...Sugar Momma As Americans there is a common addiction to a white substance known as sugar, and with this addiction comes an assortment of complications and diseases. The reason why Americans are addicted to sugar is because when sugar is absorbed into the human bloodstream sugar is sent to the brain , which according to Dr. Lustig, a specialist in Neuroendocrinology “stimulates the same areas as cocaine or heroin” (Rose). When sugar is digested, it makes one want to eat more and more of it, because the body naturally craves sugar. If sugar affects the same areas of the brain as cocaine or heroin, then why is sugar, so widely available in society and why is sugar so readily given to children? Dr. Lustig has also studied the effects of sugar in the human body, and states that “seventy-five percent of diseases Americans face” can be prevented by simply changing one's diet (Rose).One of the diseases caused by sugar is diabetes, a disease in which the body’s ability to produce and to respond to the hormone insulin is debilitated, which is caused by high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood (Mayo Clinic). “Diabetes affects one in three Americans born after 2000,”(Food Inc) which means that America’s children are more at risk to develop diabetes in their adult years. Diabetes also has its own set of complications such as cardiovascular disease, nerve damage, kidney damage, eye damage and loss of...
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...in America, but worldwide. Diabetes Mellitus is a disease where sugar levels in the blood are at a very high level. This disease is caused due to the fact of the body not being able to use insulin properly, or not being able to balance the use of insulin altogether. There are also times when there is a problem with both. As of January 27, 2012, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention noted that diabetes is ranked seventh among the leading causes of deaths in America. There are three main types of diabetes that can affect a person. Type I, which usually has an effect on the younger population, Type II, which effects the population of people above 40, and gestational diabetes, which affects women during their third trimester of a pregnancy. With Type I diabetes, the pancreas produces little or no insulin in the body. Type I diabetics must use insulin injections on a daily basis. Type I diabetes usually affect children and young adults, but it can affect people of any age. Type I diabetes comes from the destruction of beta cells that are in the body. The cause of the beta cells' destruction has yet to be determined, but it is believed that it is caused by something that has gone wrong with the body's immune system. The problem with Type II diabetes is that the beta cells do not produce enough insulin in the body. As a result of this problem, the cells in the body do not react to the insulin in the body because they cannot admit glucose through the membranes of the...
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...answers that we seek are concerned with sugars’ role in the development of obesity and the emergence of related diseases. It is important to consider an individual’s genes when determining vulnerability to obesity but what doctors mostly emphasize is on food intake. As the socioeconomic levels of most Americans rise, diets are increasingly having a higher proportion of sugars while work is shifting into a less physical nature. The high proportion of sugars in the American diet has a direct relationship to obesity and other related illnesses. Is sugar related to obesity and medical disorders associated in the American society? In order to become fully aware of the link between sugars and diabetes, we have to look at the features and nature of sugar. Sugar is a generalized name for a crystalline carbohydrate that is simple, edible and has a sweet flavor. The main types of sugar are sucrose, lactose, fructose and glucose. Glucose, also referred to as blood sugar is the one that circulates in the blood. Table sugar and fruits contain sucrose and fructose respectively. During the process of digestion, carbohydrates break down into glucose, which is the only form of sugar that the body absorbs. Sugars are involved in various body processes and intake should be per body requirements. An excess or a shortage of sugars usually leads to manifestation of a disease (Lustig, 2013). In this case, we will investigate the effects of over-consuming sugars and their contribution to obesity and...
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...is genetic, meaning that the person is born with it, and type 2 (also known as diabetes mellitus) is developed over one’s lifetime (Type 2 Diabetes - Causes). Diabetes causes a disruption in the inner body balance therefore affecting homeostasis. People with diabetes have issues with blood sugar level. Either their body doesn’t react to insulin or their body doesn’t produce insulin. However, there are a few ways of treating this disease. It not only has an effect on the health of the population, but it also causes a great expense to the economy (General Diabetes Facts and Information). Diabetes is a permanent illness, which causes the diabetic’s blood sugar level to become too high (Type 2 Diabetes - Causes). So there is no cure for it can only be treated. People suffering from type 2 diabetes have insulin resistance, which means that their pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin, or the body doesn’t produce enough insulin. As shown in Figure 1 (General Diabetes Facts and Information). The pancreas is large gland behind the stomach and its job is to produce the hormone insulin. The job of insulin is to move glucose from the blood into the cells, where it gets converted into energy (Type 2 Diabetes - Causes). In the UK, 1 in 16 people have diabetes. The high level of sugar in the blood causes the person to feel thirsty and urinate more than usual, especially at nighttime, and feel tired for most of the day. Type 2 diabetes is a lot more common than type 1, is usually associated...
