Most dangerous food in the world

• It can raise blood pressure and increase chronic inflammation, both of which lead to heart disease.
• It increases the risk of esophageal cancer, pleural cancer, endometrial cancer and cancer of the small intestine.
• It overloads the liver, leading to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
• It increases the risk of kidney disease, gout and dementia.
• If you get about 20% of your calories from it, you have a 38% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with those who get about 10% of their calories from it.
• It is the strongest risk factor for diabetes.
• It can interfere with the way the body fights disease by causing an increase in bacteria and yeast in the body, thereby increasing chances of infections.
• It causes the skin to lose elasticity and leads to premature aging.
• It causes gum disease, mood swings, headaches, fatigue, affects cognition in children, increases stress, anxiousness and irritability, and takes the place of important nutrients such as vitamins A, C, B-12, and calcium.
• Its long-term over-consumption is linked to metabolic syndrome or MetS. MetS involves a cluster of symptoms (increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels) which, when present together, increase the chances of acquiring a chronic disease, such as diabetes, stroke, heart disease and liver disease.

It is a silent-killer, the harbinger of the largest number of diseases and the leading cause of early death.

Not a food by itself but an important ingredient of modern-day food. It has a sweet and innocent name. It is called added sugar.

(Image source: Sugar sculpture by SHARI'S CREATIONS)