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10 Scientific Reasons That Prove Why Sugar Is A Necessary Evil

We understand that sweets are heaven on earth. Indulging yourself with sugary foods makes you feel good and better. In fact, one primary source of calories of the American population is sugar – especially those sugars found in soda and other processed foods.

Fructose, a form of sugar from corn syrup, is widely used in many processed foods as they are cheap and readily available. Sugar, no matter how great and delicious it may seem, is actually an evil incarnate and we have scientific reasons to prove that. However, as it may seem to be, taking in sugar, is quite necessary for us to live. Why? Read through the following scientific reasons why sugar is a necessary evil for your body.

10 Scientific Reasons Sugar Is A Necessary Evil

Sugar Is A Necessary Evil

1. Sugar Provides Immediate Energy

If you want to energize instantly, all you need is to grab some table sugar or sucrose. In fact, sucrose is the main source of sugar in most diets.

Sucrose is a combination of glucose and fructose, which provides our body the primary source of energy. Our bodies cannot absorb this kind of sugar because it contains two different molecules (one from fructose and one from glucose).

The body first needs to dissolve the chemical link that connects these sugars together by an enzyme called sucrase. Once the sugars are broken down, the body will absorb them and transport it to the liver for further distribution in the entire body. Insulin will let the cells feed on the glucose where it will be metabolized for immediate energy use.

2. Sugars Serve As A Stored Fuel

Director of the Yale University’s Prevention Research Center Dr. David Katz said,

Sugar is our body’s preferred fuel.

The body does not need all the glucose at once. To conserve the “fuel,” the body stores the excess glucose that’s not used to form glycogen. The liver creates glycogen chains using glucose molecules connected by chemical bonds through a process called glycogenesis. Once there are no primary sources of energy available, your body will turn to this stored fuel by breaking down glycogen to glucose.

This breaking down usually happens between meals or at night when you are sleeping. Glycogenesis also happens during workouts so that you will have the energy you need and prevent drops of blood sugar levels that can be dangerous to your health.

3. Complex Sugars Are Good

The American Heart Association recommends getting your sugar needs from complex carbohydrates and not from unhealthy products like sodas and processed foods. These unhealthy foods and drinks give sugar its negativity since they lack nutrition value and will only cause rapid spikes as well as drops in blood sugar levels because of their easy metabolism.

However, if you take complex carbohydrates such as bread, cereals, starchy veggies and grains, the sugar content in them take a little longer to digest so that they provide you with steadier and healthier blood sugar levels as well as sustained energy. Complex carbohydrates also offer more vitamins and minerals than simple sugars such as table sugar, honey, and syrup.

4. It Helps In The Medical Field

Despite the fact that table sugar may be considered quite unhealthy, it can help medically in controlled amounts. For example, eight teaspoons of sugar is required to make an oral dehydration solution (ORS) which is beneficial for the treatment of a person suffering from dehydration.

Since many children and adults alike suffer from diarrhea and vomiting, this ORS solution can save millions of lives worldwide by preventing cases of dehydration. To create your own ORS, you can simply mix 1 liter of water with eight tsp of sugar and ½ tsp of salt, then let the patient drink the solution.

is sugar good or bad 5. Fortified Sugar Helps Solve Malnutrition

Sugar is considered as a “safe” and economical choice that is being consumed by the population who are at risk for malnutrition, specifically the poor.

The use of fortified sugar to fight off nutrient deficiency is accepted socially, and it plays a critical role in providing a solution for such malnutrition.

6. Sugars Are Not Bad, Overeating Them Certainly Is!

Carbohydrates and sugars are needed by the body to keep you going. It provides you the energy that you need on your day to day basis. So how can it be bad? Or how can it make you fat? Sugar, if taken within your caloric requirement, is not a foe to hate.

As a matter of fact, a study conducted by The Sugar Bureau in the UK found out that sugar intake contributes to leanness and not obesity. Even the researchers of the University of Hawaii has this to say about sugars:

“It is important to state at the outset that there is no direct connection between added sugars intake and obesity unless excessive consumption of sugar-containing beverages and foods leads to energy imbalance and the resultant weight gain.”

Is sugar the main culprit? No. It is your eating habits. The problem is your overeating. People tend to overeat sugars, which can cause an increase in weight and other medical problems such as diabetes.

7. Health Is Not Ruined By Sugar Unless You Refuse To Exercise

If you hate exercise, then do not eat too many sugars because when you do so, there is an increase in insulin levels that may be linked to diabetes. However, if you can be sure that you can do ways to help get rid of this through exercise, then you are good to go making diabetes not directly associated with sugar intake.

8. It Contains Minerals And Nutrients

Who said that sugars are full of empty calories and have no nutritional value? Eating the right type of sugar in right amounts will give you different levels of nutrients and minerals such as magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and potassium. These sugar contents, however, can only be found on natural forms of sugar such as sugar beets or sugar canes and not from the industrially refined sugars.

9. Improves Skin Health

Sugar contains glycolic acid which helps keep your skin look beautiful and maintain its health. It will also help in the elimination of blemishes as well as improve the balance of your skin’s oil.

10. Sugar Is Not Addictive, Studies Say

There are no scientific studies in humans that supported the sugar addiction. This is merely a hypothesis. In fact, an EU-funded project known as NueroFAST investigated the common neurobiology involved in the eating behavior, stress, and addiction. The study showed that current evidence is not enough to conclude that a single substance can cause people to overeat or has obesity.

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    • As far as diabetic patient is concerned it is not actually good. Our point is that sugar is necessary in our lifestyle and it has to be taken in moderate limit only no matter if a person is diabetic or non diabetic one.

    • Hi Ria, Yes sugar is bad for health if it is taken more than the prescribed quantity. When sugar is taken in the moderate level it is good for humans as it has got some benefits too. When the sugar intake quantity is increased then it is bad.

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