Easter is often a tough time for all the sweet tooth out there!
Researchers have proven that sugar is a key contributor to weight gain.
But how? Table sugar is made up of 2 molecules – glucose & fructose. Glucose is what your body uses for energy, whereas fructose is often turned into fats in your liver which is a key contributor to weight gain.
When you eat a lot of sugar, it causes your blood glucose to rise. Your body naturally produces insulin to get the glucose out of your blood and into the cells to be used for energy. However, these insulin hormones can also signals the body to store fat.
Over time, your body can build a resistance to insulin, which can result in Type II Diabetes!
The worst part?
Not only do you start to “gain weight”, your body will have a tough time getting the energy out of the fat
cells, which means – your brain thinks you are hungry, and you eat even more. It is a vicious cycle!
Further research has shown that excessive intake of dietary sugars can lead to metabolic disorders and induce the increase of inflammatory mediators, which results to low-grade chronic inflammation or systemic inflammation. Inflammation is part of the body’s natural healing process. However, inflammation that continues beyond the healthy, acute healing phase may take a toll on the body.
Large amounts of sugar may also lead to impaired immune system function which may bring upon more complications to conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBS), psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
No matter how sweet it is to taste, added fructose (from sucrose and high fructose corn syrup) should be avoided in the diet, whereas consuming fruit seems to provide health benefits.
For the sweet tooth, we suggest snacks like berries, or citrus fruits, baking with raw honey, or consuming dark chocolate in replace of milk chocolate. Always remember the recommended plain water intake to help fight inflammation and other irritants in the body!
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References:
Ma, X., Nan, F., Liang, H., Shu, P., Fan, X., Song, X., Hou, Y., & Zhang, D. (2022). Excessive intake of sugar: An accomplice of
inflammation. Frontiers in immunology, 13, 988481. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.988481
DiNicolantonio, J., Mehta, V., Onkaramurthy, N., & O’Keefe, J. (2018) Fructose-induced inflammation and increased cortisol: A
new mechanism for how sugar induces visceral adiposity. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, 61 (1), 3-9.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2017.12.001.