Many people who are obsessed with sweets and dessert are greatly tempted when passing colorful dessert stores although they know that too much sugar consumption brings few health benefits.
Don’t hesitate and walk away immediately! Many studies have linked sugar intake to cancer.
Sugar as an energy source in the human body
Sugar is the main energy source of the human body, which is important for maintaining our normal body functions. Whether it is a natural sugar or an additive sugar, it needs to be transformed into blood glucose in the blood before it can be used by the human body. Therefore, the sugar we take about here usually refers to blood glucose or blood sugar.
Both normal cells and cancer cells in the human body need blood glucose to provide nutrition. However, they use blood glucose in different ways. Normal cells metabolize glucose to get energy with the help of oxygen, while cancer cells can make energy metabolism in the absence of oxygen, a method called “anaerobic glycolysis” that can fuel the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells.
High blood sugar and cancer
What will come with high blood sugar? In addition to obesity and diabetes, cancer will also occur. High levels of blood sugar can directly increase the risk of getting cancer in the body. They provide sufficient energy to fuel the proliferation and expansion of cancer cells.
Moreover, hyperglycemia can lead to diabetes and obesity, both of which are risk factors for cancer.
How much sugar a day?
So a question comes that what are good sources of sugar and how much is okay?
Sugar consumed from daily diets like fresh fruits and food is enough to meet the daily needs of a healthy person. Added sugars (white sugar, corn syrup, concentrated juice, etc.) should be limited or avoided as much as possible.
It is recommended that for both adults and children, no more than 10% of the total caloric intake – and ideally less than 5% – should come from added sugar or from natural sugars in honey, syrups and fruit juice. For a 2,000-calorie diet, 5% would be 25 grams.
Now keep yourself sugary foods and drinks away! Just a bottle of 500 ml of Cola will give you 52.5 grams of sugar.