Sweet Tooth? 🦷
The science behind sugar and its effects.
POV (point of view): It’s 2014, and you’re watching little me draw up blueprints for the bakeshop I planned to open. It would sell cookies, pastries, and of course, cupcakes 🧁. With my desire for all things sweet, I was often told I had a sweet tooth, but little me knew it couldn't’ just be one tooth, no, I had to have had many sweet teeth. Maybe that explained why I wanted to open my own shop to have unlimited cupcakes. That was the dream 😆.
If it wasn’t for my parents, I would have had no problem chugging bags of sugar, but these desires were held down by the classic, “don’t eat sugar”. As a child, I knew it wasn't good for me, but I refused to understand why… (ignorance is sweet, huh)
What was interesting to me was that sugar wasn’t just in my favourite red velvet cupcake, rather it could be found in almost everything: fruits, vegetables, dairy etc. But the real culprit isn’t the natural sugars found in your fruits and veggies, rather, its the added sugars. In processed foods, sugar is often added to enhance flavour, lengthen time of freshness, and balance food acidity. Added sugars are hidden in pretty much everything that comes from a package (75% of all packaged foods to be exact). Furthermore, added sugars are called hidden sugars, because we often don’t realize how much we consume.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation says that the average American adult consumes an average of 77 grams of sugar daily, which is 3 times the recommended amount for women. Over the course of 1 year, it adds to 60 pounds of sugar! 🤯
American children, consume 81 grams of sugar daily, which adds up to 65 pounds annually.
Here is why this is a problem… 🧐
Sugar tastes sweet, but there is a bitter reality.
Most of the time we think added sugars are just in cookies, candy, and cakes, but added sugar is also present in bread, ketchup, soup, etc.
Though added sugars in honey may seem healthier than the sugar in a cookie, our bodies absorb them the same way. Sugar is sugar.
In 2014, Dr. Hu and his colleagues published a study that found those who got 15%-21% of their calorie intake from added sugar over a 15-year period, had a 38% higher risk of death due to cardiovascular disease compared to those who only consumed 8% added sugar.
Consciously knowing that sugar is bad for us isn’t enough, because our brains are wired to like it 🧠. Sugar provides the brain with a rush of dopamine (the feel-good chemical) which explains why it’s more tempting to grab a candy bar than an apple 🍎. Fruits and vegetables don’t release as much dopamine as high-sugar foods do, so they tend to be less desirable. Sugar also provides a quick burst of energy which may sound like a good thing, however, it is followed by a “sugar crash”, where your cells absorb the sugar leaving you to feel anxious or jittery.
Your brain might like sugar, but your heart doesn’t.
I recommend you follow your heart on this one, because excess sugar intake increases the risk of heart disease both directly and indirectly🫀.
“A diet high in sugar can contribute to obesity. And obesity drives up the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol — all of which can increase the risk of developing heart disease” — Kate Patton (RD, CSSD, LD, MEd),
Sugar is associated with…
- Raised triglycerides
- Increased LDL cholesterol
- Hypertension (High-blood pressure)
Raised Triglycerides
Excess calories from over eating, cause the body to store calories as a type of fat called a triglyceride. High levels of triglycerides can cause hypertension which will indirectly raise heart disease risk 🫀.
Cholesterol
LDL cholesterol is known as the bad cholesterol, because it clogs arteries with plaque, resulting in damaged blood vessels. When blood isn’t able to flow freely throughout your body, the heart overworks due to lack of oxygen, creating a heart attack if left untreated.
Raised Blood Pressure
Fructose will raise the levels of uric acid in the blood inhibiting the production of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is responsible for blood vessel flexibility, so when this is lowered, blood pressure increases 📈.
When high blood pressure (hypertension) is left untreated it causes vision loss, kidney failure, stroke, heart attack, etc.
Sugar Ages You Faster 👵
If what was mentioned above wasn’t enough to kick these sugar habits, then maybe the desire to avoid wrinkles will 😉.
Excess sugar that hasn’t been absorbed by the cells, creates a harmful molecule called advanced glycation end production (AGEs for short) by attaching sugar to proteins in our bloodstream. AGEs molecules will surprisingly, age you. They have been shown to damage collagen and elastin in your skin resulting in wrinkles and loose skin.
Sugar + Proteins in the blood = AGEs
So, if sugar is so bad for you, is there even a healthy amount?
Yes. It would be near impossible to avoid all added sugars for the rest of your life, however being aware and knowledgeable about the effects of sugar can help you maintain a balanced diet. The American Heart Association has recomended that woman consume no more than 6 teaspoons a day of added sugar (100 calories, 24g), and men consume no more than 9 teaspoons (150 calories, 36g) daily.
Sweet Fact: 4 grams of sugar is equivalent to 1 teaspoon. 🥄
Hacking the Habit ⚙️
Throughout this article, we have learned that our brains like sugar, but our hearts? Not so much. So how can we hack our sugar habits in order to keep our hearts healthy?
When I googled that exact question, all that came up was “avoid ____”, “reduce your sugar, by not eating _____”. However, in order to make real change, we need real steps, and action items, because it is our daily habits that make up our lives.
So, I challenge you to this action item:
Replace (Swap, switch, you get the gist).
Example 1: You are craving a sour candy → replace with a clementine or citrus fruit 🍊.
Example 2: You are craving something sweet → replace with a date or piece of dark chocolate.
Small steps just like this, will have a large impact. Together, by taking control of our food choices, our food choices won’t have control over us.
…And who knows, maybe one day I’ll take out those blueprints, and live out those bakeshop dreams, but for now, I’ll have to try some sugar-free recipes ☺️.
Incredible Resource From the Heart & Stroke Foundation 🫀:
References:
“Added Sugars.” Www.heart.org, https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sugar/added-sugars.
hortonj4. “Is Sugar Bad for Your Heart?” Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, 20 May 2021, https://health.clevelandclinic.org/is-sugar-bad-for-your-heart/.
Hospitals, Medicover. “What Happens to Your Body When You Quit Eating Sugar: Medicover Hospitals.” Best Hospitals in India | Medicover Hospitals, https://www.medicoverhospitals.in/articles/what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-quit-eating-sugar.
Hughes, Locke. “How Does Too Much Sugar Affect Your Body?” WebMD, WebMD, https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/features/how-sugar-affects-your-body.
Potter, Andrew. “Does Sugar Play a Role in Clogged Arteries?” Healthy Eating | SF Gate, 6 Dec. 2018, https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/sugar-play-role-clogged-arteries-8824.html.
Sugar, Heart Disease and Stroke. https://www.heartandstroke.ca/-/media/pdf-files/canada/2017-position-statements/sugar-ps-eng.ashx.
