In moderation, indulging in a sugary treat alongside a balanced diet and active lifestyle is fine. However, during the Halloween and the festive period, our consumption of sugary treats goes through the roof, especially among our children and grandchildren.
According to the National Retail Federation, the average American consumes 3.4lbs of candy/sweets on Halloween [i]. The UPI also reports that the average child will consume up to 7,000 calories on Halloween each year [ii]. This is equivalent to about 144 teaspoons of sugar according to State Food Safety, which is far greater than the daily average of 32 teaspoons.
With such a significant spike in sugar during the Halloween period, this can cause some issues to our oral, and overall health. Today we are going to look at some of the negative effects sugar can have.
The Negatives of Sugar
Sugar is considered by many as a food that is very heavy in ‘empty calories’, meaning that it can be heavy in calories, despite not offering much beneficial nutrition to the body. NHS England attributes an abundance of sugar to a possible increase in weight gain, which in turn can lead to Type 2 Diabetes, heart issues and some forms of cancer [v].
A 15-year study published in 2014 found that there was an association between high-sugar diets and the risk of death from heart disease, with Harvard Health stating that an abundance of added sugar could be one of the greatest threats to our cardiovascular system [iv].
According to the HCF, the daily recommended amount of sugar should be 20g for women, 36g for men and 12g for children. They also break down some of the negative effects sugar can have on your body into the following points [vii]:
- It can lead to heart disease.
- Sugar can increase fat in organs such as your liver which could lead to certain diseases.
- It can lead to unhealthy cholesterol levels.
- US research links sugar to Alzheimer's disease.
- You can become addicted to sugar. This is due to how sugar releases certain chemicals in the brain that are linked to feelings of pleasure.
- Can make you overeat due to a disruption in the communication between the leptin hormones and your brain which indicates when you have eaten enough.
- Has also been linked to being at a higher risk of depression when compared to people eating a healthy diet not high in sugar.
*All points above [vii].
Sugar can also wreak havoc on our oral health too. Some studies suggest that harmful bacteria in the mouth produce acid when encountering/digesting sugar. As a result, this acid can wear down tooth enamel and decrease the health of your teeth [vi].
A 2003 study also supports this finding and states that sugar can reduce the pH level in saliva and plaque, which is one of the starting points that can cause tooth decay and dental carries [viii].
On the subject of looking after our teeth and oral health, there are things you can do outside of brushing your teeth and flossing regularly. At Nourished, we have partnered with the world leader in oral healthcare, Colgate, to develop our Nutristack gummies.
Nutristacks are an innovative new 3d-printed chewie that adds a new dimension to personalising your oral wellness.
They are expert-recommended and are packed with high-impact, fast-absorbing nutrients to provide a host of oral benefits such as building stronger teeth and providing enamel protection [iii].
One of our Nutristack ingredients, Xylitol, can help to lower acid production by bacteria, which protects the strength of your enamel in the process. This anti-plaque agent enables oral microorganisms to produce fewer lipoteichoic acids and protect against gum disease [ix].
If you would like to read more about our Nutristacks and the other possible causes of poor oral health (as well as the health risks they can create) then you can read more on the below links:
- Introducing Nutristacks; In Partnership with Colgate!
- How Poor Oral Health Can Negatively Affect Overall Well-Being!
Remember that sugar doesn’t just come in the form of sweets and candy, sugary drinks are extremely popular and even certain things we consume to increase our overall wellness can contain sugar too such as gummies.
Many gummies on the market that contain vitamins can contain a lot of sugar, and it's one of the reasons we were so meticulous in our research and development process to create a gummy that was completely sugar-free. We often hear that our stacks look as though they are coated in sugar, however, this is actually a natural sweetener which is derived from fruits. Each Nourished or Nutristack gummy still has a delicious taste and flavour, but doesn't come with any of the negatives sugar can bring.
Our gummies offer up to 99.5% efficacy, are chewable and easier to consume than traditional pills, and studies have shown that gummy form can lead to higher absorption of certain ingredients too [xiii] [xiv].
How to Get Your Own Personalised Gummies at Nourished?
Whether you are looking for ways to improve your oral health, after a sugar-free alternative to many gummies on the market or thinking about your kids/grandkids this Halloween, then we have a stack for you here at Nourished. You can take our quick and easy quiz right now on our website and we will recommend a unique stack of scientifically-backed ingredients just for you. Alternatively, you can also visit the Colgate Nutristacks page here and our Nourished Kids page here.
With millions of potential different stack combinations, you can also create your own stack from our Lab, which will then be freshly 3D-printed by Nourished and delivered directly to your door.
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Want to Learn More About Vitamins to Add to a Healthy Diet?
To find out more about the ingredients, research and studies mentioned in this article then click the links listed below or visit the website research page here:
[i] https://www.ngpf.org/blog/question-of-the-day/question-of-the-day-how-much-money-do-americans-waste-on-uneaten-candy-for-halloween/
[ii] https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2011/10/30/Halloween-haul-3500-to-7000-calories/52651320025510/?ur3=1
[iii] https://get-nourished.com/pages/colgate-research
[iv] https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/the-sweet-danger-of-sugar
[v] https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/food-types/how-does-sugar-in-our-diet-affect-our-health/
[vi] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26261186/
[vii] https://www.hcf.com.au/health-agenda/food-diet/nutrition/seven-hidden-side-effects-of-sugar
[viii] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14522753/
