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Getting to know Refined Sugar and its Dangers for Health

 

Refined sugar is commonly used as a raw material for the food and beverage industry. In general, refined sugar is worse for health than natural sugar. Eating too much refined sugar has been linked to the risk of obesity and heart disease 

If you want to adopt a healthy diet, one of the keys is to limit your sugar intake. What is the reason?

Some types of sugar, especially refined sugar, can increase blood sugar quickly. This can then increase the risk of diabetes and other health problems.

What is refined sugar?

Refined sugar is sugar derived from beet sugar and cane sugar. Usually, this sugar is used as a raw material by the food and beverage industry.

Almost all foods on supermarket shelves contain refined sugar, such as ice cream, cakes, chocolate, candy, fruit-flavored yogurt, cereals, sodas, and fruit juices. Even this sugar can be found in protein bars, which are often claimed to be healthy snacks.

There are two most common types of refined sugar, namely table sugar (sucrose) and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

 

Apart from being a flavor enhancer, refined sugar is also often used as a preservative. For example in jams and jellies.

What are the dangers of refined sugar if consumed too much?

Refined sugar can be referred to as empty calories. That is, this type of sugar does not contain substances that are beneficial to the body, such as vitamins, minerals, protein, fat, fiber, and others.

In addition to being low in nutrients, foods that contain refined sugar also generally have added salt and fat. Both can be harmful to health if consumed in excess.

Therefore, you need to be more careful when buying food and beverage products. These products may contain high amounts of refined sugar.

Refined sugar consumed too much can trigger a variety of adverse health effects below:

•  Obesity

A number of studies have found a link between consuming sugary drinks containing excess refined sugar and the onset of obesity. What is the reason? Foods that contain HFCS are said to make you resistant to the hormone leptin. In fact, leptin is in charge of sending signals to the body to tell you when to eat and when to stop. As a result, you may continue to eat even when you are full. This condition then leads to overweight to obesity.

•  Depression and other mental disorders

According to a study, consuming too much sugar can increase the risk of depression and other mental disorders. While other studies have revealed that the consumption of processed foods, fried foods, and foods with added sweeteners on a regular basis can increase the likelihood of depression later in life. Terrible, isn't it?

•  Premature aging

Sugar is often associated as one of the causes of premature aging. In a particular study published in the American Journal of Public Health, researchers saw that consumption of refined sugar drinks played a role in accelerating the aging of cells.

•  High cholesterol

If you already have high cholesterol, pay close attention to your daily sugar intake. The researchers found a link between too much sugar consumption and high levels of triglycerides and low levels of HDL or good cholesterol. Please keep in mind that low HDL cholesterol levels are one of the risk factors behind heart disease. To avoid these various health problems, pay attention to the food and sugar choices you use.