Too Much Sugar? Here's What Happens To The Liver
Author: Ivan Red Jr.
Time for reading: ~1
minutes
Last Updated:
August 08, 2022
Intake of sugar above normal daily needs leads to "obesity" of the liver, which over time leads to insulin resistance.
Robert Lustig, a professor of endocrinology at the University of California , shares his medical knowledge and experience in the field of sugar metabolism.
The required daily intake of sugar for the human body is between 5% and 10% of the daily caloric intake, according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization. With an optimal energy intake of 2000-2500 calories, this is no more than 25 grams of sugar for women or 37 grams for men. What happens when we eat more than this amount of sugar?
White, crystalline sugar, which is added to drinks and meals, is made up of the disaccharide sucrose , which is broken down in the human body to fructose and glucose .
Sugar is absorbed by the intestinal epithelium and passes through the portal vein circulation directly to the liver . It is the only organ that can metabolize the fructose molecule. With high sugar intake, the body is unable to process large amounts of incoming fructose and has no choice but to convert excess fructose into fatty deposits in the liver.
According to modern medical statistics, when certain amounts of liver fat are exceeded (5-10% of the total body weight), the condition of hepatic steatosis occurs - "obese" liver, which is the most common disorder leading to the triggering of insulin resistance .
With insulin resistance, cells lose their ability to respond normally to the hormone insulin , a peptide hormone that regulates the metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates and is thus responsible for the body's energy levels.
Resistance is a dangerous condition and over time becomes a cause of cardiovascular disease, hypertension , metabolic syndrome , diabetes , dementia and cancer .
About 40% of the world's normal weight population suffers from at least one of these metabolic disorders. About 80% of overweight people also suffer from them. Simple math shows how obesity increases the likelihood of developing metabolic disorders at least 2-fold.
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