Wikibooks: Fundamentals of Human Nutrition/Sugar and Disease

Nav =4.4 Sugar s Bad Rap= Sugar can be found in several foods and drinks but it has always had a bad rap. It is important to understand the difference between natural and added sugars. Natural sugar includes those that are found naturally in foods such as fruits and vegetables. Added sugars are those that are not found naturally in foods. Some of the main sources of added sugar include soda energy drinks sports drinks fruit juices candy desserts prepackaged foods and sweetened yogurt. It is important to understand the dangers of excess added sugar. Sugar is extremely addictive so once a person eats a small amount he or she will begin to crave more. Excess sugar intake can negatively affect your immune system and it also causes an increase in belly fat. An excess amount of fat around the waist can be very dangerous. Abdominal obesity raises the risk of both type 2 diabetes and heart disease. One study showed that those who consumed “twenty five percent or more of their daily calories as sugar were more than twice as likely to die from heart disease as those whose diets included less than ten percent added sugar. http //www.popsugar.com/fitness/Why Added Sugar Bad 35787797 Sugar can also negatively affect a person’s metabolism. In a condition known as metabolic syndrome a person is at higher risk for high blood sugar high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels. Studies have also shown that a high intake of added sugar can make the symptoms associated with ADHD worse. Artificial sweeteners have been another topic open for debate. Artificial sweeteners are used as sugar substitutes because they have fewer calories. Artificial sweeteners can be commonly found in soda “sugar free” candy and gum dairy products jams and other processed foods. Because artificial sweeteners are so much sweeter than regular sugar they only need to be used in small amounts. Many people consume or use artificial sweeteners whey they are dieting because of the low calorie count. Diabetics also commonly use artificial sweeteners. ...