What happens when you eat too much sugar
50 years ago, a lie was told. "Fat is the enemy."
But today we're starting to truly grasp the dramatic negative impact that refined added sugars have on our bodies. And it's not just that it will make you fat.
What is Refined Sugar?
"Sugars" are necessary to survive. They feed our muscles, our cells, and our all-too-important gut microbiome. The difference is that these "sugars" are naturally occurring, and built into a complex food matrix comprised of fiber and polyphenols (naturally occurring organic compounds) that slow the absorption and control blood sugar levels.
Above all, when these sugars are in their natural matrix with fiber, the fiber triggers a satiated response in your body so that you don't feel hungry.
Refined sugars on the other hand lack this natural response, and often lead to overeating as a result. Refined sugars are simply any sugar stripped from its natural source, and then added into foods after processing. Our body simply doesn't know how to handle sugar in this format, nor this quantity, and we're left with a giant decline in health.
So yes, bananas and ice cream have sugar... but your body treats them very differently.
Not-So-Fun Facts About Refined Sugar
75% of adults in the U.S. get 1/10th of their calories from refined sugar.
Refined sugar increases DNA damage and inflammation.
Men who drank 75g of sugar (a ton, but about equivalent to a 24oz Coke) saw a 25% drop in testosterone levels within 2 hours.
Kids that did not consume refined sugar for 9 days saw insulin levels drop by 1/3rd.
Refined sugar restricts the ability of your cells to self-kill when necessary, leading to increased risk of cancer.
When subjects drank a 20oz sugary beverage, they saw an 60-100% increase in bodily inflammation