People have become more scared about consumption of sugar as its ill effects are becoming more and more popular. Sadly, people end up avoiding all sugars thinking its bad for them. Natural sugars that occur in fruits, vegetables, and nuts are avoided thinking that ‘sugar’ is harmful in general. This is not accurate, naturally sugar poses no threat to the body, and only refined sugar is the real culprit here.
Refined sugar consumption causes conditions like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Yet, it’s found in almost all foods, making it very difficult to avoid.
You may wonder how refined sugars are compare to natural sugars, and if they have bad health effects.
This article will discuss what refined sugar is and how it differs from natural sugars.
How is refined sugar made?
Sugar is naturally found in a lot foods like fruits, grains, vegetables, dairy, and even nuts and seeds.
This sugar is extracted from these foods to produce the refined sugar currently so popular in the food supply chain. To make refined sugar sucrose is extracted from sugarcane or any naturally occurring foods, then the process of extracting molasses is done. The most common types of refined sugar is white sugar or what we keep at our homes. When doctors say cut down on sugar, this is the sugar they refer to.
Consuming large amounts of refined sugar, especially in the form of carbonated beverages, has proven time and again to be linked to obesity and excess belly fat, a risk factor for conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
Refined sugars may increase your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. They’re also linked to a higher likelihood of depression, dementia, liver disease, and certain types of cancer.
Can someone truly become physically dependent on sugar?
Sugar taps into a powerful human preference for sweet taste, we’re born to like sugar. Way back, the preference for sugar may have created an evolutionary advantage by leading people to seek out ripe fruits, which are sweet and serve as a good source of calories. Nowadays sugar we have developed a strong liking for sugar it a true addiction, with physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms.
Unlike with substance abuse, people don’t get shakes when they stop eating sugar. But people who have constant sugar cravings have atleast one symptom of dependence. For example, people who crave sugary, fatty foods will keep consuming them even if they get so obese that it makes uncomfortable to walk or to sit on a plane seat.
Eating less processed foods and choosing whole, minimally processed or unprocessed foods instead will help reduce the amount of refined sugars in your system.