Sugar is Sneaky (Heart Disease, Diabetes, Fatty Liver)

by | May 2, 2019 | Better Breakfast, Blood Sugar Balance, Health, heart disease, High Fat Low Carb, sugar | 0 comments

Carbs

*updated on December 16, 2020

Sugar is sneaky.

We were told as kids that if we ate too much sugar we’d get cavities. This is, of course, true.
However, sugar does damage in so many other ways.  For instance, did you know that it plays a role in increased cholesterol and heart disease?

Sugar and Heart Disease

Research has shown that people who consume too much sugar have lower HDL which is the protective type of cholesterol.  So, if your HDL is lower, you’re at higher risk for heart disease. These people also have higher triglycerides, which can contribute to hardening of the arteries. This, in turn, increases the risk of stroke, heart attack, and heart disease.  TOO MUCH SUGAR leads to HEART DISEASE!

I’m not just talking about the white stuff in the sugar bowl. All carbohydrates break down into sugar, even the whole grain ones that we think are healthy. This is why it’s beneficial to your health to cut out sweets, but also to reduce your overall carbohydrate intake. This includes whole grains, legumes, and starchy vegetables. It doesn’t mean you can’t ever have these things. It means you will benefit from cutting back on them. Grains shouldn’t be the foundation of every meal and snack.

BTW 100% Fruit Juice is Not a Health Food

Sugary drinks are a big culprit in obesity and subsequently heart disease. You can easily consume a lot of sugar in a short period of time when it’s in the liquid form of pop, juice or other sugar-sweetened beverage. Yes, even 100% fruit juice. It’s no longer a whole food with fibre (like it was when it was in an orange, let’s say). That fibre helps to reduce the impact on your blood sugar. Without that fibre, your body sees that juice as liquid sugar. Consuming these high sugar drinks every day is putting your heart at risk.

LDL Cholesterol

Insulin is vital for getting energy to our cells. When we eat a carbohydrate in any form, it breaks down into sugar (yes, even whole grain bread). Insulin’s job is to get it into the cells so it can be used or stored for later. It’s damaging to our blood vessels to have sugar roaming around for too long. It’s like having little shards of glass moving through the vessels, making little nicks in the lining as it goes through. Then, our liver needs to send cholesterol there to smooth things over and heal the nicks.
 
This is how sugar leads to an increase in cholesterol- it’s not fat, it’s carbohydrates that cause an increase in LDL cholesterol! High LDL is linked to an increased risk of heart disease. So, it’s really important that insulin gets the sugar out of your bloodstream.
 

Insulin Resistance

If we are eating a lot of carbs or eating them throughout the day, every day, our pancreas needs to keep pumping out more insulin to do its job. The problem is that over time, those cells to stop listening to the insulin (like how we tune out our kids when they keep talking or fighting with one another!) and won’t allow the sugar in. We then develop insulin resistance and the pancreas has to release more insulin to get the job done.
 
At this point, your blood sugar tests would show normal levels because the increased levels of insulin can still get the sugar out of the blood, but if your doctor would measure your insulin levels, they would be very high. Can you see how this is a better indicator of Type 2 Diabetes? Your insulin level will be high long before your blood sugar levels will be. This is called Hyperinsulinemia, and it’s a sign of approaching prediabetes and of heart disease.

Fatty Liver

If you’ve been diagnosed with FATTY LIVER, you might think you need to avoid fat at all costs.
But…carbohydrate/sugar intake is a bigger contributor to Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease than fat is.
High fructose corn syrup found in soft drinks and packaged foods is one of the main culprits.
What helps to reverse fatty liver? Eating the right kind of fats like omega 3 fatty acids (salmon, fish oil, flax seed) and a low carbohydrate diet.

Other Health Risks

Sugar also leads to some types of cancer, fatigue, cellular aging, cavities/poor dental health and increased risk of dementia. I’ll write more about some of these effects in future blog posts.

Sugar causes tooth decay. We all know this. The truth is, that sugar consumption is linked to all sorts of health conditions, not just dental problems. Cutting back on sugar, including all carbohydrates, can benefit our health and our waistlines. Eating a lower-carb diet can improve mood, increase energy, and reduce cravings, among other benefits.

Give it a try. Make a simple change like taking the carbs out of breakfast for a week and see how you feel. Need some recipes? Click HERE to get my Better Breakfast Recipe Book.

You might also be interested in: Cravings, Why Willpower Isn’t Enough or Is Saturated Fat Bad for You?

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