Boba, Dalgona, Croffle, and more and more modern foods appear but unwittingly increase sugar consumption. The temptation of sweet foods like this is hard to be avoided. Though the excess consumption of sugar in it can increase the risk of causing various health problems.
The Indonesian Ministry of Health recommends daily sugar consumption of no more than 50 grams or four tablespoons of sugar per day. Not only in the form of granulated sugar, but sugar also has a thousand faces that food manufacturers often add to it. Other face of added sugar can be brown sugar, corn sugar, sugar syrup, fruit juice concentrate, corn syrup, honey, malt sugar, to molasses.
Consumers need to pay close attention to the composition of added sugar in products written on food labels. To make it easier to understand, just look at the compositions with the suffix "ose", such as dextrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, maltose, and sucrose.
Apart from the many faces of sugar, excessive consumption can actually damage the body in various ways. The following is a summary of the dangers of excess sugar from various sources:
- Tooth decay
The bacteria that cause tooth decay like to nest in the remnants of sweet food stuck to the teeth. If it is not balanced with regular cleaning of the mouth, teeth can be cavities or caries. This condition if left unchecked can lead to tooth decay.
- Increases the risk of obesity
Drinks like soda and boba are high in added sugar. This phenomenon can occur because excessive sugar consumption can interfere with the activity of the leptin hormone, a hormone that regulates hunger. So the body will continue to feel hungry.
Obesity and diabetes are the origins of various health problems that can lead to metabolic syndrome.
- Increase the risk of diabetes
Consumption of excess sugar that lasts continuously can lead to insulin resistance, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. This stems from the inability of the pancreas to produce the necessary insulin hormone due to too much sugar intake. When insulin resistance occurs, the body cannot maintain blood sugar levels, resulting in increased blood sugar levels.
- New pimples
Pimples that appear can be a sign that the diet is still wrong. The reason is, that foods high in sugar can cause an increase in androgen secretion which can cause acne. Sugar also increases the level of inflammation in the body which is the root cause of acne that is so hard to heal.
- The brain is addicted to dopamine
As we have known, dopamine is a chemical that causes pleasant sensations. Consumption of sugar can flood our brains with these chemicals. When this happens, the brain will encourage a person's desire to continue consuming sweet foods or drinks to feel pleasant sensations.