Is Sugar Really Bad News?
Sugar Saturation: The Sick, The Fat and The Old
So why exactly is sugar getting such a bad rap? Afterall, we’ve survived as a species for thousands of years eating grains, breads, fruits and other types of carbohydrates. The problem lies in the unprecedented amounts of sugars we consume today (or choose to consume shall I say). Never before in history has society become so saturated with sugar as it is today.
“FACT: 90 cents of every US food dollar is spent on processed foods.”
Sugar Addiction is REAL
Sugar is one of many scientifically proven food additives that is addictive. Brain scans have shown that sugar activates the reward, pleasure and memory centers in the brain, in exactly the same way drugs, alcohol and social media do. The same brain scans hospitals use for treatment and prevention of diseases, the food companies use to determine the how much sugar and other chemicals to put into food to make it the most habit forming. To date there are up to 61 clever names for sugar on food labels that are used to trick consumers into believing the product contains less sugar than it actually does. (Click HERE to see one of many researches on just how much sugar is hiding in plain sight)
Sugar activates your dopamine-reward pathway your brain in the same way drugs and alcohol do.
Doesn’t the Excess Sugar Just Get Used as Fuel?
Sugars are very damaging to cells in the body. They are a source of oxidative stress in the body and cause many pathways in the body to go awry. Glucose and other sugars in the bloodstream are oxidizing, meaning they create potent free radicals in the body, in excess, that impair cellular functioning in your body and leads to premature aging and disease.
Why Excess Sugar Is The World Greatest Health Epidemic
Sugars that winds up in the bloodstream react with proteins and fats, causing them to deteriorate in a way that speeds up aging (a process known as glycation).
Aging is now being understood by experts as essentially a gradual process of glycation of all tissues in the body. Even the brain.
Perhaps you have heard of a hemoglobin-A1c test, which is a standard lab tests doctor’s use to test for diabetes. What this marker tests for is the degree to which sugar has caused glycation to hemoglobin cells. The more glycation present, the more likely the person will become diabetic. If you’ve ever been told that you’re “pre-diabetic” then it was your Hemoglobin-A1c test result that lead your medical practitioner to make that decision.
So Just Why Should I Care About Eating Excess Carbs?
See the thing is that sugar is a fast and dirty burning fuel. Good for a sprint, but not ideally sustaining in the long term.
Think of a fireplace that needs to keep burning through the night to heat your home. Would you put sticks and dry leaves on it to keep it going or would you put a nice hearty log on to keep the fire smoldering for hours? In this example, sugars are the dry twigs and leaves that burn real fast and smokey.
In certain situations this quick burst of energy is needed (think fight or flight). Except when the energy is used up, it’s time to eat again.
That is what a glucose-dependent metabolism looks like. Constantly hungry. Constantly needed to re-fuel the fire. If you can’t go longer than two hours without needing to eat or snack, then you may want to reconsider just what you are putting into that gas tank of yours.
Will your food choices harm you or heal you?
Ultimately everything you eat will either clog you up or cleanse you. You have the ability to change your body’s biology everyday, with every meal. Which way the change occurs is your choice. You have the power to cut back on sugar in your diet
Refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup is in nearly
all processed foods in one form or another
Who cares about my blood sugar levels if insulin will control then?
When we eat, the body’s response to an increase in blood sugar is secretion of insulin, which is a hormone that pulls glucose out of the bloodstream and stores it in the liver as glycogen for the times that we need extra fuel. However, if the energy is not used up immediately and more sugar keeps coming in, the body will start to turn glucose into triglycerides (fat) in your blood, which are then stored as fat.
So essentially insulin is a fat storing hormone that reports for duty everytime there is a sugar spike in your blood from eating empty calories. Foods devoid of vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants lack the ability to potentially mitigate some of the deleterious effects of sugar (which is why fruit sugar is slightly less harmful because of the other nutrients it contains)
The problem is that in today’s modern world, we are less and less active and it has never been more convenient
to find food on every corner or delivered right to your front door with just a couple of clicks
This constant infusion of sugary foods all day sends our body and brain into a tailspin. The message you are giving your body is that calorie rich foods are plenty so keep converting all this sugar into fat for when the famine comes. But wait a minute! When was the last famine you lived through? There is no ice age. There is no drought. There is no famine coming! So just what are we storing all this fat away for?
Eating a high sugar diet causes the body to store fat and slow your metabolism.
Unless you’re planning to trek across the Antarctic, being a sugar-burner is just not ideal for most people that are only a few clicks away from finding their favorite food.
The takeaway is simple: eating sugar makes you fat, not eating fat
What does Insulin Resistance have to do with it and WHY you should care?
Our bodies were not meant to be constantly bombarded with sugary foods all day long. At some point, the body is unable to keep up and chronically elevated blood sugar levels over time lead a diminished ability for insulin to do its part. This leads to higher blood sugar levels that now require an above normal insulin response known as insulin resistance (IR).
