Sugar is harmful way beyond the empty calories. It’s most likely the single worst ingredient in the modern diet. Read on to learn the 7 reasons why you should quit sugar…
1. Too Much Fructose
Added sugar supplies a large amount of fructose, which is not essential to the body in any way. The liver is the only organ that can metabolize it, and most of it gets turned directly into fat. This is presumably one of the leading causes of many chronic, Western diseases. (1, 2)
2. Lacks Nutritional Value
Sugar contains absolutely no vitamins or minerals. People who continually eat pastries, sodas and candy bars may become deficient in many important nutrients. This is why people refer to certain sugary products as “empty calories.” Fruit does not fit into this category because it contains vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
3. Fatty Liver
Fructose is good after a long run, but usually, people aren’t eating it after a grueling workout. All of the fructose that doesn’t turn to glycogen turns to fat in the liver. Some of the fat gets moved, but the fat can build up and lead to Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
4. Harms Your Cholesterol & Triglycerides
The fat that does get moved from the liver is mostly Very Low-Density Lipoprotein (VLDL) particles. Over time this can increase blood triglycerides, increase and oxidize LDL, decreased insulin sensitivity, increased fat in the abdominal cavity, and higher fasting glucose and insulin. Basically, an awful step towards obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and a shorter lifetime of poor health.
SEE ALSO: 52 Unhealthiest Foods On The Planet
5. Insulin Resistance
Insulin drives glucose from the bloodstream into cells, but when you eat a highly-processed, Western diet, cells start to become resistant to insulins effects. Then, the pancreas secretes more insulin to remove the glucose from the bloodstream, leading to elevated insulin levels in the blood. Once the body becomes resistant to insulin, the beta cells in the pancreas eventually become damaged and lose the ability to produce sufficient insulin.
6. Doesn’t Make You Full
The Hypothalamus, an area of the brain that regulates food, receives increased blood flow when fructose is consumed. Making you feel less satisfied and hungry. Another study found that fructose doesn’t reduce levels of grehlin – a hunger hormone. The higher amounts grehlin, the hungrier you are. (7, 8)
7. Addictive
Sugar releases a sense of pleasure to the brain in the form of dopamine (which is actually how cocaine works). The brain is hardwired to find activities that release dopamine, so sugar can easily become a chemical and physical addiction.
