Nowadays, as soon as we go to a shop, our eyes first fall on those things which are written sugar-free, low-calorie or guilt-free. We feel that if there is no sugar then the thing will automatically be good for health. Especially due to fear of diabetes or to keep weight down, people have started taking sugar-free sweets, biscuits, chewing gums, protein bars and diet drinks instead of regular sugar. But the question is whether sugar-free is really completely safe or are we unknowingly harming our body, especially the liver. So let us know that if you repeatedly take sugar free to avoid diabetes, then how it ruins the liver.

Increasing trend of diabetes and sugar-free

Diabetes is spreading very fast in today’s lifestyle. According to the 2024 data of America’s CDC, about 3.84 crore people are suffering from diabetes there, and the surprising thing is that about 87 lakh people do not even know that they have diabetes. In such a situation, people think that if they give up sugar and adopt sugar-free things then they will be safe, hence sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose and sugar alcohol are being used instead of refined sugar. One of these is sorbitol.

What is sorbitol?

Sorbitol is a type of sugar alcohol, which is used in low-calorie and sugar-free products. It is commonly found in sugar-free chewing gum, protein bars, low-calorie snacks, cough syrups, some medicines, and some fruits (such as apples, pears). Till now, sorbitol has been considered a better and safer option than sugar. But now questions are being raised on this.

How does it ruin the liver?

Scientists from America’s Washington University (St. Louis) have recently conducted an important study, which has been published in a prestigious journal named Science Signaling. This research was led by Dr. Gary Patty. His team has already proven that fructose (a type of sugar) can cause liver damage and promote fatty liver and even cancer cells. In this new study, scientists found that sorbitol is just one step away from fructose and can cause the same harm in the body that fructose does.

What does sorbitol do in the body?

According to research, when we eat food, glucose (sugar) increases in our body. This glucose can be converted into sorbitol after going into the intestine. Then the sorbitol reaches the liver through the intestine. In the liver, it gets converted into fructose and this is where the problem starts. Fructose is considered a major cause of fatty liver disease, which is affecting about 30 percent of adults worldwide today.

Disclaimer: This information is based on research studies and expert opinion. Do not consider this as a substitute for medical advice. Before adopting any new activity or exercise, please consult your doctor or relevant specialist.

Check out below Health Tools-
Calculate Your Body Mass Index (BMI)

Calculate The Age Through Age Calculator

In all these parties and functions, we eat a lot of fried food, but when this habit becomes a part of our everyday life and we start eating outside food continuously, then it has harmful effects on the body. This addiction of eating outside food is called health hangover.

When we talk about the villages of India, pictures of farm, hardworking farmer and natural life come to our mind. It is believed that people in villages work more hard, go more healthy than cities. But now this picture is changing slowly. Today, the same problems are coming in the villages which were limited to cities only earlier. In the villages too, diseases related to obesity, fatigue, lack of energy and poor lifestyle are increasing. A major report by the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB) has told the fact that in the last 37 years, obesity has increased by five times in rural areas of India, and more than one third of the people are struggling with energy lack of energy. In such a situation, let us know how fast obesity is increasing in the villages of India.

How fast is obesity growing in the villages of India?

A report by NNMB included 1200 villages in 10 states of India. 20-20 houses from 120 villages were surveyed in each state. The focus of the report was on the health of rural adult men and women, especially at their body weight, food and energy level, in which some important figures of the report are different. The average BMI (body mass index) of men was 18.4 in 1975-79, which increased to 20.2 in 2010-12. The average BMI of women increased from 18.7 to 20.5. In terms of overweight and obesity, men increased from 2 percent to 10 percent. Women increased from 3 percent to 13 percent. 35 percent of rural men and women are still facing lack of energy ie chronic energy deficiency.

Why is obesity increasing in villages?

Earlier people used to work in the fields in villages, used to walk for hours and their food was also normal and healthy. But now the villages have also changed. Now in villages, there are easily fast food, packaged snacks and sweet drinks in the markets. These things are being eaten more due to being cheap. Machines have replaced human beings in the fields, now in the villages, the body’s hard work has reduced. Due to the increasing use of technology, people now spend more time in the villages. It was found in the report that the problem of obesity has been found in joint families. Even in the villages, economic, social and family tension are increasing, which is affecting health.

At the same time, obesity is becoming a crisis of the whole world, not just India. Between 1980 and 2020, the rate of obesity has doubled across the world. The rate of obesity in the world was 6.4 percent in 1980, which increased to 12 percent in 2020. The average BMI in China increased by 2.65 between 1989 and 2011, and women’s 1.90. It is clear that obesity is now a global challenge, in which even the villages of India are no longer behind.

Also read: Drinking beer causes these five disadvantages, know how the body bands ring?

Health photo gallery

Health web stories