A man cut out alcohol and added sugar from his diet for one month to see how it affected his health, in an experiment documented in a six minute video on Lifehunters, a Dutch online TV channel.
Sacha Harland, aged 22, managed to lose 8lbs in weight, lower his cholesterol 8 per cent and also lower his blood pressure from 135 to 125, whilst his blood sugar is considerably lower than before.
However, he reported that cutting these out was hard work, especially in the first week when he felt hungry constantly and “cranky”. However, by the end he felt fitter and more energetic.
He reported that the reaction of his body at the end of the experiment, when he reintroduced sugar, was what surprised him most. Mr Harland said: “I got arrhythmia twice in one and a half weeks when I started eating sugar again. I also had trouble sleeping – I couldn’t fall asleep before 3am or 4am.”
Sugar has many negative effects on our bodies, increasing the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, tooth decay and potentially some forms of cancer. It is therefore important to limit your consumption of sugar, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommending that sugar makes up no more than 5 per cent of your daily calorie intake.
However, a National Diet and Nutrition survey found that adults in the UK get approximately 12.1 per cent of their calories from sugar.
For a healthy lifestyle, you should follow a healthy diet and get plenty of exercise. Fresh fruit and vegetables are good for you, whilst it is important to limit your consumption of processed food and sugar.
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