What happens if diabetics eat sugar?

 

Regular use of sugar threatens to increase the levels of this neurotransmitter (listed in the previous paragraph). You will feel good again, the promotion process will start, and stop will be harder.

 It looks like a looped domino effect. But once you have to break the chain and restrict the flow of sweets into the body.

The embarrassing fact, found by scientists at Columbia University, is that sugar can cause Alzheimer’s disease. 

Elevated insulin has a detrimental impact on the operation of the brain's departments responsible for cognitive processes. Type 2 diabetes developed first, followed by Alzheimer's disease.

People who consumed 30-40 grams of sugar per day had a 35% higher risk of developing brain dysfunction than those who received sugar from normal food (5-7 grams per day).

The damage of sugar in the human body

Why is sugar unhealthy? We've previously touched on it, but it's a much wider issue, so we'll go over it again in this part.

Sugar addiction

Once sugar is assimilated in the body, dopamine and serotonin (pleasure hormones) begin to be produced. Once their positive effect is over, the person tends to continue their action.

Another simple carbohydrate causes an increase in insulin, which is why blood glucose levels rise very quickly and also decrease rapidly. As a result, after eating sweets, we feel full, but it lasts for an hour or two, after which we feel hungry again. Logically, frequent snacking on sweets can lead to excess weight.

Harmful sugar for the stomach

If your body “catches” excess sugar, the process of the natural breakdown of food will be disrupted. As a result, there will be a failure in the work of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). 

In addition, under the influence of simple carbohydrates, liver cells will begin to divide much faster than needed, and tissues will be replaced by fat. Combined with low activity, and constant work at the computer, this fact will cause the development of atherosclerosis.

Another negative point is the development of diarrhea due to the accelerated movement of food caused by the large amount of sugar that enters the digestive tract along with the products.

Excessive consumption of sweets, as well as soda, often causes dysbiosis, which negatively affects the gastrointestinal tract and the whole body. And the increased insulin levels, which we mentioned above, can cause the formation of malignant tumors.

As for obesity, it is also possible in a situation where a person abuses foods that contain sugar. Due to the large number of calories that enter the body along with simple carbohydrates, adipose tissue accumulates quickly, leading to a rapid accumulation of extra pounds.

Negative effects on the brain

Most hormonal and metabolic disorders in the body come from excessive sugar intake. They occur due to sharp fluctuations in the levels of adrenaline, serotonin, insulin, and dopamine, whose jumps negatively affect the state of the nervous system and brain.

The effect of the "happiness hormone", which we get together with the sweets we eat, does not last long. After its action ends, the person becomes lethargic, sad, restless, and experiences depression and apathy.

Orexin cells, responsible for human energy and vitality, are suppressed when we consume large amounts of sugar. If these cells are not working properly, we want to sleep constantly due to chronic fatigue. This feeling often occurs after a sweet bite.

According to research, sugar addiction causes impaired attention and memory. Do you mean everything? You can also get:

• anxiety;
• Depression
• frequent headaches;
• sleep problems;
• increases irritability.
• Increased risk of caries, periodontal disease, rickets, osteoporosis

If a person consumes sugar regularly and in large quantities, the ratio of phosphorus and calcium in the body changes - the level of the first element decreases, and the second - increases. This condition lasts for 48 hours after eating various sweets.

And if you constantly eat foods that contain sugar, then such a violation is observed continuously. In this regard, calcium ceases to be absorbed normally and begins to settle in soft tissues.

The consequences of incorrect assimilation of the element are very frightening. The body will have nowhere to take calcium for metabolism, and sugar oxidation, and will begin to “borrow” it from bone tissue. After that, there is a risk of rickets and osteoporosis.

At the same time, bone damage and sugar addiction become the cause of periodontal disease. It has the following symptoms: removal of enamel color and wear of teeth, unpleasant odor, hypersensitivity, destruction of tooth enamel, and tooth loss.

Too bad for skin 

How does sugar affect the skin? It can cause acne and pimples. Why is this happening? Due to sugar, the sebaceous glands increase their productivity, which is why sebum begins to be produced in excessive amounts. The pores become clogged and eruptions are expected.

Even sweet tooths age faster. Sugar harms cells and inhibits collagen production, which is responsible for skin suppleness. As a consequence, the skin stiffens, loses firmness and elasticity, and wrinkles emerge early.

Visual impairment

Vision deteriorates not only due to a person's constant contact with a computer and a smartphone but also due to excessive sugar consumption.

 Jumps in the level of sugar and insulin in the body contribute to the deterioration of the condition of capillaries and their fragility. The consequences are reduced vision and the development of diseases such as cataracts and myopia.

Because sugar addiction causes diabetes and diabetic retinopathy, damage to the eyeball is accompanied by bleeding. Such processes can lead to glaucoma, macular edema, and retinal detachment.

How much sugar can be consumed daily without harm to health

What do World Health Organization experts advise? Daily sugar intake should not exceed 10% of the total calories an adult eats. For example, if a person consumes 2000 kcal per day, then the norm of sugar is up to 50 grams or 12 teaspoons (200 kcal contains 50 grams of sugar).

According to the Union of Sugar Producers of Russia, the average inhabitant of our huge country exceeds the norm by about twice.

It is worth noting that the norms described above are recommended for healthy people. Patients with diabetes with metabolic syndrome, prone to fullness, must abandon this therapy.

