A Closer Look at Added Sugar's Impact on Overall Health

The majority of us like the way added sugar tastes and affects our emotions. It enhances the taste of a broad range of foods and beverages, including sodas, sweets, pasta sauces, desserts, and others.

Natural sugars are found in whole foods such as grains, fruits, dairy, and vegetables. They are slowly metabolized by your body to provide your cells with a constant flow of energy. On the other hand, packaged meals and beverages have added sugars, which are not necessary for your body. Moreover, added sugar's reputation for health benefits is quite questionable. Yet, added sugar makes everything so special and sweet; we just cannot resist it, can we?

However, their impact on blood sugar levels can be a cause for concern, potentially leaving us reaching for solutions to maintain balance. This is where blood sugar support pills come in, not as a quick fix for overindulgence but as a helping hand for lasting health.

The best way to manage any problem is to reach its core cause, understand it, and then solve it. So, let us understand the effects of excessive sugar on our health in this blog. But first, let's clear our basics!

Natural sugar Vs. Added sugar

Any sugar that is present in food naturally is natural sugar. This contains complete or less processed carbs like brown rice and whole grain pasta, as well as sugar found in fruit and starchy vegetables. Sugar in dairy products like cheese and milk can also be considered natural.

Processed drinks and meals have added sugar. It includes sugar added to foods at home as well. There is very little to no nutritional value to added sugar. Brown sugar, dextrose, corn syrup, fructose, sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup, glucose, honey, lactose, invert sugar, malt syrup, molasses, maltose, raw sugar, and turbinado sugar are a few examples of added sugars one can find in a product label. This added sugar is one of the significant reasons you might require blood sugar support.

How does excess sugar affect your health?

• Affects your brain

Consuming sugar causes a significant increase in the feel-good hormone dopamine in the brain. This explains why, around 3 p.m., candy bars are more likely to compel you than apples or carrots. Your brain tends to require more and more sugar to provide the same level of pleasure since whole meals, such as fruits and vegetables, do not trigger the brain to release as much dopamine. This gives rise to those difficult-to-control cravings for your after-dinner ice cream.

• Risk of diabetes

The pancreas releases insulin hormone in response to sugar consumption. Insulin is necessary for the body to absorb glucose from the blood circulation and use it as fuel in cells. The pancreas works nonstop to make adequate insulin if you eat sweets all day long. However, the body needs rest from the constant production of insulin. 

When you keep eating sugar all day, the body grows resistant to high insulin levels, and eventually, insulin loses all of its effectiveness. Glucose remains in the blood if the body does not produce enough insulin or resists its effects. Thus, this leads to high blood sugar levels, which can be eventually controlled with blood sugar support supplements.

• More sugar cravings

Consuming a lot of sugar stimulates the reward and appetite centers of the brain. This can eventually hamper your sense of fullness and contentment, making you less satisfied with the same quantity of sugar.

This might then result in an almost compulsive cycle of overeating and sugar cravings, which could cause overweight, obesity, or diabetes. If you have gained weight, you can take help from organic weight loss pills, which do not cause any side effects.

• Faster aging signs

Collagen healing can be hampered by a diet high in added sugar. Lack of collagen causes the skin to age and become thinner. Collagen is a protein that maintains plump skin.

Treating yourself to fruit to satisfy your sweet appetite is one way to keep your skin healthy. Fruits also contain antioxidants, which shield your body from harmful inflammation and certain chronic illnesses.

• Risk of high blood pressure

Researchers discovered a connection between sugar-sweetened drinks and hypertension, or elevated blood pressure, in a 2011 study. One way sugar increases blood pressure is by causing an excessive rise in insulin levels. Your blood vessels may become less flexible as a result, and your kidneys will retain more salt and water.

If you have a problem with high blood pressure, added sugar can exacerbate your situation. You can take naturally crafted blood pressure support supplements to bring down your blood pressure.

How much sugar is too much sugar?

According to the American Heart Association, women should ingest no more than six teaspoons (25 grams), and men should take no more than nine teaspoons (38 grams) of added sugar in a day. Less than 6 tablespoons of added sugar should be consumed daily by children ages 2 to 18.

Tips for reducing sugar intake

• Replace the soda. Drink plenty of water, unsweetened iced or hot teas, and flavorless sparkling water infused with ginger, cucumber, or fresh lemon juice to stay hydrated.
• Instead of purchasing yogurt with added sugar and flavoring, consider sweetening plain yogurt with frozen or fresh berries.
• Replace pancake syrup with unsweetened mixed berries, honey, or pure maple syrup.
• Steer clear of alcoholic beverages that have agave or sugar added to them.
• Look for granola bars and cereals that have less than 4 gm of sugar per serving.
• Many packaged foods, including mayonnaise, salsa, ketchup, tomato sauce, salad dressings, and so on, include added sugar. Select things that have the lowest added sugars.
• Use natural sweeteners or drink black coffee without any sugar.
• Replace sugar in baked products and confections. Try bananas, applesauce, dates, honey, or unsweetened dried fruit in place of refined sugar.

Final words!