Added Sugar is Worse Than Alcohol
The symptoms may differ, but the effects don’t
Alcohol is the outcome of fermented sugar. Both alcohol and added sugars are metabolized similarly through the liver. Neither portray any nutritional value and our bodies tend to burn through the energy fasters leading to the constant craving and the over consumption which drives up our daily calorie intake. While you can technically still lose weight while consuming added sugars, the WHO issued three strong recommendations regarding sugar intake, after a study that looked into the rise of noncommunicable diseases and its direct association with 50 million deaths worldwide in 2012, was directly associated with a poor diet and physical inactivity. The Who’s recommendations include a reduced intake of free sugars throughout the life course, reducing the intake to less than 10% the total energy intake, and the reduction to below 5% daily intake, in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle and avoid the risk of diseases directly associated with the consumption of free sugars such as obesity, diabetes, and dental caries. 10% of our daily caloric intake translates to less than 150 calories from added sugar per day in men and less than 100 calories of added sugar for women, which is at a maximum 25g, almost twice the amount found in a 12 oz serving of Coca-Cola.
While alcohol isn’t used for energy output and contrary to its typical comparison to carbohydrate calorie value, as opposed to holding a 4 calorie per gram value, like carbohydrates, it actually holds a 7 calorie per gram caloric amount. Falling right behind the value of gram per of fat, which is the highest at 9 calories per gram.
All carbohydrates are typically placed under the same umbrella, but they shouldn’t be. Carbohydrates are made up of either glucose, fructose, fiber or a combination of 50% glucose and 50% fructose which is sucrose. The metabolism of glucose and fructose is also different, as glucose is the preferred source of energy and will be used by the body primarily, while fructose in the other hand, is metabolized through the liver and tends to be stored as fat if not used instantly.
Similar to our understanding of alcohol’s distinct metabolization, we should stop placing glucose and fructose underneath the same macronutrient umbrella, and instead, understand how both are utilized, stored and how such affect our overall performance and increased fat storage. It is important to also note the reaction of our bodies to sucrose, which is the combination of both.
- The most relevant distinction between glucose and fructose, is that every cell in our system is capable of utilizing glucose as opposed to fructose, which is not needed for a single biochemical reaction in our system. According to a study published by Dr. Robert Lustig, “the actions of fructose on the body more closely resemble those of ethanol (grain alcohol), another nonessential energy source.”
- One of the reason’s people fail to stop consuming added sugars is the common misconception that that they are simply “empty calories,” when in reality, several studies have shown at least three negative effects for its consumption. The overconsumption of “fructose drives DNL, resulting in dyslipidemia, hepatic steatosis, and insulin resistance,” which is comparable to the reactions seen in alcohol consumption over an extended period of time.
- What makes natural fructose in fruits acceptable is the combination of nutrients brought by the fruit along with fiber which allow the body to slowly process all components. The amount of fructose found in fruits along with the fiber, allow for the liver to process the intake of fructose more slowly while our system is also breaking down nutrients derived from the fruit. As opposed to added sugars, or added fructose, a fruit will keep you satisfied for longer, preventing you from overeating or reaching for another dosage, which makes the consumption of fructose balanced and acceptable. You would have to eat three medium sized apples to reach the same amount of fructose found in a 20 oz Coca-Cola.
- In a study performed on mice on a high-fat diet, the consumption of fructose over glucose, lead to obesity, insulin resistance and a higher fat composition around the liver.
- Consuming more calories from ethanol or fructose cause the liver to automatically store the energy as fat, which leads to higher risk of obesity and diabetes.
- Similar to alcohol, sugar induces all of the diseases associated with metabolic syndrome, “hypertension, high triglycerides and insulin resistance through synthesis of fat in the liver; diabetes from increased liver glucose production combined with insulin resistance; and the aging process, caused by damage to lipids, proteins and DNA through non-enzymatic binding of fructose to these molecules. It can also be argued that fructose exerts toxic effects on the liver that are similar to those of alcohol.”
The increased consumption of added sugars/fructose in comparison to alcohol is much higher. While alcohol’s effects are usually more rapidly experienced, the long term consumption of increased added sugars, are a straight pathway towards noncommunicable diseases. The main similarity between fructose and alcohol is the metabolization process, which takes place in the liver and leads to a higher risk of the above mentioned diseases. Although the effects of sugar consumption are not immediately experienced, especially in comparison to the effects of being under the alcoholic influence, over an increased period of time, the effects are visually noticeable through weight gain, followed by a decreased metabolic process and/or the emergence of diabetes, obesity, increased blood pressure, or other related diseases.
