I don't know if you, like me, have noticed that in recent years it's become more common to find cases of people with diabetes. Before, it was something more "rare" to hear about. Perhaps this is related to advances in medicine for detection at a lower cost, or it may be related to changes in the ingredients of sweets? Come understand the relationship between sugar and the body and the problems that excessive consumption can cause. Finally, we will discuss how information can be an ally in combating excesses.
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What is the relationship between sugar and the body?
Like any other food, sugar also plays an important role in our body. Among all foods, it is the main fuel that provides quick energy to the body. This process works by ingesting foods that contain sugar, which are transformed into glucose and then enter the cells as soon as the hormone insulin "releases the entry".
One of the organs that most needs glucose/energy to function is the brain and muscles. Therefore, even though there are several problems with excessive consumption, occasional and controlled consumption can be beneficial. For example, taking a chocolate bar to eat during an activity that requires a lot of thinking, so that the brain has access to energy quickly.
The Problems of Sugar
Perhaps the most well-known problem with sugar is weight gain. Because sweets are very palatable, eating them in large quantities is not very difficult, but along with sugar, they have a high number of calories, making a well-filled sweet equivalent to an entire lunch or dinner meal. In this way, excess calories are transformed into fat, and this excess weight can eventually lead to an initial type of obesity, causing problems with mobility and blood pressure.
However, although weight is the most well-known issue, the real problem is more subtle. Constant consumption can cause the body to become resistant to insulin, leading to diabetes. Think of the body as a machine; at a certain level, it can self-regulate, but over time this efficiency decreases, it wears down, until it reaches a point where the process becomes irreversible, requiring treatment.
How to combat excesses?
Knowing all the problems that sugar causes to the human body, should we be so extreme as to regulate sugar consumption, dictating how much and what foods a person should consume? Everything in excess is bad, just as too much sugar can cause inflammation and diabetes. Have you ever tried drinking 10 liters of water or eating 20kg of pasta? No regulation is needed to prevent this from happening, because common sense already takes care of these cases.
However, since it's very easy for people to consume large amounts of sugar, the solution lies in information. Educating people in schools and through advertising about "healthy" amounts of sugar to consume in a day—consuming a candy once in a while won't be the problem, but rather eating entire packages in a short period of time. Reminding people that the body takes time to process food, and the same is true for sugar, so they should be careful.
The key is control, because sugar can cause energy spikes followed by dips. Therefore, it can end up becoming the dopamine source for some people, and because it's followed by a drop in energy and dopamine, it can cause anxiety. It's very important to pay attention to the quantity and what is being ingested, because in recent years many foods have added fat and sugar to their composition, where previously there would have been cocoa, for example.
