Obesity

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• Excess Weight Leading to Obesity – After eating a sugar-rich meal, the body increases its use of glucose as the major energy source. When the amount of glucose entering the body is more than the requisite quantity to fuel its metabolism, some of the excess is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles. The remaining is converted into fat, especially in people already having excess body fat, and this promotes obesity. The added sugar in your diet not only adds inches to your waistline, it also causes secretion of excess insulin that, in large amounts, keeps weight from coming off inspite of a strict diet and exercise.
• Diabetes – Excessive sugar puts stress on the pancreas and can lead to the onset of diabetes or blood sugar irregularities. If there is excess sugar in your blood, your body will try to produce more insulin to transfer it to your cells as energy. As this cycle continues, an insulin resistance (Syndrome X) develops. And when your pancreas can no longer produce enough insulin to push the sugar into your cells, the result is diabetes.
• Depressed Immune System – As sugar has no nutrients, its digestion robs many of your body’s precious resources. Vitamins B and C, chromium, calcium, zinc, magnesium are all needed to digest sugar, which it essentially derives from the body. So the deficiency of these vitamins and minerals depresses the immune system. Sugar causes depletion of white blood cells needed for strong immune function and reduces the body’s ability to fight infections and diseases including common cold and flu.
• Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol – Sugar promotes high blood pressure and raised cholesterol levels which are significant factors in cardiovascular diseases. Sugar reduces the helpful HDL cholesterol and elevates the harmful LDL cholesterol. Sugar causes high insulin which triggers the adrenergic (related to adrenalin) roller coaster, and that causes the spasm of coronary arteries, which is the beginning of heart problems. Sugar consumption lowers the body’s resistance to bacteria, viruses and yeasts that may cause inflammation in the heart and arteries. Plus, excess sugar also leads to deficiencies in Vitamin B complex, needed for healthy arteries.
• Endocrine System – Sugar can unbalance the endocrine system, affecting hormone balance and cause harm to liver, adrenal glands and pancreas.
• Fungal Infections – Sugar encourages the growth of fungal infections. Bacteria thrives on sugar and an acidic environment, and the more sugar you consume, the more the acid formation, and thus more the bacteria. Conversely, the more the bacteria, the more the acid produced. So it is a vicious cycle – you create an environment that turns increasingly destructive with time.
• Dental Diseases – Sugar is the leading cause of dental diseases like cavities, bleeding gums and loss of teeth. Eating sugar, bacteria in the mouth and a susceptible tooth surface are all factors that act together to create dental caries and cavities or holes in your set. Saliva has the ability to neutralise acidic environment created by sugar, but it takes the saliva 20 minutes to do this. So it is advisable to rinse your mouth especially after eating sugary or starchy foods.