The amount of sugar in food

The main myth: sugar does not improve mood

Loved by all sweet teeth, the myth that sweetness and sugar it improve mood has taken root in society. We are in a hurry to upset all dessert lovers.

Sugar does not improve mood, as previously thought, but it can make it worse. Scientists from the Universities of Warwick, Humboldt, and Lancaster came to this conclusion. They studied the results of 30 studies involving about 1,300 people.

Sugar has been shown to have no positive effect on emotional state. Moreover, the data obtained showed that carbohydrates reduce the subjective feeling of energy and increase fatigue in a person within 30-60 minutes after their use. Maybe you are a very suggestive person and the right energy and mood give a placebo effect.

The vitality you feel after a sweet meal is short of sudden energy. This is because blood glucose levels rise. After 30-60 minutes the opposite effect occurs. 

Remember when you start to get depressed or just in a bad mood with cakes. Not only will this not help you in any way, but such self-medication can also lead to diabetes and obesity.

From this moment forward, it is advisable to leave out high-quality dark chocolate (rich in cocoa content). This treat contains minimal sugar and has the potential to boost your mood and lower the likelihood of depression.

Are sweeteners harmful?

The growth of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and even oncology, is associated with excess dietary sugar. Knowing this, many people switch from sugar to sweeteners, that is, sugar substitutes, including sweetened drinks with a “0 calorie” pseudo diet. 

But sugar supplements have been shown not to skimp on potential health problems. They can cause metabolic changes and weaken the body’s ability to regulate glucose levels. 

Although it was previously believed that sweeteners did not affect insulin release, it turned out not to be the case. It happens, though it’s not that significant. That is, there is insulin but no glucose.

This will lead to the development of insulin resistance and, paradoxically, diabetes in the future. Still, the body cannot be deceived. In addition, sweeteners are much sweeter than sugar and can change the perception of sweetness in food, establishing a balance between sweetness and energy content, which in turn increases the amount of food consumed.

From the above data, we can conclude: that if there is no diabetes, you do not need to switch to sugar supplements. It is wiser to control the consumption of added (hidden in finished products and drinks) sugar. The World Health Organization recommends limiting consumption to six tablespoons per day.

How to reduce sugar intake to a minimum

Once we learn how sugar affects the human brain, we figure out how to reduce sugar intake. Sugar is the enemy. However, there is no need to be afraid.

It is impossible to completely exclude it from your life - it is contained in almost every product. What to do first:

• replace regular sweets with natural products - honey, jam, marshmallows, brown sugar;
• refuse soda and purchase juices;
• refuse sweets (chocolate, ice cream, sweets, etc.) and low-fat products because they add simple carbohydrates;
• throw away refined sugar;
• Eat starch-free vegetables to stabilize blood glucose. These include tomatoes, carrots, eggplant, peppers, and a variety of other vegetables;
• use stevia or agave to sweeten tea or food;
• sleep enough, due to lack of sleep the body is attracted to high-calorie foods rich in carbohydrates;
• replace sweets with fruit and dried fruit;
• carefully study the composition of the packaging.

These steps will gradually help you get rid of the addiction and even reduce your dopamine levels. You can also afford cakes or bagels once a week, but you won’t get their previous satisfaction.

Separation can take two weeks, and maybe a month. The main thing is to listen to your body and be patient. What happens if you stop eating sugar in a week?

Glucose is a fuel that nourishes muscles and ensures brain function. When the body works properly, the hormonal system keeps blood sugar levels almost constant. And vice versa: with hormonal failure, glucose concentration increases or decreases sharply. 

Why the sugar level jumps and what to do with it, we deal with experts: chief physician of the Medskan Medical Center chain Dmitry Gornastolev, candidate of medical sciences, sports medicine doctor, nutritionist of the federal network of fitness clubs X-Fit Oleg Naryshkin and certified FPA coach Vladimir Kuksov.

What is the danger of "high" sugar

Eating any food, not just sweets, increases blood glucose levels. Normally, its level is 3.3 to 5.5 mmol / L (when blood is analyzed from a finger) and 4 to 6.1 mmol / L (if blood is taken from a vein). 

These indicators change throughout the day: for example, as soon as we eat a product with a high carbohydrate content - say sweet crust - the glucose level can rise to 10 mmol / l in just twenty minutes.

 There is no danger to health: this is the so-called alimentary or associated with food intake, hyperglycemia - a temporary increase in blood glucose. With the proper functioning of the pancreas and liver, the indicators will return to normal after normal time.

Even sweet tooths age faster. Sugar damages cells and slows down the synthesis of collagen, which is responsible for skin elasticity. As a result, the skin becomes stiff, loses firmness and elasticity, and early wrinkles appear.

In conclusion, 

When individuals with diabetes eat sweets, their blood sugar levels can quickly rise, leading to immediate discomfort and posing potential long-term health risks. Proper management of diabetes involves careful monitoring of carbohydrate intake, including sugars, to prevent spikes in blood glucose. 

By understanding the impact of sweets and making informed dietary choices, diabetics can maintain better control over their condition, avoid serious health risks, and lead a healthier, more balanced life. 

Regular consultations with healthcare professionals and adherence to prescribed treatment plans are essential in effectively managing diabetes and minimizing the negative effects of consuming sweets.