Sugar is one of the most common nutritional elements present in the majority of plants and many animal products. The benefits of consuming sugar include increased energy level and improved thinking capacity. However, these and other advantages are related only to natural sugars. Meanwhile, modern supermarkets offer a wide variety of products containing added sugar, which has a detrimental effect on health. The most dangerous outcomes of high sugar intake are the increased risk of obesity and tooth caries and heightened energy use required to compensate for excessive sugar consumption.
Context
Sugar is one of the main contributors to a variety of diseases prevailing among US citizens. Such health issues as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, dental problems, and others can develop in the organism of an individual who consumes too much sugar. Young people are particularly susceptible to excessive sugar use due to its high levels in sugar-sweetened beverages, which are popular with children and teenagers (Rosinger, Herrick, Gahche, & Park, 2017). Risks exist for all age groups and social levels, causing health deterioration of many people in the USA. Healthcare practitioners should take measures and spread information on the negative effects of high sugar consumption and the ways of reducing the risks.
1st Con-Point: The Increased Risk of Obesity
The first significant negative effect of high sugar consumption is the elevated likelihood of obesity. According to Stanhope (2015), elevated sugar intake leads to the “unregulated hepatic uptake and metabolism” of fructose (p. 52). As a consequence, one develops low insulin sensitivity and high uric acid levels. Furthermore, increased sugar consumption can lead to the development and prevalence of dyslipidemia, fatty liver, hyperuricemia, and insulin resistance (Stanhope, 2015). These conditions have a negative effect on body mass index, which can result in diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Therefore, the increased risk of obesity, which is the first severe outcome of abusing sugar, can further trigger other serious health problems.
2nd Con-Point: The Damage to Tooth Caries
Another important fact against the excessive sugar intake if the effect on one’s dental health. According to Pitts et al. (2017), specialists in dental ecology, oral biology, and operative dentistry, tooth caries is the disease driven by sugar misuse. When a person eats or drinks too many sugary products, dental hard tissues demineralize. Tooth caries can damage the tooth crown and exposed root surfaces (Pitts et al., 2017). Since dental health issues can have a negative effect on other organs and body systems, it is crucial to eliminate the risk of the most detrimental trigger of caries – sugar.
3rd Con-Point: A Heightened Energy Use Required
Finally, it is necessary to note the negative effect of sugar abuse on energy. The use of added sugar is beneficial when it is kept within limits. However, as DiNicolantonio and Berger (2016) report, excessive consumption of sugar leads to detrimental changes in the organism, such as conditions associated with heart disease or obesity. To alleviate the negative impact of sugar, people should exercise intensively. Since not many sugar-lovers are ready to engage in physical activities, they should reduce their sugar intake.
Conclusion
The risk of obesity and dental caries and the need to use energy intensively are the main negative causes of increased sugar intake. Each of these adverse effects can lead to severe health complications both in children and adults. Healthcare providers have to educate populations on the risks of elevated sugar consumption and look for solutions to the problem that is gaining more and more resonance at present.
References
DiNicolantonio, J. J., & Berger, A. (2016). Added sugars drive nutrient and energy deficit in obesity: A new paradigm. Open Heart, 3(2), e000469. Web.
Pitts, N. B., Zero, D. T., Marsh, P. D., Ekstrand, K., Weintraub, J. A., Ramos-Gomez, F., … Ismail, A. (2017). Dental caries. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 3, 17030. Web.
Rosinger, A., Herrick, K., Gahche, J., & Park, S. (2017). Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among U.S. youth, 2011–2014. NCHS Data Brief, 271. Web.
Stanhope, K. L. (2015). Sugar consumption, metabolic disease and obesity: The state of the controversy. Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences, 53(1), 52–67. Web.