Sugar as chemicals

Sugar is a widely-loved food. Fasting blood sugar levels are between 90-100 mg/dL, while 2 hours after a meal is around 140 mg/dL. This is because our bodies and genes are not used to processing high amounts of sugar. In the past, people used to do hard physical work every day and had limited food. Obesity was only known to rich people. Sugar in high amounts is toxic and directly damages small blood vessels. We like sugar so do cancer and bacteria. Sugar promotes the growth of Staphylococcus bacteria. Sugar also combines with other chemicals and changes their character either by damaging the structure or making them function less like hemoglobin. High glucose in the blood attaches to hemoglobin (glycosylation), causing the red blood cells to become less flexible. These less flexible cells have difficulty moving through smaller and more delicate blood vessels.

Sugar can also interact with different tissues in the body, such as cartilage. Cartilage tissue squeezes itself to pass something downstream. For example, the cartilage disks in the spine and the ligaments in the knees are important for maintaining proper alignment and function. When these tissues are damaged, it can lead to misalignment of the spine and damage to the supporting ligaments, resulting in chronic pain. Patients then turn to opioids for relief. Today 40 years old is on opioids and chronically disabled. With high sugar, the knee cartilage also gets damaged and ends up with early surgery instead of having it done in the late 60s due to wear and tear.