Excessive Consumption of Sweet Foods during Eid, UM Surabaya Lecturer; Beware of this Disease

01 May
2022

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Excessive Consumption of Sweet Foods during Eid, UM Surabaya Lecturer; Beware of this Disease

During Eid, various kinds of sweet foods and drinks are excellent. Such as pastries, and various other sweet drink treats. Behind the sweetness of Eid food, there are a number of dangers if we consume it in excess.

Ira Purnamasari Lecturer at the Faculty of Health Sciences (FIK) UM Surabaya explained that sweet foods and drinks besides having a delicious taste, sweet foods also contain high sugar. In a written statement, Ira explained that consuming too much sweet food can be harmful to the health of the body.

According to Ira, one of the impacts is obesity, consuming foods high in added sugar such as pastries and sweet drinks is a contributing factor to a person's weight gain.

"Sweet foods contain lots of calories which can cause a person to be overweight and lead to obesity, where obesity itself causes various health problems such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer," explained Ira Sunday (1/5/22)

Next is the risk of type II diabetes mellitus, obesity is a major risk factor for 85% of patients with type II diabetes mellitus. Consuming foods high in sugar causes the body to be resistant to insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, which functions as a regulator of blood sugar levels. Thus causing a person to experience a decrease in sensitivity to glucose levels.

"This condition is accompanied by the inability of muscle and fat tissue to increase glucose uptake, causing an increase in blood sugar levels," he said again.

Ira also explained that consuming too much sweet food can cause acne and skin aging. The increase in blood sugar levels causes increased secretion of androgens, sebum or oil and inflammation which promotes the growth of pimples.

In addition, when consuming excessive sweet foods, the glycation process can appear, this is the process by which excess sugar molecules combine with proteins to form Advanced Glycation End Products (AGES). AGES can damage collagen and elastin in the skin.

"We know that collagen is an important protein that makes up the skin that helps the skin stretch and keeps the skin from wrinkles. One of the signs of collagen and elastin damage is dry, dull skin, fine lines around the eyes, and it starts to sag," he said.