What will happen to the body if you don't eat sugar at all?

Who doesn't like adding sugar to food and drinks? Whether it's granulated sugar, brown sugar, or other forms of sugar such as syrup or honey. However, the health effects resulting from excessive sugar consumption are not as sweet as they taste. That's why not a few people decide to stop eating this sweetener to avoid its bad effects. Have you ever wondered what would happen to your body if you didn't eat sugar at all?

Recognize the function of sugar for the body

Sugar is not always bad. Sugar itself can be obtained from two sources, namely sweeteners that are added by themselves and sugar from carbohydrates contained in food. For example, from rice, wheat, cassava, bread, to fruits and vegetables. Either way, the human body still needs sugar intake to keep it functioning properly.

In order to better understand, here are some of the main functions of sugar intake for the body:

1. Source of energy

Each of your daily activities as well as the function of organs in the body requires energy. Well, most of the body's energy comes from sugar intake. Broadly speaking, sugar from food and drinks that enter the stomach will be processed into glucose and flowed into the blood.

Each cell will process the glucose it receives through the glycolysis process to become pyruvic acid and lactic acid. Furthermore, these two compounds will be further processed into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is the main source of energy to support all body activities and every internal organ.

At the same time, the remaining glucose which is not processed into energy will be stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver (liver). When the main energy source is used up, the glycogen stores will be used as energy reserves.

The goal, of course, is that you don't end up completely exhausted while engaging in intense physical activity that drains a fair amount of energy. Take for example when you exercise, this is where sometimes glycogen is used a lot.

2. Conserve protein reserves

When you no longer have any remaining glucose reserves, your body will begin to break down protein for use as energy. In fact, protein has various important functions, including building muscle, muscle mass, and accelerating wound healing.

Once successful, the energy source from the breakdown of these proteins will be channeled to various tissues and body cells. However, if your body uses protein as a substitute for energy, you will find it difficult to focus and concentrate, and you will also get sick easily. Lack of protein can also lead to serious muscle mass loss.

This is where the role of sweetener intake plays to help the body conserve protein supplies.

Safe intake of sugar in a day

The body needs sugar intake to stay healthy. It's just that the daily dose needs to be limited. In a sense, the intake of additional sweeteners should not be excessive and also not deficient. Remember, you also get a source of sugar from carbohydrate foods such as fruits and staple foods.

Most of eating sugar, of course, will interfere with the work of the organs in the body. In fact, it can lead to the emergence of various serious health complications. Starting from damage to liver function, heart disease, metabolic disorders, insulin resistance, to obesity.

Permenkes Number 30 of 2013 has outlined information regarding the content of sugar, salt and fat in food processing. According to this regulation issued by the Indonesian Ministry of Health, it is recommended that you limit your intake of added sugar to a maximum of 50 grams.

This amount is equivalent to about 5-9 teaspoons of sugar per day. Both obtained from food and drink. However, this amount may be different for those of you who have certain health conditions.

Eating too little sugar can result in hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia is a condition when the glucose level in you is below normal or very low. This condition occurs when the insulin hormone produced by the pancreas is too much or the intake of carbohydrates decreases so that the glucose levels in the blood are very low.

A person is said to have hypoglycemia if the blood glucose level is less than 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg / dL), or 3.9 millimoles per liter (mmol / L). This low blood glucose condition mostly occurs in diabetics (people who have diabetes).

The reason is because diabetics routinely consume drugs that help lower blood glucose levels, or use artificial insulin. Insulin and diabetes drugs are indeed useful for reducing high blood glucose levels.

It's just that, using too much insulin and these drugs can actually make your blood glucose levels drop dramatically to below normal. Although it often attacks people with diabetes, this hypoglycemia condition also does not rule out that it can also be experienced by people who do not have diabetes.

There are two types of hypoglycemia in non-diabetic people, namely reactive hypoglycemia and fasting. Reactive hypoglycemia usually appears within a few hours of eating. In contrast, fasting hypoglycemia is completely unrelated to diet.

This type of hypoglycemia is more caused by a disease, such as hepatitis, disorders of the adrenal or pituitary glands, kidney disorders, and pancreatic tumors. Not only that, excessive alcohol consumption and use of certain drugs can lead to lower blood glucose levels in the body.

