Is it because sugar is harmful, as is commonly believed

Health Food / by admin / December 19, 2019

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What is sugar

At the word "sugar", many are just sweet white powder, we add in the coffee. However table sugar, or sucrose, - this is only one type of sugar used in food.

Sugar - a low molecular weight carbohydrates, organic substances having a similar structure. There are many types of sugars: glucose, fructose, galactose and others. Even small amounts of different sugars present in most foods.

Another name for low-molecular sugars - carbohydrates. This group also includes:

starch (oligosaccharide which occurs in potatoes, rice and other products);
dietary fiber (in whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruit and berries);
materials such as chitin, of which the carapace of crustaceans, or of cellulose, which contains the bark of trees.

Ultimately, complex carbohydrates are broken down in the body into simple, and the only difference between them lies in the complexity and speed of assimilation. For example, sucrose - disaccharide consisting of fructose and glucose, is digested faster than fiber - a mixture of polysaccharides and lignin.

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Therefore, if you eat foods high in dietary fiber, it will be digested longer, you will have a slow rise in blood glucose levels, and a feeling of satiety for a long time remain.

This is what distinguishes the slow sugar, such as buckwheat by fast carbs chocolates. In fact, they split into the same monosaccharides, but the low rate of assimilation (in addition to the fiber and vitamins) makes buckwheat more useful.

Why we love so much sugar

Sugar molecules into contact with the receptors on the tongue that tells the brain that you are eating something really tasty.

Sugar is perceived by our body as a good product, because it is rapidly absorbed and provides enough calories. In times of famine, it is crucial for survival, so sweet taste is recognized by the body as something pleasant.

In addition, in the nature of a lot of sugar found in fruits, which, moreover, are full of vitamins, minerals and energy.

However, not all people are equally fond of sugar. Some eat it in small doses - enough for them to eat a piece of candy with tea, to be satiated. The other is not enough of an entire box of sweet donuts.

Sweet tooth depends on many factors:

of age (children love the sweet, and try to avoid bitter foods);
from eating habits learned in childhood;
on genetic features.

Is sugar to blame for weight gain

It seems that with sugar all is simple: the more sugar you eat, the more fatter. In fact, everything is much more complicated. There are recent studies that show that it was not sugar - the root of all evil.

Study 1. Influence of carbohydrate, glucose and insulin on weight

In a studyCalorie for Calorie, Dietary Fat Restriction Results in More Body Fat Loss than Carbohydrate Restriction in People with Obesity. 2015 Dr. Kevin Hall (Kevin Hall) tried to apply the two diets - low-fat and low-carbohydrate, to find out what works best.

During the study 19 participants spent two weeks on each diet. The spacing between diets was 2-4 weeks normal diet.

A low-carb diet It consisted of 101 grams of protein (21%), 108 g fat (50%) and 140 g of carbohydrates (29%). A diet low in fat protein consisted of 105 g (21%), 17 g fat (8%) and 352 g of carbohydrates (71%). The number of calories was similar in both diets.

As a result, people on low-carbohydrate diet insulin production declined by 22% during the day, they had lost 1.81 kg, of which 0.53 kg of fat. Participants on a diet low in fat insulin levels are not changed, they lost 1.36 kg (0.59 kg) of fat.

Based on these results, scientists have calculated how much fat people lose on such diets in the long run. It turned out that after six months to comply with such diets of their performance will not differ.

In other words, in the long term, there is not much difference, you consume a lot of carbohydrates and high in fat, if you keep within their calorie norm.

Study 2. Sugar in the diet time

Another studyMetabolic and behavioral effects of a high-sucrose diet during weight loss. It showed that the subject calorie sugar intake does not really matter. The study involved 44 women for 40 years.

For six weeks, all the participants of the experiment adhered to a low-calorie diet: consume about 1 350 kcal per day, 11% of the total calories - as fat, 19% - as protein, and 71% - in the form of carbohydrates.

Half of the subjects consumed a large amount of sucrose (43% of the total energy amount), and the other half - only 4%.

