Top reasons to avoid sugar

Is it an addiction or is it a habit? Maybe it is something about its tastes or how it looks. Some say it is the colour while others are attracted to the shape. It is sweet, attractive and smells really good. No matter how disciplined we are, sugar is still notorious for creeping into our body systems somehow. We love it and it certainly enjoys the attention by dominating our bodies and brains. Some may wonder why making something really sweet their ‘best friend’ is a problem.

Well, below are top reasons to avoid sugar:

1. To preserve dental health. Human beings may seem to love sugar but I can assure you that bacteria love it more. When one takes a lot of sugar in any form, that is, sweets, cakes, biscuits, cookies, and so on, remains of these foods are left on your teeth. If by any chance you forget to brush your teeth, which happens very often with many people, the bacteria are left feasting on this remains as well as your enamel and gums. This causes cavities which are very painful and may result in having your tooth/teeth removed.

2. To lower the risk of Diabetes. These are a disease caused by high blood sugar for a prolonged time. It is deadly. It is proven that drinking as little as two drinks increases a person’s risk of acquiring diabetes by 26%. It is said that numbers don’t lie. Therefore, look at how many soft drinks you take in one day and calculate your risk. It is definitely high. This is a solid reason why you should lower your sugar intake.

3. To lower your blood pressure and bad cholesterol. Excessive sugar consumption is the main culprit when it comes to obesity. This is having a very large body mass index. The excess fat narrows the coronary artery forcing the heart to force the blood through it which results in high blood pressure. This is a body condition that can easily cause death. More than enough sugar also lowers good cholesterol in the body and increases the bad cholesterol which clogs arteries and causes heart disease.

4. Reduces the risk of a heart attack. Excessive blood sugar increases body fat which forms clots that block the coronary artery causing myocardial infarction(heart attack). This is a condition that causes a lot of sudden pain and causes death within minutes. This is a reason for you to reduce your sugar consumption.

5. To avoid memory loss. Too much sugar can eat up your cognitive function, in lay man’s language, eating up your brain. This causes major memory loss and lowers your level of responsiveness. This is very dangerous as we all need to be fast and efficient in our classes and jobs. Excess sugar can render you useless while you can help it so do not let it. Excessive sugar consumption also lowers the production of a brain-derived neurotrophic factor which aids in forming new memories and remembering past events. This causes dementia.

6. To maintain healthy skin. Too much sugar causes the skin to wrinkle, become dull and sagging. This is due to a process called Glycation where your blood sugar attaches to proteins to form advanced Glycation products which cause aging. I am sure that nobody wants to have dry and sagging skin. Excess blood sugar also causes acne due to hormonal fluctuations.

The above are top reasons to avoid sugar and are surely enough to convince you to watch your sugar intake. Please heed this and you will lead a healthy life.