If hypoglycemia occurs in people who previously had no signs and symptoms of diabetes, do not delay to consult a doctor immediately. Because it does not rule out, this condition can cause serious health problems.

What happens if you don't eat sugar at all?

As previously explained, carbohydrates in the body are converted into glucose which is then used as energy. That is why, when you do not eat carbohydrates at all, the body does not get glucose which in turn leads to a lack of energy production.

In fact, this carbohydrate intake greatly affects the normal functioning of the body, especially the work of the brain. The reason is, the work of the brain, which is the source of the body's central nervous system, relies heavily on the availability of glucose in the blood. In short, glucose is the only "fuel" that can support the brain to work optimally.

The human brain does not have its own glucose store, so all glucose supply depends on delivery from your body's bloodstream. The cells in the brain are one of the parts that require more energy sources than other cells in the body. That is why, the need for glucose in the brain tends to be greater.

When the needs of carbohydrates in the body cannot be met properly, it will affect the level of glucose in the blood to be below the normal range. This can cause the brain to lose its energy source, which of course also affects the work of other body organs.

But remember, meeting these carbohydrate needs does not only come from the added sweetener sugars you add to your food or drink. The main source of carbohydrates comes from staple foods, and you can add them through the consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Not eating sugar irritates the central nervous system

Even worse, the decision not to eat sugar at all will automatically cause various problems with your central nervous system. Usually, you will tend to feel weak, tired, dizzy, or look pale.

In addition, you may also experience signs of stress such as feeling restless, nervous, uncomfortable, and irritable. Refusing to eat sweeteners can also disrupt your night's sleep.

Nightmares, crying during sleep, insomnia, and other sleep disorders, can be your "subscription" conditions that come and go every night. Some people often complain of sweating easily, difficulty coordinating limbs, or numbness in the mouth.

As a result, daily activities are often disrupted and hampered. Even in more severe conditions it can cause blurred vision, trembling, difficulty concentrating, loss of consciousness, seizures, and coma. That is why, this condition cannot be allowed to persist for too long and must be treated immediately before it becomes fatal.

Tips for safe sugar consumption

After considering the pros and cons of eating sugar, it's actually okay to consume this sweetener. With notes, you can limit the portion of your intake so that it is still within normal limits. Here are some things to consider before eating sugar:

1. Eat sources of sugar that are easy to digest

Remember, sugar is not only obtained from granulated sugar. Sources of complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, oatmeal, nuts, and tubers also contain carbohydrates that can be digested into sugar.

In fact, this carbohydrate source is more beneficial than granulated sugar because its fiber content allows the body to absorb sugar slowly. The result, you will feel energized longer than just consuming sweet foods high in sugar.

2. Eat whole foods

It would be better to eat food in its whole or original form rather than adding some sugar to your food or drink preparations. In food, especially fruits, it is usually equipped with sugar as a natural sweetener.

This way you can get glucose intake for the body without having to put too much sugar into the daily serving.

3. Use low-calorie sweeteners

In addition, you can reduce the risk of diabetes due to consuming too much sugar. But of course not a few of you have not been able to switch from sugary drinks. Therefore, you can use low-calorie sweeteners to sweeten your food and drinks.

This method at least allows you to continue to enjoy the sweet taste without worrying about excess sugar intake, which is of course a potential hazard to your health.

4. Always check the nutritional composition label on food and beverage packaging

Don't be fooled by the name "sugar" which is generally clearly written on a product's nutritional composition label. Take for example sucrose, caramel, maple syrup, dextrin, dextrose, maltose, fructose, galactose, sorghum, and so on.

Indeed, there is no word "sugar" among some of the names. However, these names are other names or pseudonyms for sweeteners that are often present to complement food and beverage products.

Simply, pay attention to the ingredients that are placed at the beginning of the list of compositions. Because usually, the higher the ingredients in the product, the earlier it will be located on the ingredient composition list.

In addition, find out if the words "sugar" or any other pseudonym are written on the list. Try not to be fooled into thinking the product is sweetener-free, even though it has a high enough sweetener content.