Effects of Sugar.

Sugar, not only rots our teeth and can make us fat, but it has other hidden dangers also.

1. The digestion of refined sugar is only possible with the aid of alkalising minerals and B vitamins. Sugar does not possess such nutrients, so they are drawn from the body's reserves, thus leaving a deficit.
2. Sugar increases the amount of uric acid in the blood which can lead to Gout.
3. Excess sugar consumption is associated with artery disease leading to heart attacks.
4. It can cause hyperglycaemia(high blood sugar), hypoglycaemia(low blood sugar) and may eventually progress to Diabetes.
5. Sugar can be addictive. When we eat sugar, the glucose level in the blood rapidly soars. The pancreas reacts by pouring high levels of insulin into the bloodstream to try to restore the blood sugar levels to normal. When we first eat sugar we experience a quick lift, but as soon as the blood sugar level stabilises, we feel hungry and depressed and we reach for more sugar.

Many of us believe that brown or raw sugar is better than white: but unfortunately it is almost as bad. It does contain a trace of the minerals and vitamins found in the sugar beet and sugar cane from which it is extracted, but it is still a highly-refined substance and can create the same metabolic disturbances as white sugar. The only slight advantage of raw sugar over white is that it is very bulky and strongly flavoured and possibly we automatically eat less of it. Honey if used in small quantities, is a much healthier alternative to sugar. Honey contains two simple sugars, glucose and fructose, which are easily digested. Fructose does not need insulin for absorption, so a little honey can be taken by diabetics.