Dubai: An excessively sugary diet is your body’s worst enemy, a UAE-based doctor has said.
Depending on the type of sugar consumed, either natural or refined, it leaves its consequences, says Dr Nausheen Khan, general practitioner, iCARE Multi-speciality Clinics.
Dubai Health Authority nutritionists and health specialists recently highlighted the dramatic changes that people underwent by eliminating refined sugar from their diet. The DHA adopted the challenge after some people of the UAE launched the hashtag #30DaysWithoutSugar following a tweet by Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, that encouraged people to go without sugar for one month.
According to Dr Khan, refined sugars, classified by some as ‘potential poisons’, are produced by processing sugar cane and removing between 83 to 98 per cent of its chromium, manganese, cobalt, copper, zinc and magnesium. As a result of this refining, they become devoid of nutrients.
“Examples of refined sugars are granulated white sugar, brown sugar, fructose, sucrose, dextrose, high fructose corn syrup and malt syrup. Natural sugars are found in fruits and vegetables as fructose and in dairy products as lactose. They can also be sugars that are naturally produced, not refined, such as honey, stevia, agave nectar and maple syrup,” she said.
Sugars in all forms are a simple carbohydrate that the body converts into glucose and uses for energy, Dr Khan explains. “The main difference between natural and processed sugars is how each one delivers glucose and fructose. Fruits contain a pile of nutrients, vitamins, anti-oxidants and fibre which allows a slower absorption of fructose while typical table sugar doesn’t.”
However, she says, saying that natural sugars are better than processed sugars is not that simple.
“What matters is intake, how much your body actually uses, and in what form it is delivered. It is best to avoid added sugars and to get fuel for the body in the form of fruits and vegetables,” she said.
Free sugars, she said, should not make up more than five per cent of the energy one gets from food.
“Children in 4-6 year age group should consume 19gm of free sugars per day, children of 7-10 years can have 24gm, and adults and young people over 11 years can have 30gm (about a little over 4 teaspoons of sugar).”
The effect of sugar on organs
Heart
Exactly how excess sugar might harm the heart isn’t clear. Research shows that drinking sugar-sweetened beverages can raise blood pressure. A high sugar diet may also stimulate the liver to dump more harmful fats into the blood stream, both factors can boost heart risk disease.
Intestines
Refined sugars can stimulate the growth of yeast in the intestines, which leads to symptoms of IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) — bloating, gas, cramps, spasms ad pain. Sugar can have a severe impact on the lining of the gut, thus causing health conditions like ulcers and leaky gut syndrome. A compromised lining allows the undigested food particles to leak out into the blood stream (leaky gut), which leads to a whole host of immune diseases.
Tooth decay
When normal bacteria inside your mouth come into contact with sugar, acid is produced, which destroys tooth enamel and eventually results in tooth decay, according to American Dental Association. Dentists recommend that their patients limit consumption of sugar-filled sodas, cookies, doughnuts and other snacks that may damage their teeth.
Liver
A high-sugar diet may stimulate the liver to dump more harmful fats into the bloodstream. Both factors are known to boost heart disease risk.
Too much refined sugar can cause fatty build up that can lead to liver disease. Our liver has a very limited capacity to metabolise sugar. Liver can metabolise six teaspoons of added sugar per day, in comparison to an average consumption of 20 teaspoons. Excess sugar, especially fructose, gets converted to fat which is stored in the liver and is released into the blood stream which contributes to the key elements of metabolic syndrome.
Brain
As one overindulges in sugar and grains, the brain becomes overwhelmed by the consistently high levels of insulin and eventually insulin and leptin levels interfere with signalling, profoundly disrupting it, leading to impairment in thinking and memory.
Blood vessels
Excess amount in the liver is stored in the form of triglycerides, a type of fat that can cling to the artery walls as it travels through the blood stream. High triglyceride levels contribute to the formation of plaque in blood vessels. Increased sugars promote oxidative stress that can damage blood vessels.
Triglycerides
Triglycerides are fats from the food we eat that are carried in the blood. Most fats we eat are in triglyceride form. Excess calories, alcohol or sugar in the body turn into triglycerides and are stored in fat cells throughout the body. Triglycerides don’t dissolve in blood; they move around your vascular system, where they can damage artery walls, cause hardening of arteries and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Blood pressure
A high-carbohydrate or high-sugar diet causes excessive release of insulin and leptin which activate the sympathetic nervous system, thereby increasing our heart rate and blood pressure. Sugars deplete cells’ energy stores which constrict blood vessels and increase blood pressure.
Diabetes
One of the biggest risk factors for type 2 diabetes is being overweight. A high-sugar diet can increase the risk of developing diabetes. Just one serving of a sweetened beverage each day increases the risk by 15 per cent, according to research.
Hyperactivity
Refined sugars may have some effect on children’s activity. Refined sugars and carbohydrates enter the blood stream quickly, causing rapid changes in blood sugar levels, making the child more active. Some studies find no correlation between sugar and increased hyperactivity. In general, choose cereal with less than 5gm of sugar. Limit the use of ketchup, frozen meals, canned fruits and vegetables which can have added refined sugars.
Hormone imbalance
Hormones are chemical messengers produced by one part of the body to tell some other part what to do. Thyroid, insulin, cortisol, oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone are among the most important ones. High carb diets send insulin and blood sugar surging up and down all day. This affects both cortisol and ultimately thyroid hormone as well. When there is too much sugar in the diet, the liver converts it into lipids. Excess lipids decrease the Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) levels, which in turn will cause an increase in the testosterone and oestrogen levels. These high levels are associated with an increased risk of acne, infertility, polycystic ovaries, uterine cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Obesity
Sugary foods contain a lot of calories in a small amount of food. Refined sugars are composed of simple carbohydrates which are converted into glucose for energy. Any unused glucose is stored as fat cells which lead to obesity. Obesity — that is BMI (body mass index) greater than 30 — is a major cause of diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart attacks and certain cancers.
Cholesterol
When one eats excess sugar, the pancreas releases more circulating insulin. This insulin stores the excess sugar as body fat. The circulating insulin causes the liver to manufacture more cholesterol, causing blood cholesterol to rise above safe and normal levels, which increases the risk of heart disease. Refined sugars seem to lower HDL or the “good cholesterol” levels, which in turn take up the extra “bad cholesterol” or LDL and transport it to the liver.
Abdominal fat or visceral fat
Visceral fat is considered toxic and spells double trouble in the body because it is capable of provoking pro-inflammatory substances like cytokines, which lead to inflammation. At the same time, visceral fat interferes with hormones that regulate appetite, weight, mood and brain function. It acts almost like its very own organ since it is capable of having such a large impact on the body. Excessive sugar consumption has the potential to lead to obesity that is linked to excess abdominal fat.
