Indeed sugar is an essential, vital source of energy, sweet, but too much of it can badly affect the body. Being conscious of the number of cubes in your tea doesn’t necessarily mean your sugar consumption is low.
Thus, if you are a lover of sugary drinks, candy, baked goods, sweetened dairy, corn syrup, agave nectar, bread, and sucrose, etc., all have sugar contained in it, including savory foods and nutrition labels.
Sugar is sugar, and excess of it can negatively affect our body in the following ways:
1. Increases risk of obesity
Sugar can satisfy our taste buds but can never fill our stomachs, and a lot of extra calories through added sugar can increase weight gain, heart disease, and diabetes.
Furthermore, consuming processed snacks and sugary treats that lack protein, fiber, healthy fat, etc., does not just contribute to obesity but as nicely ramps up a hunger that can even lead to compulsive snacking.
2. Causes glucose levels to spike
Overeating added sugar could promote inflammation, worsen mood, lead to depression, mood swings, irritability, or edge.
A high sugar meal can spike up blood sugar, and as the body processes all of it, energy levels might crash, making one sluggish.
Again, when there is low glucose in the bloodstream, since the insulin levels have spiked after eating plenty of sugar, the level of blood glucose in the brain decreases.
Besides, it contributes to the craving, which begins the cycle of false hunger, and by contrast, those who avoid sugar have fewer cravings, are energized, and emotionally stable.
3. Fatigue and low energy
Sugar is absorbed quickly and digested, so too much intake of it can cause fatigue. Sugar has been a speedy energy source, and regardless of how plenty you consume it, you will still be low on energy after 30 minutes.
It doesn’t just affect the energy alone; it interferes with the way the body fights disease. It is clear bacteria and yeast feed on sugar, so excess glucose in the body can result in these organisms building up and causing infection.
4. Sugar accelerates aging
Sugar affects the body composition and mess with the skin by contributing to acne, wrinkles, and sagging.
If you are battling acne, it’s good you consider how much added sugar you are eating as Glycemic plays a vital role in skin health acne. Wrinkles may be another sign that you consume too much sugar because products of excess sugar encourage skin aging.
After sugar must have hit the bloodstream, it attaches to protein, and the mix of this protein with sugar can cause the skin to lose its elasticity and produce premature aging.
5. Joint pain
Aging alone is not the cause of joint pain. Too much consumption of sugar can lead to systemic inflammation, which can result in joint pain.
Studies show that sugar intake can increase the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis. Eating lots of sweets has been shown to worsen joint pain because of the inflammation they cause in the body, which is more reason to lay off candy.
6. Sugar causes tooth decay
With the numerous life-threatening effects of sugar, decaying teeth is the primary cosmetic damage to a human.
Sugar freely causes decay more than any other food once it sits on your teeth, and for this reason, one should brush at least twice a day so you can reduce plaque and bacteria.
Candy can rot the teeth and bacteria that cause cavities loves to eat sugar lingering in the mouth; hence, more holes could result from overeating added sugar.
If you consume high-sugar food, ensure you swish water around your mouth afterward or eat it with food like carrots or milk, which may help protect teeth and provide a coating.
7. Increases heart diseases
Once in a while, we indulge in excess sugar consumption, and meals that go against blood sugar increase the risk of heart diseases.
When there is an intake of excess sugar, the extra insulin in your bloodstream can affect arteries all over the body. It causes the walls to grow thicker, stiff than usual, leading to heart failure, heart attacks, strokes, etc. Eating less sugar can lower blood pressure which is a significant factor for heart disease.
Research suggests that those consuming lots of added sugar are twice as likely to die of heart diseases.
Additionally, consuming too much sugar from sugar-sweetened drinks has been linked to atherosclerosis, a disease characterized by fatty, artery-clogging deposits. It means that one sugary drink can already put you over the recommended daily limit of added sugar.
8. Substitutes essential nutrients
Regular intake of sugary foods leads to a lack of essential nutrients in the body, especially vitamins A, C, B- 12, and calcium.
It is dangerous for children and teens who simultaneously consume the most sugar and need the most nutrients.
Sugar consumers may be addicted to the feel-good effects sugar has on the brain. It occurs when sugar targets the brain’s pleasure center [mescorticolimbic pathway], thereby triggering a rise in the so-called happy hormone.
This pathway in the brain plays a vital role in the food choice we make, including cravings.
9. Increases stress
When undergoing stress, our body immediately kicks into fight or flight mode, releasing many hormones.
Unexpectedly, the body has the same chemical response when the blood sugar is low. After consuming a sweet snack, stress hormone makes up for the crash by raising your blood sugar.
Excess sugar consumption weakens one’s ability to deal with stress, and sugary food can make one feel less frazzled by suppressing the brain’s hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal [HPA] axis, thereby controlling one’s response to stress.
10. Affects sexual health
One of the underrated side effects of the chronically high sugar level in the bloodstream can make men impotent.
It’s so true because it affects the circulatory system that controls the blood flow throughout the body and helps keep an erection.
Sugar damages blood vessels, affecting the absorption of glucose from the blood. It decreases sensitivity making it more challenging to get and maintain an erection.
11. Causes brain fog
The mental clarity, focus, concentration, and memory problems could consume too many added sugars.
Undoubtedly, glucose is the brain’s principal source of fuel, but at the same time, excess amounts can cause hypercalcemia and a negative impact on cognitive function.
Excess sugar consumption is harmful to brain health and can lead to memory deficiencies, and impair our cognitive skills and self-control.
12. Increases sleep problems
Too much consumption of sugar has another profound effect that messes with sleep. Scientific research shows that those with diets high in sugar tend to sleep less deeply and display remarkable restlessness at night.
Foods that have high sugar content may lead to insomnia because high sugar consumption inhibits orexin production, a chemical in the brain that stimulates the feeling of being awake.
Sugar is more of a sedative; that is why the more sugar you eat, the more you won’t feel sleepy.
What are three reasons why too much sugar can be harmful to the body?
Too much sugar can be very harmful to the body because it has been linked to acne and increased weight gain. It can also be detrimental to the body because it increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Why is sugar bad for the body?
Though sugar helps the body system, when you consume it in excess, the extra insulin in the bloodstream can affect the arteries and may likely cause the walls to get inflamed.
It can as well lead to heart disease like heart failure, heart attack, or even stroke.
What are the symptoms of too much sugar?
The symptoms of excess sugar can’t be over-emphasized. It increases weight gain, fatigue, and high blood pressure. Some other symptoms include acne, joint pain, and irritability.
Conclusion
Realistically, one cannot avoid sugar totally but, to a reasonable extent, can be curtailed. It is healthy to consume whole, unprocessed foods and make a healthier food choice.
From the above-listed symptoms of high sugar intake, we have no option but to stick more to unprocessed food that gives the room to decide how much of that stuff we consume. Say no to STEADY consumption of junk food and a diet high in sugar.
