of pleasure.

So, because eating sugar causes a chemical reaction that makes you feel good, you’re likely to eat it often. When you consume excess sugar on a regular basis, your signal from dopamine that affects pleasure becomes weaker and you develop a tolerance to it. Now you have to eat more sugar to get the same reward level, which is how sugar addiction gets started.

This is why manufacturers use sugar to drive your purchasing behavior. Many studies have been done on the addictive potential of sugar. In 2018 the British Journal of Sports Medicine stated that “sugar has been found to produce more symptoms than is required to be considered an addictive substance.”

Sugar creates a drug-like effect, driving behaviors like bingeing, cravings, withdrawal, and tolerance which drives a need for more. Much like the scenario in drug abuse, bingeing on sugar creates an ongoing increase in dopamine production in the brain, which keeps you coming back for more.

According to health and wellness expert, Dr. Joseph Mercola, there are 60 ways sugar can ruin your health. It is not only associated with chronic metabolic diseases like diabetes, obesity and heart disease, but rather numerous studies spanning decades demonstrate that eating too much sugar can create many detrimental health effects.

So, don’t be a statistic. Kick the sugar habit. Knowledge is power, and that’s why we are addressing just how detrimental sugar can be to your health.