Sugar — is it a benefit or a harm? This question is asked by any person who cares about his health. The problem is that sugar is considered one of the most dangerous foods for a modern person. And together with the very favorite. Therefore, few people decide to completely exclude him from their lives. Yes and should do it? To begin with, it’s worth figuring out if sugar is terrible? And what role it plays in our body.
- Sugar around us: benefits and harms for humans
- Five reasons to defend sugar
- Five Arguments Against Sugar
- How much sugar can you eat without harm to health
Sugar around us: benefits and harms for humans
As the most popular ingredient in the world, sugar is all around us. We put it in tea and coffee, add it to food, confectionery masterpieces, juices and even sauces and sausages are inconceivable without it. It is simply impossible to list all the products that contain sugar. Somewhere it is used in pure form, somewhere as as a flavor enhancer.
It wasn't always like this. Sugar was discovered during the campaigns of Alexander the Great in India. But and after that it was very expensive for a long time and available only to the rich sections of society.
Everything began to change from the XVIII century, when a way to obtain sugar from beet beets was found, and a real sugar boom unfolded in the 20th century. It began to be used in large quantities and the question arose: "Sugar " is it a harm or a benefit?».
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The sugar that we use in everyday life is called sucrose. It consists of glucose and fructose. In the digestive tract, sugar is quickly broken down, penetrates into all the cells of the body and becomes a source of energy for them.
Sugar cannot be called a product that is unambiguously harmful to humans. It can bring both benefit and harm. It all depends on how you consume sugar every day.
Five reasons to protect sugar
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Stimulates the production of dopamine, gives the body energy and a feeling of joy.
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Prevents the formation of thrombosis.
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Improves blood circulation in spinal cord and brain.
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Supports normal liver and spleen function.
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Those who like sweets are less likely to get arthritis.
Sugar is made up of 99% carbohydrates and a little bit of potassium, sodium, calcium and iron. It refers to simple carbohydrates. Sugar quickly feeds the body with energy, but does not give it any other benefit. Therefore, fruits, honey and complex carbohydrates are much more useful for a person: vegetables, durum pasta, cereals, grain bread. They also give the body energy, but along the way they supply it with vitamins, fiber, microelements.
Cakes, juices, sweets, pastries and simply sweet tea 一 are all high in sugar. If you get carried away with sweets, fast food and a sedentary lifestyle, then you can earn a lot of health problems.
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Five Arguments Against Sugar
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Sugar ruins teeth and causes cavities in children and adults. Sugar in the mouth becomes a breeding ground for bacteria that destroy teeth.
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For the absorption of refined sugar, the body needs a lot of calcium, the lack of which leads to osteoporosis.
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Sugar causes obesity. Its excess is deposited on the hips and stomach, and this is an additional load on the pancreas.
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Sugar is bad for the skin and causes it to age quickly. It becomes less firm and elastic.
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Sugar causes a false feeling of hunger due to the rapid increase in glucose and insulin levels. A person wants to eat, although he is not hungry.
There are a number of other warnings against the use of sugar 一 is that it causes drug addiction, diabetes and even cancer. But most of need a more substantial evidence base, and some completely a myth.
How much sugar can you eat without harm to health
It shouldn't record sugar as an absolute evil and run from like the plague. However, eating with spoons is also not worth it. To reduce the harm of sugar, experts recommend eating right, moving actively and eating less sweet, junk food, preferring homemade food, honey and fruits as sources of energy. With this lifestyle, a little bit of candy and baking will not be a huge problem.
Daily Value for Sugar:
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For men — 60 g (12 spoons of granulated sugar).
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For women — 50 g
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For children — 30-40 g (this is, for example, two sweets and a teaspoon of sugar).
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This norm includes not only refined sugar, which we add to tea. It is also necessary to take into account all the products in which it is present: confectionery, pastries, juices, sausages, sauces, drinks, alcohol.
Excessive consumption of sugar can cause health problems. But you shouldn completely exclude him from your life. Nutritionists recommend not to exceed the daily intake of sugar (60 g for an adult and 30-40g for a child) and not forget about physical activity.
Read also: How to prevent childhood obesity: 5 recommendations from nutritionists
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