What Are the Impacts of Sugar on Human Health? Essay Example

The debate and the controversy of the relationship between sugar and potential adverse effects are perhaps the most popular among nutrition topics. The potential impact of added sugars in our daily foods such as high-fructose corn syrup and sucrose have been studied by numerous researchers in cohort studies, epidemiologic, and randomized controlled trials. Specifically, many of the debates and studies focus on the effects of pure glucose and pure fructose on the metabolism. Despite the many studies and research materials published, controversy still remains mainly because sugar is one of the most consumed foods. Therefore, this topic is important in that the findings will help to provide insights into the health effects of sugar on human health, both positive and negative, and possibly quell the ongoing debate as well recommend the right amounts of sugar consumption daily. In the contemporary world, many people consume high amounts of sugar daily in the form of soft drinks and junk foods. As a result, lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and obesity have significantly increased. Although the sugar industry dismisses the causative effect of sugar on these illnesses, critics hold the opinion that consumption of foods with high sugar amounts is the leading cause. The depth of this controversy and the severity of the issue underscores the need to find answers to the question, What are the impacts of sugar on human health?

Pros

One of the most critical functions of sugar in a human body is supplying energy to the brain. In a typical adult, glucose is the primary supplier of energy to the brain. The brain comprises of neurons which consume most of the energy supplied. Although the brain accounts for only 2% of the total body weight, it consumes about 20% of the total energy generated from glucose hence the largest consumer of glucose-energy in a human body (Mergenthaler et al., 2013). The study by Mergenthaler et al. (2013) shows that glucose provides antecedents neurotransmitter synthesis to increase their activity as well as provide ATP needed to meet energy demands of the brain. It is important to note that glucose metabolizing enzymes link glucose metabolism to cell death pathways. For this reason, the disruption of processes of glucose metabolism and delivery causes debilitating brain diseases. Thus, sugar plays a critical role in the physiological and psychological functions of the body.

While diseases such as diabetes have been attributed to consumption of sugar, recent studies have revealed that rare sugars such as allulose help in preventing diabetes and improving lipid metabolism. According to the International Society of Rare Sugars, rare sugars refer to monosaccharides and their by-products that exist in small quantities naturally. Hayashi et al. (2014) noted that addition of 4% allulose in High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) reduces the rate of accumulation of abdominal fats caused by consumption of HFCS for a long time. In the contemporary world, HFCS and sweeteners are widely used in a variety of beverage and food products. Their increased consumption has attracted debates that they lead to obesity and diabetes. However, the discussions have failed to focus on the effect of excessive consumption, appetite, the genetic composition of the consumer, and the kind of carbohydrates consumed. A study by Hayashi et al. (2014) underscored the significance of sugar in the human body by demonstrating that consumption of rare sugars had positive impacts on reducing body weight and accumulation of abdominal fat with no noticeable adverse effects.

Hayashi et al. (2014)s study investigated the safety for daily consumption of rare sugars as sweeteners using rats in several feeding experiments. In their experiment, the scholars used rare sugar syrup that has 90% sweetness of sucrose. They hypothesized that rare sugar syrup is a better alternative to HFCS and can reduce the incidence of obesity. However, such studies are rare hence the need to obtain detailed information before generalizing the results. Apart from Hayashi et al. (2014)s investigation, previous studies were only focused on animals hence their reliability on humans was questioned. Hayashi et al. (2014) aimed to overcome this challenge and extrapolated these findings to humans by carrying out the experiments using human subjects. From the results, it is true to say that daily consumption of appropriate amounts of rare sugar syrup reduces body fat percentage, body weight, and the waist circumference which is a common source of concern in many women.

The benefits of allulose extend to monitoring blood sugar since it only accounts for 0.2-0.4 calories per gram. This is equivalent to a tenth of the calories present in a tablespoon sugar. In the recent past, manufacturers have started adding allulose in small amounts in foods by using enzymes that convert fructose into allulose. Its popularity has increased because it is 70% sweet as sugar and has better health effects. Such effects include lowering the blood sugar, increasing the sensitivity of insulin, and decreasing the risk of type 2 diabetes by enhancing the protection of the insulin-producing beta cells. Hossain et al. (2015) affirm this by describing how a comparative study of obese rats that were treated with allulose had recorded improved beta cell performance compared to rats treated with water. Also, the treatment group recorded better blood sugar response and reduced belly fat than the control group. Although the empirical studies on the positive effects of allulose in lowering blood sugars and preventing and maintain diabetes are scarce, the existing evidence to date is encouraging.

