Sugar has always been categorised by as villain as far as health is concerned. But sugar has health benefits too. While it is true that sugar makes you put on weight, it is also true that your body needs sugar to stay healthy. The health benefits of sugar are not implicit under normal conditions. But when your health is down, nothing works like sugar.
Your body needs sugar for strength and energy. Despite the fact that sugar leads to weight gain and several other disorders, you cannot deny that sugar gives you instant energy. In a nugget, sugar has health benefits and can be very useful to you.
According to many experts, sugar is the one thing most people need to eat less of throughout the year. Is it healthy to permanently remove all sugar from your diet? No.
At the heart of the sugary situation is the fact there are two types of sugar:
Natural Sugars
There are sugars that occur naturally in fruits and milk. These sugars are complex carbohydrates that provide nutrition and help regulate blood sugar.
Added Sugars
Refined white sugar (sucrose), brown sugar, honey and syrups that are added to food are the focus of all those health studies. These added sugars are simple carbohydrates that provide little nutritional value and can cause spikes in blood glucose levels.
Today an average person consumes around 24 kilograms of sugar each year (9kg more in industrializes countries), and because of that many scientific studies tried to examine positive and negative effects of this popular food substance. In all of their findings, some effects could be tested and proven to be true, but many were left inconclusive and unfinished. With that thing said, benefits of sugar are much easier to prove than harmful effects.
Sugar can have many positive effects on your life and metabolism.
Instant Energy
Sugar is source of instant energy. When sugar goes into our blood, it gets converted into glucose which is the simplest form of sugar. Then the glucose is absorbed by the cells of the body and produces energy. If you are totally tired after a long day of physical labour, sugar cubes are the best way to give you energy. Some sports persons carry sugar cubes in their pockets so that they can get some instant energy on the field.
Sugar Helps You Store Energy for Later
Sugar can provide energy beyond the immediate boost. After glucose is converted into energy for immediate use, the body will store some of the glucose as an energy reserve for later. The process is called glycogenesis. Glucose molecules are connected together in what’s known as a glycogen chain. The glycogen chain is broken down in single glucose units whenever there’s no primary source of energy.
What’s great about the glycogenesis process is that it allows us to go extended periods without eating – and there are some days around this time of year where that comes in handy. It’s worth noting, however, to still be mindful of your intake because when glucose exceeds storage capacity it’s converted into fat.
Sugar Can Provide an Instant Mood Boost
It should come as no surprise that sugar makes us happy. We’re so hardwired to like sugar, two sweet-receptor genes have been discovered that can predict how strong your sweet tooth will be. Regardless of genes, sugar activates the pleasure center of our brain and causes a rush of dopamine. This will produce an immediate, euphoric feeling.
Here again you have to be careful with how much sugar you eat. Too much of a good thing (i.e. sugar) can actually cause the opposite affect..
Naturally Sweet Chocolate Can Improve Thinking Skills
Chocolate is a source of natural sugar, but it also contains other healthy components. Each bite provides a surge of antioxidants along with cocoa flavanols. Researchers have discovered that cocoa flavanols can improve cognitive function, and studies out of Italy have found that it can even improve thinking skills regardless of whether a person has cognitive impairment.
Low Blood Pressure
People who suffer from low blood pressure are advised to carry sugar cubes with them at all times. Having sugar can raise your blood pressure immediately. If you are about to have a black out due to low blood pressure, swallow some sugar.
Cures Depression
Sugar is an instant cure for depression. Sugar gives you a ‘high’. That is why they say that chocolate can help you heighten your mood. Sugar makes you feel good about yourself. But mind you, this ‘high’ is always short lived and you might end up getting addicted to it.
Sugar Therapy
Some medical practitioners believe that sugar can heal wounds much faster than medicines. Some nasty wounds can be healed with granulated sugar much faster than antibiotics. However, you cannot try sugar therapy on your own. You need the help of an expert medical doctor for it.
Skin health
Sugar’s glycolic acid can be very helpful in maintaining the health and look of your skin. Using it can help elimination blemishes and restoring the balance in the skin’s oils.
Less processed
Many people use high-fructose corn syrup as a means of sweetening their food, but that product is highly processed and can cause problems to their digestion. Sugars consist only from natural ingredients that can be processed easily by our metabolism.
Environment benefits
Sugar is created from natural resources without the use of pesticides and other harmful products, in a way what don pollutes environment. That is not the case with the production of the industrial artificial sweeteners.
Despite all the benefits, sugar consumption has to be limited or it can do more harm than good. But rest assured, you don’t have to forgo all the holiday foods you love.
