“Anything in excess is a poison.”- Theodore Levitt
You have probably heard that everyone should be cutting down on sugar. What researchers mean is that we should be consuming less “added” sugar. The added sugars are in most packaged foods and drinks. Such type of sugar only turns into fat with no nutritional benefits to the body.
You might think it’s always easy to figure out if a manufacturer used added sugar in a product, but trust us when we say it isn't. Many manufactures trick you by using a different word for “added sugar” in their ingredients such as rice syrup, or golden syrup.
Here are the 11 reasons why too much sugar is bad for you!
- Gets you addicted
Some argue sugar is as addictive as a drug. When a person consumes high amounts of sugar, the mesolimbic dopamine system rewards your brain, increasing the feeling of pleasure. Once the pleasurable effect subsides, we begin to crave more sugar.
- Increases risk of gaining weight
Intake of a high amount of added sugar may cause resistance to leptin. Leptin is a vital hormone that regulates hunger and signals your body to stop eating. Therefore, sugary products, especially sugar-sweetened beverages, are one of the culprits. They make you consume more liquid calories that result in putting on weight.
- Makes you feel gloomy
The added sugars drain the B vitamins that are important for maintaining a positive mood. Initially, eating sugar makes a person feel positive and happy, but then the blood glucose drops, affecting the mind and body.
- Puts you at higher risk for diabetes
According to Diabetes UK, if overeating sugar is making you put weight, you are at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Having high amounts of sugar drives resistance to insulin, which is a hormone responsible for regulating sugar levels.
- Ruins your skin
Sugar has a high glycemic index that leads to inflammation in the body. A high amount of sugar intake can trigger skin conditions, such as eczema. It's always best to limit the amount of sugar eaten if you are prone to inflammation.
- Damages your oral health
Sugar has a direct link to tooth decay. After you eat sugary food, the molecules of sugar combine with salvia and bacteria in the mouth, which causes plaque on teeth. If plaque stays on teeth, it dissolves the enamel, leading to cavities.
- Increases risk of cancer
The risk of developing cancer is related to how your body responds to sugar. If you only eat sugary foods, especially when you are insulin-resistant, the blood sugar levels spikes. This spike causes a high release of insulin-like growth factors, which make cancer cells grow.
- Causes more hair fall
Overeating sugar has a link with hair loss. High levels of sugar consumptions lead to glycation (proteins breaking down). It can cause an aging effect at a cellular level, causing the protein structures in the follicles to break.
- High risk for heart diseases
Increased consumption of sugar puts you to at risk for heart diseases. Studies report that people who consume too much added sugar are more likely to die from heart diseases than those who have minimal amounts of sugar.
- Makes urinary tract infections grow worse
Sugar impairs the body to fight infections. Whenever you consume high amounts of sugar, you feed the bacteria that cause UTIs. So, if you have UTI, it is best to avoid sugar to stop bacterial growth.
- Causes hypoglycemia
Consuming high-sugary meals can lead to reactive hypoglycemia. This means that when the blood-glucose rises from sugary foods, it triggers an over-production of insulin, which makes the blood-glucose fall too low.
Wrapping It Up
You can see that overeating sugar can put our health at serious risk. That’s why it’s essential to keep added sugar to a minimum. Prepare your meals at home and avoid buying foods and drinks as much as possible.
