The Effect of Sugar on the Body

The body processes multiple intricate processes 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all while we take for granted the complexity of the hard work. One of the more complicated processes is how our body handles sugar and the continuation of a balancing act involving the liver, hormones, and stress. Insulin is the primary hormone that regulates sugar in the bloodstream and is produced in the pancreas. Insulin levels must be within normal ranges to keep blood glucose regulated for proper bodily functioning.

The process begins with eating which causes insulin to be released from the pancreas, causing an increase in blood sugar levels. Eating a healthy diet assists in the normal pro-cessing of digestion and how the body uses or stores excessive amounts of insulin. Eating diets high in fat, sugars, and processed foods will drive the insulin higher and the body has to store the extra sugar in muscle, fat, and liver cells, and is stored for future use. Keeping the insulin levels lower will allow sugar as a fuel to be released into the blood-stream for energy (n.d., UCSF, 2024).

After the consumption of food and the insulin release, the liver functions as a reservoir for the body’s glucose. This process helps to constantly circulate blood sugar levels and the liver will store or manufacture glucose based on the body’s need (n.d. UCSF, 2024). There are certain organs that require sugar including the brain, kidneys, and red blood cells. If the sugar supply is low, the liver makes other fuels called ketones, from fat stores.

This complex process in a healthy body will keep sugars in the bloodstream as fuel for the body for optimal daily living. Juvenile diabetes type I is a dysfunction in the body that some people are born with and the pancreas does not produce insulin normally and this creates chaos with blood sugar production, storage, and bodily functioning. Synthetic insulin and diet modifications will aid the body in keeping a balance in the body. Stress and type I diabetes will also affect blood sugar levels and increase blood sugar levels creating the need for higher doses of synthetic insulin.

Individuals who ignore health eating habits can develop diabetes type II due to years of food abuse and the body is not able to regulate insulin levels. This is also an inherent risk in family members. Lifestyles, age, weight gain, being secondary, and poor diet are risk factors for developing type II diabetes.

Consuming high doses of simple sugars and refined carbohydrates not only overloads bloodstream sugar levels but also it overloads and causes damage to the liver.  Called non-alcoholic fatty liver, the body will also begin to create a buildup of cholesterol in the arteries, resulting in high blood pressure and cardiac disease. A diet high in sugars also tricks the body into weight gain and confusing insulin signaling. Consuming high levels of sugar can create metabolic dysfunction including weight gain, abdominal obesity, ele-vated triglycerides, and high blood pressure (n.d., Mount Sinai, 2024).

References     

n.d. (2024). Diabetes Education Online, University of California, San Francisco. Retried from: https://dtc.ucsf.edu/types-of-diabetes/type1/understanding-type-1-diabetes/how-the-body-processes-sugar/controlling-blood-sugar/

n.d. (2024) Effects of Blood Sugar on Your Body. Mount Siani Medical Center. Re-trieved from: https://www.msmc.com/effects-of-sugar-on-your-body/