Although we want to control it, we are not fully aware of the amount of sugar we consume because it is often camouflaged in foods. According to the American Heart Association, the maximum daily amount for women is 6 teaspoons, and 9 for men. On the other hand, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends an upper limit of 50 grams, but better if it’s 25 grams. Many times we buy ‘light’ or ‘no added sugar’ products, but the reality is that they have other ingredients that are, in fact, sugar.
Some of them, like glucose, fructose, sucrose, lactose, corn syrup, or high-fructose corn syrup, are hidden in the ingredient list, and due to ignorance, we may think that the product contains no sugar, when in reality it has quantities far above the recommended levels. Additionally, as the body is wise, when we are eating too much sugar, it makes us aware in different ways. The specialist in dermatology, phlebotomy, proctology, and nutritional medicine, Dr. Lela Ahlemann, explains this symptomology and what happens inside the body perfectly.
She explains that if we experience weight gain and constant hunger, acne, cravings, mood swings, or inflammation and a weak immune system, the body is alerting us to high sugar levels. She also refers to accelerated aging, as the intake of sugars leads to the formation of AGEs, and also affects the collagen in our skin.
Sugar consumption
We are becoming more aware of how harmful sugar intake is for our bodies. This is why we have greater control over the amount we consume, but the number of ultra-processed products on the market makes it difficult. According to the American Heart Association, the maximum intake for women is 6 teaspoons, while for men it is 9. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) sets the preferable figure at 25 grams daily, and 50 grams as the maximum limit. Despite this, the total amount of sugars we consume daily often exceeds those figures, as much of it is hidden and not always detectable in ingredient lists.
What other names is sugar known by?
A trick to identify sugar when it is not explicitly written in the ingredient lists is to look for those terms that end in ‘-ose’, or are ‘syrups’ or ‘sweeteners’. All of them are equivalent to writing ‘sugar’. Some of the ones that usually appear are:
- Sucrose.
- Glucose, glucose syrup, or dextrose.
- Fructose.
- Corn syrup (high-fructose corn syrup).
- Maltose.
- Dextrose.
- Lactose.
- Invert sugar.
- Honey.
- Agave syrup, maple syrup or rice syrup.
The body warns if you are eating too much sugar
The specialist in dermatology, phlebology, proctology, and nutritional medicine, Dr. Lela Ahlemann, explains that the body experiences certain symptoms when there is an excess of sugar, and describes what happens internally.
- Weight gain and constant hunger. According to Dr. Ahlemann, the reason for this is that “sugar raises blood glucose levels in the short term but does not have a lasting satiating effect due to the lack of fiber. Persistent hunger and continuous eating ultimately lead to weight gain, which we all know as a sign of too much sugar”.
- Acne. The doctor explains that “Along with insulin, this IGF-1 stimulates the sebaceous glands and excessive keratinization in the area of the sebaceous glands, which leads to blockages, resulting in pimples and inflammation”.
- Cravings and mood swings. The high increase in blood glucose levels leads to a release of insulin – but this is often so strong that blood sugar is not reduced to the normal level, but below baseline, and this leads to cravings. In some people, it also leads to mood changes and irritability,” explains Dr. Ahlemann.
- Inflammation and weak immune system. Dr. Ahlemann says, “if the amount of simple sugars like glucose and fructose that we consume exceeds the capacity of our small intestine, this simple sugar ends up in the large intestine,” and adds, “Selective feeding leads to a proliferation of these bacteria. The problem is that, unfortunately, they carry endotoxins on their bacterial surface. These are called lipopolysaccharides. These endotoxins can then leak from the intestine, enter the bloodstream, and lead to silent inflammation”.
- Accelerated aging. “High sugar intake leads to the formation of so-called AGEs or advanced glycation end products. In our collagen, the fibers should ideally run parallel; when the tissue is saccharified, there are cross-links in the connective tissue of collagen, making it rigid, fragile, easier to degenerate, and -very importantly- the body is also less able to repair itself. This means that the quality of our collagen deteriorates,” stated the doctor.
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