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...with low or zero calories ought to be able to assist with obese and overweight issues. Many research have been done to find the actually benefit of artificial sweeteners. Sweeteners benefit from being much sweeter than normal sugar and could reach up to 600 times sweeter than sugar which industries took advantage in cutting cost of their product and heavily promote the benefit side of artificial sweeteners. Studies shows that artificial sugar does help to cut sugar calories low but on the other the population is getting more over weight on correlation with the use of artificial sugar. People tend to consume more calories from other food instead. Real sugar allows your body to accurately determine that it has received enough calories, thereby activating satiety signaling. Without the calories, your appetite is activated by the sweet taste, but as your body keeps waiting for the calories to come, sensations of hunger remain. Nonetheless many have criticized artificial sugar but it does help to reduce tooth decay and give the privilege of diabetes to satisfy the sweet tooth craving. After all artificial sugar can only assist with cutting down weight if healthy diet and regular exercise is included. Otherwise there won’t be any significant help but opposite effect Introduction Obesity is a growing health problem. Obesity is when someone is so overweight that is a threat to their health. Can usefulness and potential of artificial or non-caloric sweetener use...
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...Hudson English 101 15 March 2015 Conscious Eating Matters The fast-paced world in which we live makes it easy to forget how important nutrition is to the body. We are constantly on the move: going to work, going to school, hanging out with family and friends, shopping and other activities. Most of the time we are trying to get a quick meal to coincide with our quick lifestyles which makes it seem hard to focus on the aspects of our lives that matter most, like what foods we put into our body. Each and every one of us has a unique body that requires a vast amount of nutrients which many of us are not getting each day. “In a study completed at the University of Illinois it was discovered that many American adults are not getting enough vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, and iron [in their daily diet]. Americans have a tendency to eat far more saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium than is normal or recommended” (Bushak). Things like fast food, soda, and sugar-based foods are replacing highly nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables in people’s diets. This is why it is important to be conscious of what food you put into your body alongside the benefits of good nutrition. Making sure to eat fruits and vegetables every day is extremely important because they offer lots of beneficial nutrients for our bodies to run properly. According to Webber, “It is recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to average 2 cups of fruit and 2½ cups of vegetables...
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...soy milk, contain chemicals known as isoflavones. These molecules are potent antioxidants that can help protect the body from dangerous molecules known as reactive oxygen species. Isoflavones are also interesting because they have a chemical structure that is similar to estrogen, reports the Harvard School of Public Health, which is why they are called phytoestrogens. In theory, these isoflavones may be able to have a similar effect on the body as naturally produced estrogen. Soy milk, have a low-glycemic index value. Glycemic index, or GI, is a numerical system that measures the amount of sugar in a particular food. Soy foods are digested and absorbed slowly, which means your body converts them to sugar and absorbs them into your bloodstream gradually. This gradual release of sugar helps minimize blood sugar swings. Consumption of soy foods may also increase production of insulin in patients with type 1 diabetes, according "Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease," by Maurice Edward and Moshe Shike. Eating food is how you provide fuel to your body to stay alive. Food is digested by a complex system of organs, hormones and enzymes and eventually becomes the usable energy for your cells called glucose. Your brain and muscles must have a supply of glucose to function. Blood glucose is the amount glucose (sugar) present in the blood of a human or animal. The body naturally tightly regulates blood glucose levels as a part of metabolic homeostasis. The purpose of this study is to...
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...produced by the organ pancreas to control blood sugar (Miller, 2010). Diabetes has been regarded as one of the biggest killers in the world. There exists three types of diabetes, type one, type two and type three. The most common is diabetes mellitus (Derek LeRoith, 2004). Therefore, Diabetes can be caused by little insulin, resistance to the protein insulin or even both. This paper aims to see to research on what causes diabetes, types of diabetes, the incidence and the risk factors associated with the disease. Problems Diabetes is a condition when there is a sharp rise of sugar levels in the blood. The body finds it difficult to deal with the high concentration of the sugar in the blood. Foods, which contain starch or carbohydrates such as, rice, bread etc and foods that taste sweet are digested in the body into glucose. The pancreas produces a hormone called insulin, which allows glucose to move into cells to be used by our bodies for energy. When glucose levels increase above normal levels it leads to the complications of diabetes. Men and women are equally likely to suffer from diabetes, also being Asian or Afro-Caribbean, overweight, aged between 40 and 75 or having diabetes in the family can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes. To understand the concept of diabetes it is imperative that the process by which food is broken down to energy is understood (Kim, 2010). Almost all foods taken in the body contain glucose, glucose is broken down in...
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...He who conquers sugar is the real master above all of this because if he can control sugar cravings, he can control almost anything. A sugar addiction is a mental addiction. Sugar cravings are a major issue not just for ketogenic eating, but any diet program. These cravings are often what throw people out of ketosis because they give into them. Sugar causes a natural production of opioids in the brain that produces a drug-like high. Many people with addiction type of personalities who choose not to abuse illegal substances may opt for sugar because of its strong pleasurable effects. Since it is a legal substance, there are no real risks in consuming it. Sugar is ok. Sugar releases that "ahh" feeling that most of us like. Who would have ever...