Cons

Although consumption of sugar has significant positive impacts on a human body, it is associated with increased externalizing behavior among children. This discovery was made after concerns that US pre-schooled consumed a lot of added sugar and sugar. Studies revealed that children obtain 13-16% of calories from added sugar while 90% of children consume sodium excessively. These high rates of consumption are alarming because added sugar and sodium is associated with incidences of cardiometabolic risk factors in early childhood. In addition, dentists argue obtaining more than 10% of the total calories from free sugars increases the risk of dental carries. The risks involved with excessive consumption of added sugar and sodium underpins the need to seek more information on the subject to develop an appropriate intervention. In this regard, externalizing behavior has been associated with dietary risk factors including high intake of sugary foods. Externalizing behavior is characterized by aggressiveness, anger, and oppositional conduct (bullying and physically fighting other children).

A study by Jansen et al. (2011) sought to examine the relationship between consumption of sodium and added sugars among pre-schooled children from the low socioeconomic background. The scholars hypothesized that children who obtained a high percentage of calories from sodium and added sugars would exhibit externalizing behavior upon follow up. The longitudinal study results revealed that pre-schooled boys that exhibited high levels of externalizing behaviors consumed a lot of added sugars but low sodium content. On the other hand, pre-schooled girls who exhibited high levels of externalizing behaviors had high levels of sodium consumption but low intake of added sugars. Although sex-dependency is distinct, the results concurred with the existing evidence that children with high levels of externalizing behavior were more likely to consume a lot added sugars and sodium daily. Therefore, excessive consumption of added sugars increases the incidence of externalizing behavior among pre-schooled children.

One of the most popular adverse effects on the human body is dental carries. Dental carries is characterized by an infectious process whereby carbohydrates undergo fermentation in the presence of oral bacteria at the tooth surface resulting in the production of acid and dissolution of enamel. Sugars and modified starches such as maltodextrins and oligosaccharides are more bioavailable and readily fermented by oral bacteria. It is important to note that fermentable sugars include monosaccharides and disaccharides. Also, the differences between processed and natural sugars are irrelevant in relation to their susceptibility to fermentation. In todays world, beverages with high sugar content have become popular especially among children and young adults. A majority of the drinks such as fruit juices, sodas, flavored drinks, and energy drinks contain high levels of HFCS. Early studies on the relationship between sugar-sweetened beverages and dental carries show that the former does not contribute to the latter. However, recent studies in this subject indicate that sweetened beverages are a conduit that transports cariogenic sugars to oral bacteria resulting in dental carries. A study by Marshal (2013) revealed that sugars are cariogenic and with the increase in the frequency, quantity consumed, and duration of exposure to teeth, consumers face an aggravated risk of carries. The adverse effects of sugars on oral health is a significant concern especially with the increase in intake of sugar-sweetened beverages in the past three decades. Therefore, it is vital that dentists assess their patients consumption of soft drinks and offer appropriate guidelines.

Consumption of high amounts of sugars has been noted to have significant adverse effects on the American Indian population. Statistics show that 40% of this population is obese and eighteen percent suffers from diabetes. In fact, the Pima Indians tribe has the highest likelihood of diabetes among the world population. Although genetic characteristics contribute to this phenomenon, nongenetic factors such as consumption of sweetened drinks is a critical risk factor for kidney diseases, obesity, and diabetes. A literature review of the existing evidence on this theory by Yracheta et al. (2015) revealed that increase in cases of diabetes and obesity among the American Indian population was attributed to increase in absorption of Western culture and diet that is characterized by intake of high amounts of sugar. Yracheta et al. (2015)s findings concur with the findings of past studies that intake of high amounts of sugars increases the incidence of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and kidney diseases. Although genetics is also a risk factor, sugar is proven to be the primary cause of these disorders.

Haiku

Eat right, get it straight

Or it just might be too late!

Our time will not wait.

References

Hayashi, N., Yamada, T., Takamine, S., Iida, T., Okuma, K., & Tokuda, M. Weight reducing effect and safety evaluation of rare sugar syrup by a randomized double-blind, parallel-group study in human. Journal of Functional Foods 11, 152-159. (2014)

Hossain, A., Yamaguchi, F., Matsuo, T., Tsukamoto, I., Toyoda, Y., Ogawa, M., Tokuda, M. Rare sugar d-allulose: Potential role and therapeutic monitoring in maintaining obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Pharmacology & Therapeutics 155, 49-59. (2015).

Jansen, E. C., Miller, A. L., Lumeng, J. C., Kaciroti, N., Brophy Herb, H. E., Horodynski, M. A., Peterson, K. E. Externalizing behavior is prospectively associated with intake of added sugar and sodium among low socioeconomic status preschoolers in a sex-specific manner. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 14. 1-10. (2017).

Marshall, T. A. Preventing dental caries associated with sugar-sweetened beverages. The Journal of the American Dental Association 144, 1148-1152. (2013).

Mergenthaler, P., Lindauer, U., Dienel, G. A., & Meisel, A. Sugar for the brain: the ro...