Before the use of processed sugar, people generally ate fruits for dessert, which are high in fiber and vitamins. Sugar has been "villainized" in modern society, because of its association to weight gain; however, eating small amounts of natural, unrefined sugars does have a part to play in your health. Beneficial sugars do not include sugars from conventional desserts or white table sugar.
Beneficial Types of Sugar
Eating desserts are not beneficial to your health because they generally contain refined sugars that are stripped of fiber and nutrients and typically mixed in foods that are devoid of fiber, which is important in regulating blood sugar levels, according to the Mayo Clinic.com. Sugars from fruit and complex carbohydrates are preferred over refined sugar. When you eat fructose it is processed by your body and turned into glucose, which is beneficial to several functions in your body.
Energy
Your central nervous system and muscles use energy from the sugars glucose, fructose and galactose to achieve certain functions. Glucose helps stimulate your central nervous system to communicate functions with your brain and for your brain to relay messages to the rest of your body. Your body uses glucose for energy to flex muscles and metabolize fat.
Weight Gain
Your body has a certain amount of sugar that is used for energy and when you have more than it can use, it stores it for future use in your liver and skeletal muscles. This stored sugar is called glycogen. You can have an average capacity for glycogen storage of up to 2,000 calories; however, if your glycogen storage is full of sugar, additional sugar that you eat is turned to fat.
Unhealthy Effects
The standard American diet consumes 80 g of sugar daily, when the USDA recommended maximum intake is 40 grams. The Centers for Science in the Public Interest states that you can increase your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer and other health problems by consuming sugar instead of nutrient-rich foods and drinks.
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