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Abstract(s)
O açúcar é uma fonte essencial de energia para o organismo e está presente em grande parte dos alimentos que o ser humano consome. Este torna os produtos altamente palatáveis e, por isso, a sua produção e consumo estão constantemente em crescimento.
O consumo excessivo de açúcar pode provocar várias alterações fisiopatológicas no organismo, tal como obesidade, diabetes, cáries dentárias entre outras, motivo pelo qual a OMS recomenda que a sua ingestão não deva exceder os 10% das calorias totais ingeridas por dia. Em contrapartida, níveis insuficientes de açúcar no corpo também podem causar perturbações ao nível da saúde.
Para além das complicações enunciadas, o consumo do açúcar em supremacia também vai provocar alterações neuroquímicas no cérebro e levar a comportamentos compulsivos e aditivos. Esta adição é essencialmente causada pelas alterações no mecanismo de libertação de dopamina no nucleus accumbens e pela comunicação entre o intestino e o cérebro através do nervo vagal.
Para explicar o fenómeno de adição destacam-se os termos tolerância e dependência tanto física como psicológica.
Para evitar todas as consequências que têm surgido ao longo dos anos relacionadas com o aumento do consumo do açúcar (e também sal e gorduras), vários países implementaram medidas para o controlo da alimentação da população. Assim, rótulos alimentares, como o Nutri-Score em Portugal, taxas sobre as bebidas açucaradas, alimentos com elevados teores de sal, açúcar e/ ou gordura, limitação de vendas de produtos com elevadas concentrações de açúcar e o controlo do marketing são atualmente medidas utilizadas para combater estes excessos.
Em Portugal, os farmacêuticos desempenham um papel ativo na prevenção das complicações associadas à ingestão excessiva de açúcar através, por exemplo, de programas educacionais e de um aconselhamento personalizado e a longo prazo.
Sugar is an essential source of energy for the organism and is present in a large part of the food we eat. It makes products highly palatable, which is why its production and consumption are constantly on the rise. Excessive consumption of sugar can cause various pathophysiological changes in the body, such as obesity, diabetes, tooth decay, among others, leading WHO to recommend that sugar intake should not exceed 10 per cent of the total calories ingested per day. On the other hand, insufficient levels of sugar in the body can also cause health disorders. In addition to the complications listed above, consuming too much sugar will also cause neurochemical changes in the brain and lead to compulsive and addictive behavior. This addiction is essentially caused by alterations in the dopamine release mechanism in the nucleus accumbens and the communication between the gut and the brain via the vagal nerve. To explain the phenomenon of addiction, the terms tolerance and both physical and psychological dependence stand out. To avoid all the consequences that have arisen over the years related to increased consumption of sugar (and also salt and fat) several countries implemented measures to control the population's diet. Thus, food labelling, such as the nutri-score in Portugal, taxes on sugary drinks and foods with high salt, sugar and/or fat content, limiting sales of products with high sugar concentrations and marketing control are currently measures used to combat these excesses. In Portugal, pharmacists play an active role in preventing the complications associated with sugar intake through, for example, educational programs and personalized, long-term counselling.
Sugar is an essential source of energy for the organism and is present in a large part of the food we eat. It makes products highly palatable, which is why its production and consumption are constantly on the rise. Excessive consumption of sugar can cause various pathophysiological changes in the body, such as obesity, diabetes, tooth decay, among others, leading WHO to recommend that sugar intake should not exceed 10 per cent of the total calories ingested per day. On the other hand, insufficient levels of sugar in the body can also cause health disorders. In addition to the complications listed above, consuming too much sugar will also cause neurochemical changes in the brain and lead to compulsive and addictive behavior. This addiction is essentially caused by alterations in the dopamine release mechanism in the nucleus accumbens and the communication between the gut and the brain via the vagal nerve. To explain the phenomenon of addiction, the terms tolerance and both physical and psychological dependence stand out. To avoid all the consequences that have arisen over the years related to increased consumption of sugar (and also salt and fat) several countries implemented measures to control the population's diet. Thus, food labelling, such as the nutri-score in Portugal, taxes on sugary drinks and foods with high salt, sugar and/or fat content, limiting sales of products with high sugar concentrations and marketing control are currently measures used to combat these excesses. In Portugal, pharmacists play an active role in preventing the complications associated with sugar intake through, for example, educational programs and personalized, long-term counselling.
Description
Trabalho Final de Mestrado Integrado, Ciências Farmacêuticas, 2024, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Farmácia.
Keywords
Açúcar Adição Adição ao açúcar Efeitos do açúcar no organismo Excesso do consumo de açúcar Mestrado integrado - 2024