1. Why Consuming Excessive Added Sugars Is A Problem
1.1. Excess sugar consumption can cause insulin resistance which plays a role in the development of metabolic syndrome.
1.1.1. Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, stroke, liver disease, and heart disease.
1.1.1.1. Metabolic syndrome is diagnosed when 3 or more of the following occur: abdominal obesity, high triglyceride level, low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure, high fasting blood glucose levels. Specific numerical values apply to each symptom.
1.2. Consuming natural sugars is good for your body.The sugars in fruits and vegetables etc. are okay to consume and should not be worried about because the fiber within these foods aids your body to digest these sugars slowly, providing the body with more energy over a longer period of time
2. How To Read Food Labels
2.1. video
3. How sugar works in the body
3.1. Human Anatomy
3.2. Sugars are simple carbohydrates.
3.2.1. We are most familiar with table sugar, known as sucrose. Sucrose is made up from equal ratios of glucose and fructose.
3.2.1.1. Glucose is blood sugar. Its sugar that can be metabolized anywhere in the body, used to provide the body with energy
3.2.1.1.1. When ingested, glucose will be sent to the bloodstream or stored by the liver (to control blood glucose levels) and muscles (stored/reserved energy) the form of glycogen.
3.2.1.2. Fructose is fruit sugar, naturally occurring in fruits at healthy levels because the fiber in the fruit slows the digestion process (1.6 x sweeter than glucose)
3.2.1.2.1. While glucose can be metabolized anywhere in the body, fructose can only be metabolized by the liver. Excess fructose turns to fat. This is why excess fructose consumption has been linked with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
4. Consumption of Added Sugar
4.1. The average american consumes 66 pounds of added sugar every year.
4.1.1. The average daily consumption of added sugar per person is 22.2 tsp.
4.2. How much sugar am I supposed to consume?
4.2.1. The American Heart Association says that women should limit their consumption of added sugar to 6 teaspoons (24 grams) and men should only consume 9 teaspoons a day (36 grams)
4.2.2. The World Health Organization released updated guidelines this year to accommodate the needs of the public due to an increased level of free sugar intake which is of concern due to association with poor dietary quality, obesity, and risk of noncommunicable diseases which are the leading cause of death worldwide
4.2.2.1. “WHO recommends a reduced intake of free sugars throughout the life course (strong recommendation). In both adults and children, WHO recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake2 (strong recommendation). WHO suggests a further reduction of the intake of free sugars to below 5% of total energy intake (conditional recommendation)”