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...The Adverse Effect Fructose Corn Syrup Has On Diabetes Bethel University May 8, 2012 Expository Writing Facilitator- Ms. Sarthou Abstract High fructose corn syrup is causing many problems in the United States. The main problems are obesity which causes type two diabetes. There are also many other diseases that branch off from these two main diseases, like liver and heart disease. In this paper, exploring the reason why high fructose corn syrup is becoming such a huge problem in the United States. The argument of this paper is that high fructose syrup has an adverse effect on diabetes. When the producers of high fructose syrup saw that it is more cost effective than other sugars, other companies started to use high fructose corn syrup in their products. High fructose corn syrup is a sugar made of fifty-five percent fructose and forty-five percent glucose. Compared to normal table sugar, which is fifty percent fructose and fifty percent glucose, it doesn’t seem like much. Yet the fructose in high fructose corn syrup is less attached from normal sugar. This fructose that is free from the glucose part is more harmful to the body. It was first introduced in 1970 but it hasn’t been actively used until the late 1900s. Yet because we started to use high fructose corn syrup, it is now causing a lot of problems. It has many negative side effects after consumption, and most of the consuming is done in the United States. Two of the main problems caused by high fructose corn...
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...relatively high in caloric content, but low in nutritional value. Junk food is often high in sugar, salt, and fat, particularly saturated fat. It is often heavily processed and prepackaged, making it easy to prepare and eat. A few examples of foods often considered to be junk food include fast food, sweets such as ice cream, candy, debbie cakes, donuts, pre packaged treats, soda, and potato chips, among many others. Most people have no trouble pinpointing junk food; it is when they want to stop eating junk food that the trouble starts. The first effect of eating junk food is its impact on energy levels. The junk food causes energy levels to shoot up, which people like, but then energy levels will quickly crash, sending one back into the kitchen for another quick snack. In addition, junk food can cause moodiness, and make it difficult to get enough sleep at night, so energy levels are never restored to normal. Which means yes you will find yourself repeatedly looking for quick snacks throughout that night. Junk food doesn't contain the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. As a result, you may feel chronically fatigued leaving your body weak with the lack energy you need to complete daily tasks. The high levels of sugar in junk food puts your metabolism under stress; when you eat refined sugar, your pancreas secretes high amounts of insulin to prevent a dangerous spike in blood sugar levels....
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...The main idea of the paper states that sugar is an addiction and that when people stop consuming it at the rate they are used to, their bodies go through withdraw. This article is trying to inform us about the effects sugar has on our bodies and to persuade us that sugar can have the same effects that a drug can have. This article pointed out many good facts that I found very interesting. I agreed with many parts of the article. The point that I agreed with the most was when the article stated that sugar is an addiction. I had never really thought about sweets in that way before, but after reading this article I can really see how sugar can be that way. I have found myself craving for something with sugar after not having it for a while because...
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...The Negative Effects of Processed Foods Food is one of life’s main essentials to sustain viability. The ongoing growth, maintenance and repair of the body depends deeply on the energy and nutrients supplied to the body through foods. The nutrients that food delivers to the human body is an amazingly, dynamic process that keeps people alive and well. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that over 25 million people in America have diabetes; 215,000 of those are children and over 69 percent of all Americans are overweight and obese. This includes childhood obesity, which has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years. There is also the deadly threat of food intolerances, which according to the CDC, has increased approximately 50 percent between 1997 and 2011. That means 1 in every 13 children under the age of 18 have a food allergy, according to statistics. These diseases cause many complications and are responsible for a reduced quality of life. These startling statistics reveal that Americans, especially children, are not getting the proper nutrients their body needs. America has taken technological innovations in food production to the next level and has an abundant food supply. So why are so many Americans sick with food related diseases? Taking a closer look at America’s diet holds the answer. A typical American diet consists of 70 percent processed foods. This includes packaged foods, fast foods, and foods that could...
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...Food It is obvious and should be common sense that what a person puts in his or her body will have a direct effect, not only on the person’s overall physical health, but also his or her mental health, emotions, think, and the ways of processing information. The most influential factors regarding human intake are air, water, food & beverages. I will be concentrating on the main focus of the direct effect of food on emotional and physical behaviors. The human body was designed to function as a highly-tuned, self-sustaining, bio-chemical machine that has a very complex system of symbiotic interplay within its infrastructure. Just as if a person was to put water in the gas tank of his or her car, as a result he or she has major mechanical problems requiring massive repairs. The human body has certain limitations and guidelines that must be very closely adhered. The human body must maintain critical balances to remain healthy and working the way it was intended and to be able to balance the effects of food on human beings. Nutrition is a basic biological influence on human behavior. Consuming large amounts of “junk food,” like sweetened boxed cereals, candy, carbonated drinks, potato chips, and fast food cause depression, hyperactivity, and even anger in children and teenagers. The amount of candy eaten by children and sometimes adults also causes major sugar imbalances to occur in the human body. In the article “Food Traditions: The Thread that Links Generations,” Bonny Wolf explains...
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...actually being healthy for you. It is hidden inside a small yellow packet, with a large label “Splenda”, the best selling artificial sweetener in America. This substance has been proven to have an extensive amount of dangerous side-effects. Not only...
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