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What happens to the human body in every organ when it consumes too much sugar

2024-11-10 21:24:30Lifestyle SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
What happens to the human body in every organ when it consumes too much sugar
What happens to the human body in every organ when it consumes too much sugar

Sugars are natural ingredients present in fruits, vegetables, milk. There are also compounds that modern chemistry has transformed into more "potent" forms that we call "added" sugars, precisely because they are "added" by the food industry to many foods and drinks (even unsuspecting ones).

Excessive consumption of sugars, especially "added" ones, can promote dozens of diseases. Here's how and why.

In the mouth: acid

Ideally, by following the path of sugar from its ingestion, we can see that the first problems arise in the mouth, where there are some bacteria that break down the sugars, turning them into acids, which can erode tooth enamel, increase the risk of their breakdown.

A diet too rich in sweets and sugary drinks can alter the oral microbiota, increasing the number of acid-producing bacteria. Saliva normally neutralizes acids, but if there are too many sugars it will not be enough.

In the intestines: gas and pain

When sugars reach the small intestine, they are broken down into "simple sugars", mainly glucose and fructose.

Our bodies have a "problem" with fructose: they use glucose as their preferred source of energy and metabolize it easily, however, fructose is only metabolized in the liver.

It is therefore possible that an excess of sugar can cause a blockage of fructose in the intestine: bacteria can cause it to ferment, which can cause gas, bloating and abdominal pain and contribute to the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

In the pancreas: high glycemia

One of the most common adverse effects affects the pancreas. The pancreas is the organ that releases insulin, a hormone that helps glucose enter cells to be used as energy. When the cells absorb the glucose, the blood sugar level returns to normal.

Eating foods high in "added" sugars can cause large spikes in blood sugar.

When this happens repeatedly, cells can become less responsive to insulin: this is called insulin resistance.

The pancreas compensates for this by producing more insulin, but may not be able to produce enough. This is how type 2 diabetes develops.

* Why do naturally occurring sugars in foods cause less harm? Because they also contain other nutrients. Whole fruits, for example, contain, along with fructose, vitamins, minerals and many other bioactive compounds that slow down the rate at which fructose is digested and absorbed, reducing glycemic peaks.

In the brain: addiction

Let's get to the brain. Glucose provides essential fuel for the brain. After the blood sugar spike caused by the ingestion of excess glucose, glucose levels may drop dramatically an hour or two later.

This can make you feel irritable, tired and hungry: fructose and glucose do not suppress the hunger hormone, ghrelin.

You never feel full in foods with a lot of sugar: they are so-called "drug" foods because they are able to increase dopamine (the "reward" neurotransmitter) in the brain, a signal that prompts you to keep eating sweet foods.

In the liver: fat concentration

However, it is probably in the liver that the greatest damage occurs. Fructose is metabolized only in the liver and the liver can handle too much fructose at once, the excess is converted into fat.

Excess fat partially ends up in the blood, increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke, and what remains stored over time can cause a serious pathological condition called "fatty liver" (or hepatic steatosis associated with metabolic dysfunction).

In the stomach and in the blood

Some studies suggest that excess fat produced from fructose in the liver is particularly prone to accumulate around the abdominal organs as well.

This type of fat, called visceral fat, is particularly "dangerous" to health: it causes inflammation and insulin resistance and is strongly linked to cardiovascular disease.

Speaking of the heart and blood vessels, fructose causes an increase in triglycerides (fats) in the blood and this leads to a decrease in HDL cholesterol, the so-called "good" kind.

Over time, this combination—high triglycerides and lower HDL—is the main cause of cardiovascular disease. Excessive sugar consumption is also linked to high blood pressure.

Obesity and cancer

Finally, systemic diseases: excessive sugar consumption increases the risk of obesity. Obesity is associated with numerous chronic diseases, including: type 2 diabetes, arterial hypertension, fatty liver, cardiovascular disease, respiratory and osteoarticular problems, and psychological disorders.

The accumulation of fat in general and the distribution of fat in different areas of the body pose different risks of cancer (for example, colorectal, esophageal, and liver) in men and women.

Where is the "added" sugar?

The list of excess damages is long. But when can we talk about excess? We must make a premise: "added" sugar is mainly found in sugary drinks, candies, fruit or flavored yogurt. Of course that includes sweets.

Not only that: it is present in "unsuspecting" foods, including: sauces, balsamic vinegar, ready-made soups and minestrone, packaged breads, breakfast cereals, foods with dough ingredients, crackers.

If we consider that it is good to consume natural sugars with fruits, vegetables and milk, there is not much room left for the consumption of other sources of sugar, also because they come from foods that are not nutritionally necessary (sweets, sugary drinks and the like).

Particularly problematic is the consumption of "liquid calories," such as those from soda or sugary coffee drinks, which tend to make you feel less full than solid foods. This makes it easier to consume more calories than your body needs.

Limits that should not be exceeded

So what are the limits that should not be crossed? According to the agro-food guidelines, the total consumption of sugars should not exceed:

- 15% of total energy intake, equal to 75 g for a 2000 kcal diet per day, approximately 15 teaspoons.

For "added" sugars, the World Health Organization (WHO) sets a limit of:

- 10% (10 teaspoons), but suggests a further reduction below 5% of total energy intake (5 teaspoons, 25g).

* A sugary drink contains approximately 7 teaspoons of sugar (35 g), a fruit juice over 5.

Simple tips

Starting from the concept that sweets are something extra not necessary to cover our nutritional needs.

The advice is to greatly limit the addition of sugar, fructose and honey to the drink.

Second, limit the consumption of sweets and packaged products. If you do not have specific needs or persistent pathology, three pastries can be eaten once every two weeks. If we want to increase the quantities, it is better to choose a slice of cake or homemade cookies once a week.


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