How Sugar Can Affect Your Body

A professor emeritus at Yale University, Dr. Rex Mahnensmith has passionately cared for patients for over three decades. Dr. Rex Mahnensmith’s special interests include obesity, metabolism, preventive health, prediabetes, and diabetes. He has written numerous articles to help people better understand different medical conditions. 

In one article, Dr. Mahnensmith traces how sugar travels through the body and affects tissues. Sucrose, commonly known as sugar, is produced by plants. When ingested sucrose, a complex sugar, is broken down into two simple sugars - glucose and fructose. These two simple sugars are easily absorbed into the bloodstream. 

Glucose is the energy source for tissue cells. To facilitate its travel to the cells via the bloodstream, the pancreas releases an appropriate level of insulin, which also maintains the optimal level of glucose. There can be a condition when glucose remains in the bloodstream much longer than the ideal one to two hours. 

When this occurs, the highly reactive glucose molecules can interact with other reactive molecules in a process known as glycation. This can lead to irreversible changes in tissues that can ultimately cause diseases. Millions of people around that world who are prediabetic and diabetic experience this condition.