An expanding middle with all related life-threatening health risks including heart disease, stroke, and diabetes are not the only concerns linked to over-consumption of sugar. There are also poor dental health issues that accompany excessive sugar consumption such as dental caries, tooth loss and gum disease. Without the necessary interventions carried out by a professional dentist in Ipswich, there may be far-reaching consequences for the patient suffering from related dental disorders.
Do dental and other health practitioners have real cause for concern about the amounts of sugar we consume?
According to the NHS, it is the free or added sugars that we need to be aware of. The official recommended daily sugar intake is limited to 30g of free sugars for adults but, in reality, what we consume greatly exceeds this amount.
Can we really be surprised at the statistics released from the latest available Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet, England report – 67 percent of men and 60 percent of women are found to be either over their recommended weight or outright obese?
Statistics released by the National Child Measurement Programme show that the news is not much brighter for children. Over 14 percent of young children between the ages of four and five are found to be obese and over 13 percent of the same age group, are overweight. This percentage dramatically increases in children in the 10-11 age group with 25.5 percent said to be obese.
What is the problem with excessive sugar consumption?
All medical experts agree on one thing – too much sugar has direct and indirect undesirable consequences on health, longevity and quality of life. The following are just a few of the health concerns triggered by too-high sugar diets.
No nutritional value
Apart from the sweet taste of sugar, there is no real nutritional value afforded to the body. Unlike natural sugars in foods such as fruit and milk that are linked to wanted nutrients (vitamins and minerals) contained in those foods, sugar that is added in the food manufacturing process holds no other nutritional value.
There is also the calorie content that is of concern. Free sugars are loaded in calories which is why foods rich in free sugars have such a disastrous impact on waistlines. Natural sugars, on the other hand, have lower calorie content in addition to providing a good source of energy.
Increased risk of mental disorders such as depression
Most people are familiar with sugar consumption’s unhealthy impact on weight gain and diseases like diabetes. Depression is not so easily linked to excessive sugar intake yet a diet burdened by added sugars in processed and fast foods can raise the risk of suffering from depression.
Accelerates the ageing process
In time there is no escaping the ravaging effects of the natural ageing process on the skin but poor food choices (refined carbs and sugary foods) can hasten the effects. This is all down to the stimulated production of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) encouraged by the interplay of proteins and sugars. AGEs destroy skin-affirming collagen and elastin which is why unhealthy food choices can worsen the appearance of wrinkles.
How does one avoid all these disagreeable consequences? Finding ways to effectively reduce one’s sugar intake is the most reliable answer.