As a result, women in both groups was observed weight loss, lowering blood pressure, percent body fat body fat and plasma. Small differences between the groups were found only in the level of cholesterol and low density lipoprotein.

This study also shows that, subject to the number of calories of sugar has no effect on weight gain and body fat percentage.

There is another studyEffect of eucaloric high- and low-sucrose diets with identical macronutrient profile on insulin resistance and vascular risk: a randomized controlled trial. Which proves that sucrose does not affect the weight gain. In it two diets were identical in calories and macronutrients, but in the same sugar was 25% of total calories, and the other - 10%. As a result, participants in both groups did not change the weight, glycemic profile and status of vessels.

Based on the research findings, it is possible to make a definite conclusion.

Sugar is not conducive to the accumulation of fat, if you do not exceed the rate of daily calories and does not reduce the required amount of protein.

However, sugar may still be a cause of obesity, but not directly but indirectly.

As sugar makes us get fat

The negative impact of sugar on weight because sweet foods very high in calories. Consuming more sugary foods, you risk greatly exceed their rate of calories, leading to weight gain.

At the same time, as we have said above, our body is very fond of sweet food and can consume it in large quantities. Such food quickly and easily digestible, it stimulates the pleasure center in the brain and causes consume it again and again.

It is this aspect, rather than the sugar itself does sweets so dangerous for health product.

Does sugar increases the risk of developing type II diabetes

In diabetes, the body of the second type appears to insulin resistance and glucose control violation. The hormone insulin can not do its job - to carry the glucose into the body's cells, so blood glucose levels rise.

This disease is also linked to how much fat we accumulate in the liver or other surrounding organs such as the heart or kidneys. Since excessive intake of fast carbohydrates increases the accumulation of body fat, sugar actually increases the risk of diabetes of the second type.

However, the greatest influence on the occurrence of diabetes is the total percentage of body fat and the amount of physical activity.

So a recent meta-analysisImportance of weight management in type 2 diabetes: review with meta-analysis of clinical studies. It showed that 60-90% of all diseases of the second type of diabetes is associated with obesity, and not with the amount of consumed sugar. And the main goal of diabetes treatment - weight loss, not the amount of sugar.

This is due to the fact that the fat in the body - it is not just of energy supplies for the future, but a biologically active tissue that secretes hormones. If we have too much fat, it can disrupt the metabolic balance, including how the body regulates blood sugar levels.

In most studies, the scientists believe the main causes of diabetes:

increase in the percentage of fat in the body;
lack of physical activity;
genetic predisposition.

Control over consumption of sugar - this is only a small part of the prevention of type II diabetes. More important is the control of the amount of body fat and physical activity.

Does sugar affect the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases

As with Type II diabetes, sugar indirectly increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Most calorie sugar increases the possibility of weight gain and fat is biologically active tissue, increases the risk of heart disease.

In addition, the study showed that given above, a diet high in sucrose increases cholesterol and low-density lipoproteins, which also have a negative effect on the state vessels.

However, the occurrence of cardiovascular disease is influenced by many different factors: the presence of harmful habits, lifestyle, environment, stress, physical activity, amount of sleep, consumption of vegetables and fruit.

The amount of sugar consumed, of course, affects the health of the heart and blood vessels, but given all the other factors listed above are just a small piece of the puzzle.

How much sugar can be eaten without harm to health

The guideGuide for the consumption of sugar in adults and children. the consumption of sugar, the World Health Organization calls to reduce consumption of refined sugar and 10% of total calories. That is, if the day you consume 2000 calories, then 200 of them can be obtained from sugar. This is about 50 g or ten teaspoons.

However, the WHO said that by reducing consumption of sugar to 5% (25 grams or five teaspoons) a day, you'll reduce the risk of obesity and caries.

Here it should be noted that the figures relate only to refined sugar, so you can eat sweet fruit, not fearing to break the injunction.

conclusions

It can not claim that sugar - is a useful substance, because it is not. It does not contain vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, dietary fibers and water. If you eat a lot of sugar, you become stronger and healthier - it does not have the protein and unsaturated fatty acids.

But we should not demonize it, dumping sugar all their health problems.