Sugar and its adverse effects on health
Diet plays a crucial role in health and prevention of disease. This is why it’s important to understand what we are consuming, especially in the current fast-food culture, where we obtain the majority of our energy from processed foods.
It’s time to place the spotlight on sugar – an ingredient widely used by the food industry for color, enhancing flavor, increasing viscosity as well as a preservative, bulking agent and anticoagulant.
It is often added to fat-free products to compensate for the loss of taste and texture.
THERE ARE NO NUTRIENTS, MINERALS, VITAMINS OR FIBER IN SUGAR.
Sugar provides empty calories, meaning that our body cells are being starved of energy while the feeling of hunger is still not satisfied. As a result, we eat more than we need to, leading to weight gain and other health complications.
The infographic below summarizes sugar’s adverse health effects and what you can do to reduce your intake of added sugar.
“THE FOOD THAT YOU EAT CAN BE EITHER THE SAFEST AND MOST POWERFUL FORM OF MEDICINE OR THE SLOWEST FORM OF POISON”
– ANN WIGMORE, NUTRITIONIST
References:
1.Fat Chance, the hidden truth about sugar, obesity and disease by Dr. Robert Lusting
2. Insulin resistance and cancer: the role of insulin and IGFs –
3. Insulin and Cancer –
4. Sugars and Tooth Decay – Action on Sugar
