There is no denying the fact that we love sugar. Nearly everything we put in our mouths — from sandwiches to sauces, to energy bars—contains sugar.
It’s important not to confuse healthy sugars found in fruits to the ones present in our favorite processed foods. The latter type of sugar is especially detrimental to your health. Sadly, the majority of us are not ready to minimize sugar consumption because we are too addicted to bid such sugary edibles goodbye.
Even though it’s hard, minimizing sugar can be rewarding. Below, we have compiled a list of health issues caused by the overconsumption of sugar so that you can persuade yourself to minimize unhealthy sugar in your diet.
1. It increases obesity:
Rates of obesity have seen a dramatic surge in the past few decades, primarily because of the mass indulgence in sugary beverages like sodas and juices. All of these drinks contain fructose, which can hook you up to such an extent that occasional consumption leads to regular consumption.
Moreover, it also puts you at risk of uninhibited eating because fructose curbs the performance of leptin, a hormone that regulates hunger. Overconsumption of fructose is also reported to increase deep fat layers that lead to diseases like diabetes.
2. It causes acne:
Consuming sugar-rich foods like processed sweets are reported to have a causal relationship with an increase in acne. Eating such foods increase blood sugar and insulin levels. Resultantly, it then leads to more oil production and inflammation on the skin, which is the perfect recipe for pimples.
3. It increases the chances of diabetes:
There exists strong empirical evidence between the overconsumption of sugar and the risk of diabetes. The logic behind it is that the constant increase in sugar levels makes you develop resistance to insulin, which is a hormone regulating sugar levels in the body. Therefore, when insulin fails to act, your body succumbs to the sickness called diabetes.
4. Makes you prone to cardiac events:
Cardiac events are claimed to be the number one cause of death worldwide, and high blood pressure, high sugar level, obesity, and inflammation associated with overconsumption of sugar are the building blocks of cardiac events.
5. Makes your skin and cells age faster:
Overconsumption of sugary foods increases the production of Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs), which are formed by the reaction between sugars and proteins like elastin and collagen. These proteins are responsible for stretching your skin and prevent the onslaught of premature wrinkles. Premature aging is not only limited to the skin but in fact, unhealthy eating habits can also make your cells age prematurely.
6. Drains your energy:
Most advertisements for sugary energy drinks revolve around their ability to boost your energy levels immediately. But, one thing that often gets forgotten is the sudden decrease in energy that follows this energy boost. This is known as the crash.
These energy swings are taxing on the systems of your body. Therefore, if you wish to eat something sweet, eat naturally sweet foods that are rich in fiber, like bananas. These foods will remain in your system for a longer period of time. It will provide your body with gradual boosts in energy.
7. Impacts dental health:
Overconsumption of sugar also severely impairs your dental health to the extent that you may eventually lose your teeth. At that point, you would need to look into getting dental implants. It will be not only time-consuming but also heavy on your pocket, especially if you resort to good dental clinics like Act-On single-tooth implants.
Keeping in view all of these health hazards, make sure that you eat foods that include all the nutrients essential to your well being. A balanced diet will keep you healthy. There is no way out of limiting your sugar intake because not even exercise can compensate for sugar overconsumption.
Featured photo by Image by Myriam Zilles from Pixabay