IS SUGAR AN ENEMY OF THE LIVER?

Obesity is one of the most important health problems in developed and developing countries today and is a condition that affects our entire system, characterized by an increase in body mass index, excessive increase in fat mass compared to lean mass and being far above the ideal body weight according to height.

Obesity is a risk factor for insulin resistance, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hyperlipidemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hypertension, sleep apnea, menstrual disorders and some types of cancer, especially fatty liver disease.

So how does sugar fatten our liver, lead to obesity and become a risk factor for so many diseases?

The main task of the liver is to keep blood sugar at normal levels according to the instructions it receives from the pancreas (satiety = insulin). During satiety, blood sugar will rise and the hormone insulin will be secreted from the pancreas. For 1-2 hours, the liver will first convert the glucose from the blood into glycogen to be released in our hunger and store the excess as fat. All the excess carbohydrates we eat are stored as fat, so the liver gets fat and as the liver gets fatter, we move towards a vicious cycle that ends in cirrhosis. In Turkey, fatty liver is the leading cause of cirrhosis. Long-term alcohol consumption is the second cause of cirrhosis, which also makes our liver fatty. Fructose, the industrial sugar called corn syrup (false sugar), is even more dangerous for obesity and fatty liver than glucose. This is because our body has no handbrake to stop fructose. Therefore, we should avoid fructose as much as possible to protect our liver and ourselves. It is widely used in industry because it is sweeter than glucose and can be produced cheaply. This is the biggest reason for the dramatic increase in childhood obesity in the last 20 years. It should not be forgotten that in order for the liver to turn into a cancerous structure, there must be an underlying liver disease. Hepatitis viruses, biliary diseases, congenital liver disease, obesity and fatty liver disease. Since obesity and fatty liver disease are the most common causes in our country, we should avoid fructose, exercise regularly and maintain our ideal body weight.

Because Life Blooms with Love , Tender and Care…