Sugar IS Bad For You?

Why Is Sugar Bad For You?
By Pierre Mouchette | Bits-n-Pieces

The typical Western diet is full of sugar, with only a small amount consumed in granular form.  Foods often contain “hidden sugars,” including dextrose, fructose, maltose, and sucrose.  It leads to a much higher consumption of sweeteners than many realize. 

Yogurts, coffee and tea-based beverages, breakfast cereal, even unsweetened ones, spaghetti sauce, and sports drinks can all contain substantial amounts of sugar.  Most Americans only eat three servings or less of fruits and vegetables,  about 10 grams of fiber, and too many snack foods rich in sugar, fat, and salt.
“All of this food in the absence of physical activity leads to overweight and obesity in two-thirds of Americans and affects immune function as we saw in the pandemic where obesity was a risk factor for severe disease.”

Maintaining one’s microbiome
Although it is too soon to conclude that the results of the current studies are directly relevant to human health, many other studies show the importance of gut microbiota in the context of human health and disease.  We are still trying to understand what a healthy gut microbiome is, but we know there are many things we can do to look after our gut health and microbiota.  Eating high-fiber foods such as grains, fruits, and vegetables helps to feed gut microbiota and prevent the growth of potentially pathogenic bacteria. Furthermore, many fermented foods (e.g., yogurt) contain probiotic species that promote a healthy gut.

Studies emphasize that a complex interaction between diet, microbiota, and the immune system plays a crucial role in developing obesity, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and other conditions.  For optimal health, modifying your diet and improving your microbiome or intestinal immune system is essential, for example, by increasing Th17 cell-inducing bacteria.

Of course, making dietary changes can be challenging, so consulting a physician/ dietician is always recommended.