A heavy price for sweet indulgences

It isn’t news that sugar is bad for our health, but we still tend to overdo it. More often than not, sugar is labelled under a number of other terminologies, like corn syrup, agave nectar, palm sugar, cane juice, or sucrose among other things. This causes us to overlook them. Here’s what happens to our body when we consume excess sugar:

* Brain: Excessive sugar intake gives the brain a surge of dopamine — the feel-good hormone. The happy feeling that you get from sugar, makes you crave for it and gradually increases our dependency on it.

* Mood: Sugar may give you a quick energy rush by piquing your blood sugar level. However, the moment the levels drop back to the normal, it may cause jitters and anxiety.

* Teeth: Cavity-causing bacteria thrive on sugar and cause damage to your teeth by eating them away along with the residual candy.

* Joints: Studies have shown that high sugar intake increases the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.

* Skin: Sugar combines with the protein in the bloodstream to create advanced glycation-end products, which damage collagen and elastin, hastening skin ageing.

* Liver: Excess sugar can make your liver insulin resistant and might lead to type 2 diabetes.

* Heart: On excessive consumption of sugar, the insulin makes the walls of your arteries grow faster and get tense, increasing the stress on your heart.

* Body weight: People who increase their sugar intake notice a substantial rise in their body weight.

* Sexual health: High sugar levels can render men impotent, as they may be unable to maintain an erection.

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(The author is senior consultant physician & cardio diabetologist, Amandeep Hospital)