Eating sweets heals the mind but harms the body! Nutritionist: "12 diseases" caused by sugar consumption are all coming to your door
Eating sweets heals the mind but harms the body! 12 “Disadvantages of Sweet Addiction” Understand at Once
Are you “Ant-Man”? Sweet drinks are considered “healing products” by many people. Even though we know that sweet cravings can lead to obesity, eating refined sugar will stimulate the secretion of the happy hormone “dopamine” in the brain, making people associate pleasant feelings with eating. Sweets tie together. Nutritionist Gao Minmin pointed out in the community that in addition to increasing the chance of obesity, refined sugar may cause the following 12 hazards. “Ant-Man” who is accustomed to sweetness should pay more attention to:
Easy to gain weight. Consuming refined sugar is equivalent to increasing the total daily caloric intake, which will also lead to an increase in the amount of fat in the body, leading to weight gain. It is also less likely for those who lose weight to achieve a “calorie deficit”.
Tooth decay. Sugar can easily cause acidification of the oral environment and corrode enamel, thereby doubling the risk of tooth decay.
Accelerates aging. The “glycation end products” (AGEs) in refined sugar will accelerate the body’s aging mechanism. Those who are concerned about appearance should abstain from sugar in moderation.
Endocrine disorders. When excessive intake of refined sugar occurs, the body will increase insulin secretion; long-term insulin secretion will cause the body to lose sensitivity to insulin, leading to “insulin resistance”.
Diabetes. Continuing from the above, insulin sensitivity decreases, and people with a sweet tooth will have a more significant risk of developing diabetes.
Increased blood pressure. Sugar can easily stimulate blood vessel inflammation, causing blood pressure to rise. If you have a family history, have bad habits such as smoking or drinking, or lack exercise, high blood pressure may lead to cardiovascular complications.
Elevated blood lipids. Refined sugar tends to increase the concentration of triglycerides in the blood. Hyperlipidemia is also the culprit of cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease.
Cardiovascular disease. Excessive intake of refined sugar can easily lead to an increase in blood pressure, blood sugar or blood lipids, which can in turn cause the aging of the lining of blood vessels and cause atherosclerosis and other diseases.
Dizziness/headache. Rapid changes in blood sugar in the body can easily lead to headaches, dizziness, and drowsiness.
Affect cognitive function and mood. Long-term high blood sugar may affect cerebrovascular health, leading to reduced cognitive function and poor emotional management.
Fatty liver disease. Too much refined sugar can cause fat accumulation in the liver and cause fatty liver disease.
Acne/pimples. Consuming too much sugar can easily affect hormones, cause secretion disorders, and cause skin problems.
How much sugar should you limit when eating sweets? Is it possible to exceed the legal limit by drinking “half-sugar milk” every day?
If you really can’t suppress the craving for sweets, what is the limit on how much sugar you should consume in a day? Nutritionist Gao Minmin said that according to public information from the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare, the daily intake of refined sugar in the diet should not exceed 10% of the total calories. It is recommended that less than 5% is the least harmful to the body. Taking the total calories of 1,200 calories as an example, the daily refined sugar intake is 30g, and the recommended sugar intake should be less than 15g.
Nutritionist Gao Minmin further explained that one sugar cube contains about 5g of sugar. If we take the “hand-shaken drink” on the market as an example, it can be converted in the following way:
Sugar-free: 0 sugar cubes = 0g sugar
3 points of sugar: 3 sugar cubes = 15g of sugar
Half sugar: 5 sugar cubes = 25g sugar
7 cents sugar: 7 sugar cubes = 35g sugar
Whole sugar: 10 sugar cubes = 50g sugar
Based on the above, just one cup of hand-shaken drink with 70% sugar in a day will already exceed the daily intake of refined sugar; even if you only drink half of the sugar, it is easy to exceed the limit when combined with other sugar-containing diets. However, the actual amount of sugar should be based on the amount of sugar published by each hand-shaken drink store; and sugars such as honey and brown sugar must also be included in the calculation of daily sugar amount.
Finally, nutritionist Gao Minmin reminds the public that although sugary drinks or foods are delicious, eating them occasionally and in moderation is crucial to health. Ant-people with a sweet tooth are advised to pay more attention to their eating habits. If they feel they consume too much sweets, they should drink more water and exercise moderately to help maintain healthier body functions.
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