Sugar overconsumption might cause cancer and contribute to heart disease, research suggests. This is thought to be the result of extra stress put on the body during the metabolizing of fructose, or the sugar found in certain plants. Unlike the carbohydrates found in vegetables and starches that are metabolized by all of the body’s cells, fructose is metabolized only by the liver. The increase in metabolizing blood sugar is thought to cause the cell mutations that result in cancer and raise the levels of triglycerides, or fat, in the bloodstream, which can cause heart disease.
More about sugar:
- The average American is estimated to consume about 90 pounds (40.82 kg) of sugar each year.
- There are about 10 teaspoons (40 g) of sugar in an average can of soda, which is nearly twice the amount of sugar that health experts recommend consuming in a day.
- Lower-income people consume the most calories from sugar, at roughly 15% of their daily intake. People in the highest income bracket consume only about 11% of their daily calories from sugar.
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Discussion Comments
Reading this article has definitely made me more cautious about what I consume on a daily basis. Also, for those who don't want to overdo it on the sugar contents, remember to always check the labels of your products. If one of the first ingredients is high fructose corn syrup, it's probably not your best bet.
From my perspective, the fact that one can get cancer (and diabetes) from sugar really shows that even though there's nothing wrong with consuming sweets, as we need the sugar, overdoing it is a problem. Have you ever had one of those times where you were tempted to buy a large bag of candy when you were out food shopping? Well, there are some who consume that much sugar everyday. Like I said before, there's nothing wrong with sugar consumption, but overdoing it can lead to consequences.
Although I've never been aware that consuming too much sugar can cause cancer, on the other hand, I do know that it can cause diabetes. While some variations of this condition aren't that extreme, other variations will you have you constantly checking your blood sugar levels, so it's not too high.
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