We are frequently talking about diets and changing the food that we eat, our nutrition. Words are thrown around, this is bad and that is bad, but few people stop to explain why some things are bad. Yes, you hear that they are not good for you, but nobody tells you why exactly they are bad and why you should be vary of overdoing it.
Sugar is one of those substances that everybody is talking about. It is considered to be very bad for us and here are the reasons why.
Weight Gain
Sugar is a trap for weight gain. Sugar mainly consists of carbohydrates, which turn into fat when unused. The problem with sugar and sugary drinks and food is that they do not make us feel satiated. They increase resistance to a hormone called leptin, one which is responsible for the feeling of satiety. This in turn allows us to eat or drink more sugar, which turns into fat. It also turns into visceral fat, which is deep fat that is connected to heart disease and diabetes.
Increase in Heart Disease
Heart disease was mentioned and we should mention it again, only this time, with more of a direct warning. Sugary drinks and diets high in sugar have been shown to be a cause of heart disease and increase risks such as heart attacks, not to mention obesity.
Sugar can increase the triglyceride count, lead to inflammation, reduce the ability to absorb vitamins and minerals (the gut will go for glucose first), which leads to an increased heart disease risk.
It Can Cause Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes diagnoses have doubled in the past 30 years. That should tell us something. Either we have terrible genetics or we consume too much sugar. Diabetes is not caused by sugar alone, but there are very clear and scientifically proven risks that high sugar consumption can lead to diabetes.
High blood sugar causes a resistance to insulin, which is a hormone that is produced by the pancreas to regulate blood sugar levels. Too much blood sugar can lead to diabetes, which in turn means that sugar consumption is really bad for us.
It Drains Energy and Can Cause Depression
Sugars are bad because they produce dopamine spikes. Dopaminergic drinks and foods typically immediately cause the level of our dopamine to rise sky high but also to fall almost immediately below the baseline, which is our normal dopamine level. It sometimes takes days for that level to return to normal, which is why a high sugar diet can leave us with symptoms of depression.
Dopamine is directly connected to epinephrine (also called adrenaline), and a lack of it will make us lazy and without any desire to move.
These are just some of the reasons why sugar is really bad for us.