If you look back at magazines and commercials from the 50s and 60s, you’ll find plenty of ads that trumpeted the health benefits of sugar—yes, you read that right. And while we’ve come a long way since then, there still seems to be plenty of confusion surrounding sugar. Does your body need sugar? What does sugar do to your body? Is sugar bad for you? Across the internet, these questions roll in on a seemingly endless loop. So, ahead we attempt to clear up some of the confusion.
Here’s a closer look at what sugar is, how our bodies use it, what happens when we consume it, and what happens when we consume too much of it.
What Is Sugar?
Before we dive in, we need to understand what sugar is, how it’s broken down in the body, and all the terminology associated with it. So, here goes.
Sugar is a form of carbohydrate, and there are two main forms of carbohydrates.
Simple carbohydrates (or simple sugars) which include fructose, glucose, and lactose.
Complex carbohydrates (or starches) which are found in starchy vegetables, whole grains, bread, and cereals.
When you consume carbs, they are broken down into simple sugars (aka glucose, fructose, and galactose) so that they can be easily absorbed into your bloodstream. In response to rising blood sugar levels, your pancreas releases insulin. Insulin, in turn, plays a crucial role in transporting the sugar from your bloodstream into your cells, where it is then used for energy.
Simple carbohydrates are broken down easily, and they cause your blood sugar levels to rise quickly. In contrast, complex carbohydrates are broken down more slowly, causing only a gradual rise in blood sugar.
What Does Sugar Do To Your Body?
When you consume too much sugar, almost every major organ in your body reacts to that sugar. Here’s how.
Your Brain Reacts To Sugar
The human brain uses more energy than any other organ in our body, and its primary source of fuel is, you guessed it—glucose.
When we eat sugar, it causes a dopamine hit in our brain that looks surprisingly like drug addiction. And like drugs, your body quickly becomes tolerant of sugar. Eventually, your body will require more and more of the sweet treat to get the same dopamine hit. The result is what looks remarkably like a sugar addiction. Over time, excess sugar consumption has been linked to cognitive deficiencies and impaired memory function.
Your Liver Reacts To Sugar
Your liver uses fructose to create fat through a process called lipogenesis. Again, this is a life-sustaining function in your body; too much sugar, however, causes a build-up of fat in your liver. Over time, that build-up can eventually lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Excess Sugar Consumption And Diabetes
When you consume excess glucose, your body’s insulin production shifts into overdrive; over time, the pancreas (the organ responsible for producing insulin) can become fatigued and fail to keep up with the influx of glucose in your system. Long story short, excess sugar consumption can increase your risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes.
Excess Sugar Consumption And Your Heart
Remember that when your blood sugar rises, your pancreas creates more insulin to help transfer that sugar to your cells where it’s needed. Over time, however, high insulin levels can cause the smooth muscle cells around the walls of your artery to harden and narrow, eventually causing high blood pressure and eventually leading to heart disease.
So How Much Sugar Is Too Much?
Our bodies use the sugars and starches from the carbs we consume to fuel our cells and supply glucose to our brains. So while a little sugar in our diets is necessary—naturally occurring sugar from the foods we eat is plenty. And according to the American Heart Association, we do not need added sugar to function properly.
The AHA recommends a maximum of 25 G (or 6 teaspoons) of added sugar per day for women and 38 G (or 9 teaspoons) of added sugar per day for men.
Sugar itself is not the issue. The problem with sugar lies in the overconsumption of processed foods, pre-packaged foods, and sugary drinks. In the end, the things we do to make our lives easiest can have a terrible effect on our overall health.
