Currently, we all know that sugar is wrong, but until now, it was thought that the main problem in terms of diet and, therefore, in the health of individuals resided in the excess consumption of fats. It is true that taken in excess produce a significant health risk, although there are other excesses that also affect.
The dangers of sugar are such that it has even been debated whether it is an addiction since it causes difficulty in controlling its consumption, and if it is stopped, it can lead to mono or withdrawal symptoms. The Higher Technician in Dietetics knows the risks caused by its regular consumption and therefore tries to reduce its intake by establishing balanced diets and warning about the risks that its consumption entails.
Why is sugar bad for your health?
Currently, there is an increasingly established line of research that highlights the negative effect that acidic environments have on health within our body, and according to research, sugar is bad for health since it is the cause of this situation.
Following this same line, this substrate derived from simple carbohydrates is included in significant quantities in many foods we eat in excess (snacks, carbonated drinks …). In addition, it causes a great sensation of pleasure when ingesting them.
Sugar is wrong since we can find certain relationships with cardiovascular diseases. Arteriosclerosis is one of them, since sugar generates in the vascular endothelium a decrease in its elastic capacity and therefore a hardening of the arterial walls that, in the end, will be a very predisposing factor to arterial hypertension.
Another adverse effect that we can find is insulin resistance. As we have already discussed in previous articles, insulin is the hormone responsible for transporting glucose from the bloodstream to the muscle cell. When resistance is generated, this transport process deteriorates, and insulin loses efficiency in its performance; we are dealing with subjects with non-insulin-dependent diabetes (type II diabetes).
Continuing along the same lines, the excess of sugars in the blood in the first instance causes an increase in insulin production by the pancreas, generating hyperinsulinemia, a situation that also causes loss of endothelial function. Within the food landscape we have today. Harmful sugar is present in many of them uncontrolled in different states.
From the field of science, they alert the population that consuming sugar is harmful in excess, as it can contribute to the development of some of the diseases that we are suffering from today: obesity, diabetes, hypertension, metabolic syndrome and even cancer.
Sugar and palm oil are very present in our diet, and they must be looked at with a magnifying glass, as they contribute to the manifestation of these diseases. This is why diet therapy is becoming increasingly important as a preventive measure and the demand for the Distance Higher Technician in Dietetics in our society.
High blood glucose levels have been linked to diabetes, tooth decay, hypertension, and other health problems. But different studies suggest that the female body is more sensitive to these excesses, and it has been seen that their lack of control in some cases causes more “havoc.”
More predisposition to obesity
It has been shown that women have a particular weakness for sweets. Hormones are responsible, at least partly, since their increase in the premenstrual phase leads them to eat more and take sweet foods due to the drop in sugar level in the blood.
But it is also that excess glucose can accumulate in the form of fat, and as the woman’s body tends to store it mainly – it accumulates approximately 10% more body fat than men – that excess can more easily lead to obesity, especially abdominal.
Increased risk to the heart
The simple fact of accumulating a more incredible amount of fat also predisposes to diabetes. And you should know that this disease increases between 3 and 7 times the risk of women developing coronary disease, a higher proportion than in men.
A good balance of glucose prevents obesity and prevents coronary heart disease.
According to an article published in the journal “Endocrinology and Nutrition,” this risk increases after menopause, since the pancreatic secretion of the substance that facilitates the metabolism of glucose (insulin) decreases and resistance to it increases, which means that the body needs more of this substance to do the same function.
On the other hand, hyperglycemia causes triglycerides and LDL (the “bad”) cholesterol in the blood to increase. There is also a more significant accumulation of fat around the viscera, such as the heart and increased blood pressure, which causes a greater risk of cardiovascular diseases.
female disorders that are worsened by sugar
An excess of glucose can also increase the predisposition to suffer other female disorders such as the following:
Yeast infections
What to do against recurrent vaginal yeast infections? One of the solutions could be to eat less sugar. It turns out that fungi can also grow on the vaginal mucosa if a woman’s blood sugar level is high.
When that happens, the balance of the vaginal flora and, consequently, the pH is altered, favouring the proliferation of fungal infections.
Polycystic ovary syndrome
This hormonal disorder (causing, among other things, acne and hair loss, increased hair and infertility) affects between 6 and 10% of the world’s population of women.
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Obesity could be at its origin, but a recent study published in the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” shows the efficacy of diets with a low glycemic index to prevent Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).
That would explain why there is an increase in insulin in many women with this disorder (between 50-70% of cases).
Gynecological tumours
As published by the University of Córdoba, a higher concentration of glucose in the blood could predispose (if it is added to other risk factors) to suffer from ovarian cancer. It has also been seen that there is an increased risk of breast cancer if many foods rich in starches (which cause an increase in sugar after ingestion) and sugary products are eaten.
Higher blood sugar levels can predispose to ovarian, breast and colorectal cancer.
On the other hand, a recent study by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the US has found that women with higher blood sugar have a higher risk of colorectal cancer.
Fatigue and exhaustion
If there is hyperglycemia, the body releases stress hormones (cortisol and epinephrine) to reduce their level. These hormonal ups and downs can cause fatigue, headaches, and mood swings (irritability and stress).
There are even experts who suggest that it can cause a decrease in female sexual desire.