Why is sugar bad for you?

Dr Robert Thomas explains why processed sugar is bad for our bodies

Transcript

00:00 As a consultant oncologist and a professor of nutrition,

00:04 people often ask, what's the one food you should avoid to improve your health?

00:09 Undoubtedly, top of the list would have to be processed sugar.

00:14 The evidence is now overwhelming that people who eat a lot of processed sugar

00:19 have an increased risk of many diseases,

00:22 particularly the ones which are the biggest killers of mankind.

00:26 In other words, cancer, heart disease, stroke and dementia.

00:31 In particular, it increases the risk of obesity, diabetes,

00:36 high blood pressure, high cholesterol and damages our gut

00:41 because sugar preferentially feeds the unhealthy or bad bacteria,

00:47 which ultimately leads to inflammation in the gut, a leaky gut,

00:52 toxins going into your bloodstream and then inflammation throughout your whole body.

00:57 Now, inflammation of the body is a bad thing because it uses up the immunity

01:02 and it attacks our organs.

01:04 So we're more likely to get arthritis if it affects the joints.

01:07 People who eat a lot of sugar tend to have more fatigue, lower mood,

01:12 don't sleep as well and are more demotivated to take part in other healthy lifestyle habits.

01:18 We should cut down on the sugar we have on a daily basis.

01:22 [Music]