Sugar and Junk Foods Effect on the Body

Ashton Taylor
Shaelynn Trejo
March 6, 2014
Intro to Health Care
Sugar and Junk Food’s Effect on the Body In the United States today, more than two-thirds of adults are obese, and in children ages two to five years old about a quarter of them are obese. The main reason for our obese population is high sugar, fat, cholesterol, and carbohydrate intake. You can go anywhere in the U.S. and find fast-food restaurants, convenience stores and other places that make money off of selling processed foods. Many people know that refined sugars and fats are bad for them, but they might not know what is going on inside their bodies when they eat it. When you eat, your body produces insulin in the liver that regulates blood sugar and prevents in from increasing or decreasing sharply. As your liver secretes insulin, a signal is relayed to the brain that tells you to stop eating. When you eat foods that are high in sugars such as glucose, fructose and sucrose, your body increases insulin production to balance all the sugar taken in, and if this occurs on a regular basis your body will stop producing insulin leading to Type-two Diabetes. Many people who are overweight suffer from this disease and others. Junk food contains large amounts of fat that over time accumulate in your body and cause rapid weight gain. The more fat is stored in your body, the higher risk you have for developing heart problems that could lead to a heart attack. Heart disease develops from plaque build-up in the arteries. With that build up, your heart can’t pump blood through them and your arteries become blocked, most times leading to a heart attack. Along with heart disease, increased fat can slow down cognitive performance. This means that you will be tired and have trouble concentrating and your brain will not be receiving the right amount of oxygen needed to remain focused. Sugar intake also puts stress on the body, just like fats do. Our bodies need sugar to function but only in small amounts and through the right kinds of food. The sugar that is in junk food is processed, which means that the fiber from the original sugar cane is removed to prevent processed foods from spoiling while being shipped. By removing the fiber, the sugar becomes hard for our bodies to process and handle in the digestion process. Some things that sugar does to our bodies is: causes blood sugar to spike and plummet; increases the risk for obesity, diabetes and heart disease; it interferes with immune functions; accelerates aging; causes tooth and bone decay; causes gum disease; increases stress, and takes the place of important nutrients. Sodas are also a big factor in sugar intake. Calorie intake from sweetened drinks has increased by 74 percent per day from 1962 to 2000. Diet sodas are just as bad as other sodas too. Just because it does not have any sugar, does not mean that it is healthy. Diet sodas are packed with artificial flavorings, and sugar substitutes that with time could cause cancer. Soda provides only temporary energy for a short amount of time. This is not good for the heart to have to pump blood quickly, and then stop. A study done by Cambridge University showed that within nine days of adapting to a diet high in fat and sugar were only able to run 50 percent as far as when they were eating a well-balanced diet, this is the same for humans. When a diet high in fat and sugar is eaten, the body becomes lazy and the metabolism slows down. Once the metabolism slows down, other body functions slow as well. The cognitive abilities decrease and so does brain activity. It is important to adopt healthy eating habits now in your life. By substituting good habits for bad ones, you can be on track to a healthier life. Start small. It is easier to cut out a few things from your diet little by little. Keep all of the effects of junk food in mind before eating anything. Ask yourself if you really want to put these things into your body? Having a healthy diet will increase energy levels and you will be more alert throughout the day. Also try not to skip meals, especially breakfast, and drink plenty of water. In a case study, L (53) had high cholesterol and had been taking the drug Lipitor for five years. She also had high blood pressure and acid reflux and had been on Zantac for 15 years. L was having troubles sleeping and had headaches. Her joints were swollen and she often was constipated. L decided to visit her doctor. Upon discussing her symptoms with her doctor, L was suspected of having a food sensitivity. Her doctor told her to eliminate refined corn products and sugars from her diet. After four weeks L said she felt exponentially better. The swelling had gone down in her joints and all her other symptoms were going away. By the end of eight weeks, L had eliminated other junk foods from her diet and was eating healthier. Her symptoms had gone away. By eliminating just one thing from her diet, L had made progress to a better life. Our bodies will thank us for eating right. Good health is very important for living a long and healthy life. Exercise regularly, eat well-balanced healthy meals and get enough sleep and you will notice a difference in your energy and longevity throughout the day. Do not feed your body junk food, feed it healthy wholesome food and you will be able to tell a difference almost immediately!