OBESITY AND MALNOURISHMENT.
More people than ever are over weight yet malnourished, this strange paradox is powered by sugar and sold in almost all processed foods. While sugar isn’t as negatively portrayed or regulated by government agencies like alcohol, its effects on the regular public are alarming, concerning and remained unaddressed. The reason most “diets” work is do to the suppression of carbohydrate consumption, macro-counting, plant-based (eliminates all processed foods), keto (significantly reduces carb consumption), whole30 (no alcohol, sugar, or dairy), Paleo, Adkins and more, which eliminate or reduce added sugars by bringing awareness to products that have it while increasing awareness towards food labels, ingredients, and hidden names for fructose or sugar.
EATING DISORDERS AND SUGAR
There are a lot misconceptions regarding the treatment of eating disorders. The most recent common approach is to follow a “no-diet” diet or intuitive eating which follows strict principles and should be done with the guidance of a certified professional. However, the constant bash on “diet-culture” by popular personalities and social-media influencers from different sources may have a negative impact on the truth regarding health, and lifestyle approaches. Popular content suggests to give-in if you have a sugar craving and/or to eat when you are hungry, others allude to increasing calories and completely bash on diets and calorie suppression. These approaches and information tend to mix in and establish no true guidance when it comes to proper nourishment. Scrolling through a picture that suggests the consumption of a sugary item will not actually impose any benefits towards your physiology, but it will purposely decrease the feelings of feeling guilty that tend to lead to over eating. The focus of certain approaches is driven towards the psychological effects created by the large amount of food products we are faced with on a daily basis.
WEIGHT LOSS AND SUGAR
To lose weight, all you need is a caloric deficit. Losing weight is simple, but the common conception regarding “suppression” and its approach is seen as unhealthy.However, if done properly, calorie counting, macro counting or following a specific diet for an extended period of time can lead you to understand your physiology, what works, what doesn’t work and ultimately weight loss. Completely eliminating added sugars in one’s diet, will lead to weight loss; if they’re included as part of a calorie counting or macro counting regime, dependency and cravings will increase along with malnourishment, leading to a failed diet and possible eating disorder.
“ELIMINATING OR BANNING FOODS COMPLETELY LEADS TO A TOXIC RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD”
While this is true, completely eliminating sugar from our diet can actually have increasing health benefits. Given that added sugars have recently been incorporate to homo sapiens’s diets, and have not been part of our regular food group until more recently, why should we actually be lead to believe that we actually need it? As mentioned previously, “there is not a single biochemical reaction that requires dietary fructose.” Sugar is the sole attributor to a worldwide pandemic that is slowly killing our people, and its increasingly filtering through the youth. There is no need for added sugars, and the consumption should be stopped ASAP.
Alcohol’s immediate visible and physical effects bring awareness to its impact on our physiology more rapidly and wouldn’t typically be compared to the effects of fructose. But this is precisely what makes sugar worse than alcohol. Given that sugar is more common than you think, it leads to the unknown overconsumption, while its side effects are noticed when it is a bit too late and you’ve already been hooked by the sugary cycle that leads to a never ending feeling of cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Sugars aren’t just present within the most obvious products, such as candy or colorful snacks, they are actually in almost every single processed food product, hidden under names like:
- agave syrup
- brown sugar
- cane juice and cane syrup
- confectioners’ sugar
- corn sweetener and corn syrup
- dextrose
- fructose
- fruit juice concentrates
- granulated white sugar
- high-fructose corn syrup
- honey
- invert sugar
- malt syrup
- molasses
- raw sugar
- sucrose
- syrup
Sugar and alcohol are derived from the same source, while one is more rapidly experience, the other one hides within almost every processed food product in order to preserve its packaged state, or create dependency. While sugar doesn’t pose immediate effects and isn’t portrayed as a drug or even regulated by nutrition government agencies, the statistics and research have clearly shown the effects of its over consumption over the past decades within the general public. The increased intake of added sugars, bring a higher caloric intake of almost 500 calories per day. Such pose no nutritional value and lead to being overweight, yet malnourished. As stated by the WHO “Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) were the leading causes of death and were responsible for 38 million (68%) of the world’s 56 million deaths in 2012.”
ARTICLES:
https://academic.oup.com/advances/article/4/2/226/4591631
