Impact of Sugar on the Human Body
Sugar is the ultimate and most popular reward in today’s culture. You get an A on your test, get an ice cream. You fail your test, eat some ice cream to cope and increase your mood. You are at any kind of celebration or party and it is almost a guarantee there will be surgery treats. What effect does eating processed sugar on a daily basis have on your body and mind; The daily recommendation for sugar is 24 g for women and 36 for men. The average American consumes 71 grams of sugar daily — which is about triple the suggested amount — and that adds up to about 57 pounds of sugar every year per person. Sugar activates the dopamine receptors in our brain which is responsible for humans’ reward circuit. After eating sugar dopamine is released causing a “high” that makes you want more, similar to drugs or other substances. One study tested the addictiveness of sugar on rats and this concluded that the sugar released more pleasure neurons than the drug cocaine. Now that we know sugar is more addictive than cocaine what does this do to your body well, studies show that if you eat too much sugar this can lead to depression and jittery anxious feeling sometimes referred to as a sugar crash. You also think clearer without the sugar and perform better in sports. Some other effects of sugar are joint pain, ageing skin, liver damage, heart disease, heart attacks, type 2 diabetes, kidney damage, and weight gain. So for your general health it might be a good idea to reflect on your sugar intake.
Sources: https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/features/how-sugar-affects-your-body
