I know that added sugar contains no nutritional value and can cause inflamation in your arteries, but is it really that bad if no weight is gained?
As always context Is important. A dietary pattern high (beyond the recommended limits) in added sugar is associated with inflammation.
While inflammation to some degree is a normal response to injury or illness, chronic inflammation induced by Poor lifestyle habits including Diet, Is problematic.
Persistent or chronic inflammation unchecked, can lead to the following downstream conditions:
Damage to arteries as you mentioned. A buildup of plaque. Conditions associated with this include high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, as well as damage to the blood vessels that supply the kidneys.
Diabetes: Chronic inflammation can impair insulin sensitivity and lead to insulin resistance, a key factor in the development of type 2 diabetes.
Cancer: Chronic inflammation can increase the risk of developing certain types of cancer like colon and liver cancer.
Neurodegenerative diseases: Chronic inflammation is believed to play a role in the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Chronic pain: Chronic inflammation can cause pain and discomfort that persists even after the initial injury or infection has healed.
Unfortunately, the most important part here is context.
Within normal context and within normal quantities, sugar is OK.
Sugar itself is OK. The major issues come with addiction (regular consumption + high levels of consumption). However, this same issue would apply to any food or macronutrient, for that matter.
The stigma surrounding sugar is mostly born out of the fact that sugar is heavily palatable. You can guzzle down a LOT with almost no or no change to your level of satiety.
Comparing this to fatty foods, for example, which, even though they are also very palatable, tend to create a higher level of satiety. So, the equation becomes regular consumption + higher levels of consumption but at a lower level than sugar.
This doesn’t mean either is better or worse overall, but it does point out that sugar is just easy to consume a lot of.
If controlled for calories and for medical issues, sugar is unlikely to do any harm.
Added sugars can also be linked to serotonin levels effecting mood swings, appetite, memory and social behavior. It basically is a short term happy producer much like drugs, and makes you crave more.
Which leads to a lot of the health issues, including migraines and inflammation.
That’s why it’s good to keep an eye on consumption and eat it in moderation. Sugar in itself is not bad nor is added sugar but to much just makes you feel lousy after awhile, weight gain or not. It’s also a hard one to kick if your looking to change your diet or loose weight.
Depends on what your goals are and if you can manage empty calories to reach said goal.
Sugar has no value, has empty calories, has a history of easy overconsumption and could cause health issues.
To overcome the sugar kick I would opt for fruit sugar instead, as long as your Aware you’re ahead of 90% of everyone else.
GL go eat a candy bar just use the energy after, don’t sit and watch tv, go run it off or create something, energy is physical or mental!
There are no “good” or “bad” foods, unless you have an allergy or an intolerance, then you obviously shouldn’t eat that. Too much of anything can be “bad”. Fat/weight gain can occur from eating even the ✨cleanest✨ of diets.