The massive health benefits of giving up sugar and alcohol for just one month
A Dutch man recently did a one-month sugar and alcohol fast and watched his cholesterol, weight and blood pressure fall.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A man has attempted to live without alcohol and sugar for a month to see what impact it would have on his health.
The film, from Dutch online television channel, Lifehunters, follows a volunteer as he goes for 30 days without the two treats.
Although Sacha, 22, loses 8lb in weight, sees his blood pressure fall from 135 to 125 and gets his cholesterol to drop eight per cent, the fasting period proves far from easy.
After just one week, he reports feeling “cranky” and constantly hungry.
“Sugar wants vitamins,” a nutritional expert tells him. “It makes you feel tired. Alcohol does that too. You dehydrate.
“You will feel fitter after a month without sweets, alcohol and preserved foods.”
Food containing added sugar is everywhere, he finds, including places you might not expect.
A carton of iced tea contains 10 lumps, a bowl of tomato soup five lumps, and a stir fry sauce for two has a massive 15 lumps of sugar.
The fasting host is forced to live off fruit, yoghurt and salads. But after three weeks he finds his cravings start to diminish and he has much more energy.
The 22-year-old told the Daily Mail that one of the most interesting impacts of the challenge was when he started eating sugar again. "I got arrhythmia twice in one and half weeks when I started eating sugar again," he said. "I also had trouble sleeping; I couldn't fall asleep before 3am or 4am. [My body] wasn't used to sugar any more and it came in like a drug.'
Sugar has range of ill-effects on the body including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, tooth decay and possible cancer, according to experts.
The World Health Organisation recommends that we get just 5% of our daily calorie intake from sugar.
But the National Diet and Nutrition survey has found that sugar intake in the UK is much higher with adults getting 12.1% of their calories from sugar.
And teenagers are the worst offenders with 11-18 year-olds obtaining 15.6% of their calorie intake from the sweet stuff.
Experts advise that cutting down on sugar can lower your chances of getting type-II diabetes, heart disease and other diseases linked with being overweight.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments