Things which have traditionally been a part of our diet for decades, are rarely seen as culprits behind diseases, obesity or skin issues. This is because we consume them on a daily basis and don’t really observe dramatic, visible ill-effects due to them. Unlike cigarettes or alcohol, they are also not socially taboo or intoxicating in any way. However, this doesn’t mean they are safe.
Added sugar, for instance, is one such item. We carelessly have it in our tea, we munch on it in the form of cookies and we are almost addicted to carbonated sugary drinks. To us, a little extra sugar is okay as long as we brush our teeth afterwards. But recent research is showing that this is rather harmful to the body, encouraging many people to go for a sugar detox and de-addiction diet. We did a little digging to find out if these rumours about sugar being harmful, are indeed true, and here’s what we know.
Have you heard of “sugar face?”
Sugar is a big contributor to skin issues, because the body uses up a lot of water to metabolise sugar, causing dehydration. We rarely refuel with the requisite amount of water after having sugar, causing harm to our body in more ways than one. This shows on our skin. Dehydrated skin is easy prey for acne, dryness and dullness. “Sugar face,” a recent term, like “lactose face” and “gluten face,” refers to the acne pattern we get, when our skin issues are caused by sugar.
That’s not all. Sugar consumption leads to an insulin spike in our body, resulting in the production of enzymes that break down collagen and elastin, leading to sagging, and even skin inflammation.
Most of the sugar we consume, is processed.
When people go on a diet or try to get fit, the first thing they do is say no to fruits, because to them, the worst thing they can eat is a banana. What they don’t realise, is that the real villain is processed sugar sold as packaged drinks, candy and sweetened chocolate bars. The problem is not the fruit, because the sugar in it really isn’t even close the sugar in your soda or doughnut. In fact, processed sugar is often in the form of simple carbohydrates and have a high glycaemic index, like ice cream, brown and white sugar, jam, and soft drinks.
It affects your metabolism.
The sugar we consume is turned into glucose and fructose in our body. Now, while our body easily metabolises glucose, the liver has trouble doing the same with fructose. After metabolising fructose, the liver turns it into glycogen and stores it for when we need energy. This is fine. The trouble begins when we OD on the sugar. Overloaded and already full of glycogen, the liver then turns fructose into fat, making excess consumption of sugar one of the causes of cardiovascular disease.
That is not all. Sugar is not a filling nutrient. In fact, it makes you crave food more, causing you to eat more. So, sugar is a big villain for those trying to stay fit, and for those with lifestyle diseases or diabetes.
Your brain can get addicted to sugar highs.
The trouble with sugar, more than the fact that it dehydrates you and turns into fat, is the difficulty in removing it from our diet. This is because it is somewhat addictive in nature. Sugar consumption activates our brain’s reward system, releasing dopamine and giving us a high. To replicate that feeling, we continue to feel like consuming sugar again and again and can experience crankiness and mood swings in its absence. So, most of the time, we don’t crave sugar because we are hungry. We crave it because we need that high.
The timing also matters.
If you’ve read nutritionist and Kareena Kapoor’s dietician Rujuta Diwekar’s books, you would know that she doesn’t ask people to cut out sugar or fruits from their diet completely, but asks you to consume them first thing in the morning. This is because our blood sugar is low when we wake up, and our body needs energy. Not only that, we are more likely to utilise the sugar if we have it early in the morning and then go about our daily activities, than right before going to bed. Timing our sugar intake like that helps in curbing hunger pangs later in the day and prevents those carbohydrates from turning into fat. So, don’t get scared and start adding harmful artificial sugar substitutes to your diet just yet, and be smart about how much sweetness you add to your life!