IR has been a growing problem that is at the very core of the worst health epidemic this country’s faced in decades. The higher insulin levels are , the worse insulin resistance gets, leading to faster aging and deterioration of body and brain. Insulin resistance has been shown to lead to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, dementia and cancer.
Blood sugar surges from chronic carbohydrate consumption is one of the most potent triggers for hormonal dysregulation in the human body. The amounts of sugar we ingest these(known sugars and hidden sugars) is unparalleled and it is killing us!
Who is to blame?
Enter Industry: In the 1980’s fat was vilified and low-fat diets were the craze. One would expect the obesity rates to decrease over the last few decades. Let’s look at the numbers from the Centers for Disease Control:
LOW-FAT DIETS: “The Titanic” of Misleading Nutrition Information
Quite the opposite actually happened. Obesity and heart disease have drastically skyrocketed in the past few decades. Going low fat made the situation worse. The problem was that the food industry substituted vegetable fats(canola & soy) for animal fats. They also replaced the fat with sugar so the calorie content never changed. The composition of the food did (that is if you still consider the sugars, fats, flavors, dyes, preservatives and other additives synthesized in a laboratory as food).
Clearly the low-fat gig is up! The smoke screen is beginning to clear and evidence is piling up that is showing that the ultra-processing of foods has only benefited the food companies.
Insulin resistance leads to what is known as metabolic syndrome, that is characterized by elevated blood pressure, elevated blood sugar levels, elevated triglycerides in the blood and excess fat around the waist.
Chronic sugar consumption leads to increased inflammation, fatigue after meals, sugar cravings and problems with sleep.
What initially starts out as a sugar dysregulation issue, over time, insulin resistance can lead to type 2 diabetes where the body’s ability to lower blood sugar levels via insulin secretion is compromised. Type 2 diabetes used to be known as ‘adult onset diabetes’ however through the overconsumption of sugary foods, 1 in 4 children now have diabetes. This is an alarming number that is only gaining momentum.
It is predicted that by 2033 that over 50% of Americans will be obsese and living with deteriorating health problems as a result.
Sugar promotes inflammation. Period. Inflammation is only designed to be a transient process. Chronic inflammation due to excess sugar consumption wrecks havoc on the body and leads to faster deterioration and disease. Did I mention the part about sugar promoting fat storage and slowing down your metabolism yet?
The good news is this is all preventable and the power is in your hands
to make a change for yourself.
Let’s summarize what we learned so far:
Sugar causes blood sugar levels to spike and plummet, causing fatigue, headaches, mood swings, cravings and a false sense of hung.
Chronically high sugar levels increase risk for disease. Continuously high sugar levels leads to insulin resistance (IR) which is the driving force for chronic disease such as weight gain, obesity, diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer’s Disease.
Limiting the amount of sugar-containing foods you eat is a terrific way to jumpstart your health and weight loss goals!
Sugar causes pre-mature aging. Though a process known as glycation, sugar disrupts the collagen cross-links in your tissues. Glycation is what is responsible for the aging effects on your skin, brain and other organs that deteriorate much more quickly when constantly being bathed in sugar.
Sugar leads to increases stress and cognitive impairments, limiting your ability to stay on top of your game.
Most importantly, remember, there is a way out!!
It’s all within your reach!
Do you have questions, thoughts or would like help learning how to control your sugar intake and discover how much your body will thank you?
Connect with me at:
tommy@livingwellnesssolutions.com
Disclaimer: The information contained in our website, blog, products or services have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and is not intended to treat, prevent or cure any disease. Our intent is not to replace any relationship that exists between you and your healthcare provider. Rather our aim is to serve as your guide on your journey to better health and help you reach your health and wellness goals by implementing positive, healthy and sustainable lifestyle changes to help you live and thrive.
Tommy Markov is a Functional Nutrition Professional and Wellness Educator with a Master’s in Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine. He specializes in healing the person, not the condition. He is passionate about uncovering the root cause of his client’s ailments and incorporating an integrative mind-body approach.
Tommy’s knowledge of the interconnectedness of body systems helps him identify imbalances before they manifest into dysfunction and disease, allowing for an effective preventative approach.
Tommy has been working in the health and fitness industry since his 20’s, ranging from health clubs, hospitals, medical practices to currently founding his own thriving practice, Living Wellness Solutions, after overcoming his own health challenges.
Tommy has appeared as a guest and expert speaker on numerous podcasts, speaking events, as well as being a nutrition and supplement consultant. Most recently, Tommy became a proud partner of F.L.O.W. Wellness Center in Abington, Pennsylvania, where he incorporates Functional Medicine and Nutrition along with various other healing modalities and practitioners.
