In the last 100 years, Americans increased their intake of sugary foods and beverages from an average 15 g to 75 g daily, according to Robert Lustig, M.D., a neuroendocrinologist at the University of California, San Francisco. All that sugar has damaging effects on health.
Higher Cholesterol Levels
Sugary foods increase "bad" cholesterol levels and decrease "good" cholesterol levels, according to research published in the April 21, 2010 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association." Emory University finds that adults who ate 25 percent or more of their daily calories from sugar had high-density lipoprotein, or "good" cholesterol levels more than 10 mg/dL lower than people who consumed 5 percent or less of their daily calories from sugar. The researchers say people consuming 10 percent of their calories from sugar had between 50 percent and 300 percent greater risk of low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Women with the highest sugar intake also had the highest levels of low-density lipoprotein, or "bad" cholesterol---and in both sexes, triglyceride levels increased along with sugar intake.
Weight Gain
If you regularly consume added sugar found in soda, soft drinks, candy, baked goods, dairy products and processed foods, you may gain weight or even become obese, according to the American Heart Association. To avoid the weight gain associated with sugar, women should limit daily sugar intake to 6 tsp. per day, and men should limit intake to no more than 9 tsp. daily, recommends the American Heart Association.
Insulin Resistance
Sugar intake increases insulin resistance in the liver, triggering the pancreas to send more insulin into the blood, according to Dr. Lustig. Chronically high insulin levels actually stimulate appetite by blocking the body's signals to stop eating. Over time, the high insulin levels caused by sugar damage the liver, causing it to store fat, and encourage extra calorie consumption. To combat insulin resistance caused by sugar intake, avoid sugar-containing foods and beverages, consume plenty of fiber and get regular exercise, according to UCSF.
References
- University of California, San Francisco: Sugar Is a Poison, Says UCSF Obesity Expert
- Journal of the American Medical Association; Caloric Sweetener Consumption and Dyslipidemia Among Us Adults; Welsh JA et al.; April 21, 2010
- American Heart Association: Sugars and Carbohydrates
- Lipids in Health and Disease; Obesity Induced by a Pair-Fed High Fat Sucrose Diet: Methylation and Expression Pattern of Genes Related to Energy Homeostasis; Lomba A. et al.; June 2010
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