The excerpts below summarize my thoughts on what added sugar (like what you see in the label above) does to your body.
Added sugar lowers immune system performance
According to Health Services at Columbia University, when you eat 100 grams of sugar, about as much sugar as you find in a 1 liter bottle of soda, your white blood cells are 40 percent less effective at killing germs. This can cripple your immune system for up to 5 hours after eating sugar!
Sugar impacts your white blood cells by competing for space in those cells with Vitamin C. Linus Pauling did research in the 1970s to find out how the body uses Vitamin C. They discovered that white blood cells need Vitamin C to destroy bacteria and viruses. Sugar and Vitamin C are similar in their chemical structure. When you eat sugar, it directly competes for space in your immune cells with Vitamin C! The more sugar in your system, the less Vitamin C can get into your white blood cells. Sugar DOES NOT help your immune system fight infection at all, resulting in a weakened defense from infections.
References:
Added sugar sets you up for heart disease
The new bad news is that sugar does more damage to our bodies than we originally thought. It was once considered to be just another marker for an unhealthy diet and obesity. Now sugar is considered an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, as well as many other chronic diseases, according a study published Feb 3, 2014 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Participants in the study who consumed approximately 17 to 21% of their calories from added sugar had a 38% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, compared with those who consumed approximately 8% of calories from added sugar, the study authors concluded.
References:
Added sugar is linked definitively with diabetes
A study published in the Feb. 27, 2013 issue of the journal PLoS One links increased consumption of sugar with increased rates of diabetes. The study looked at sugar consumption rates and diabetes incidence in 175 countries. The link between added sugar and diabetes was 10 times stronger than the link between obesity and diabetes. The study demonstrates this link with the same level of confidence that linked cigarettes and lung cancer in the 1960s.
References:
Added sugar causes inflammation
About 70% of our immune cells are in our digestive system, making direct contact with the food we enjoy every day. If the immune system is triggered by bacteria in food, or flags a food as an allergen, or has an imbalance of important hormones such as insulin, it can set off the red alert of inflammation.
Processed sugars and other high-glycemic starches increase inflammation, which causes pain, overheating, redness and swelling.
References:
What about the sugar in fruits?
When the whole fruit is consumed, the amount of sugar you take in is somewhat limited. (Certain high glycemic fruits may be worth watching as closely as table sugar). Also, the fruit includes other nutrients with the sugar that help your body process it more effectively. For instance, apples contain polyphenols, antioxidants and fiber, including pectin that slows digestion of sugar and prevents cholesterol buildup.
Consuming it as juice completely defeats these benefits. Drinking apple juice or orange juice is no better than drinking coke or 7-up.
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