For most people, meals and snacks consist of quick, processed foods, which typically contain added sugar. Since these items make up the majority of calories they consume every day. Dietary guidelines suggest limiting calories from added sugar to less than 10% of your daily calorie intake. Added sugars comprise approximately 17% of total calories consumed by adults and 14% by children. Sugar consumption is thought to be a contributing factor to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and many other chronic diseases. There is no question to the fact that sugar harms your body.
Added sugar can be found in savory foods as well as sweetened drinks, candy, baked goods and sweetened dairy products, so it’s easy to consume too much of it for too long. Furthermore, added sugars can be hard to spot since they are often referred to as corn syrup, agave nectar, palm sugar cane juice or sucrose on nutrition labels.
Generally speaking, those who eat fast and processed foods for meals and snacks have a serious impact on their heart health because of the effects of sugar. Although obesity and diabetes are well documented, there is one area that may surprise many men: sugar has a serious impact on their heart health. Addition of sugar to these products contributes significantly to the daily caloric intake of children and adults. Added sugars can amount to 17 percent of an adult’s calories and 14 percent of a child’s total calories. Sugar consumption is a major cause of obesity and many chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, experts say. The dietary guidelines recommend limiting calories from added sugar to less than 10% of total daily calories. Here are some ways how sugar harms your body.
Heart disease
In addition to raising blood pressure, sugar consumption may cause inflammation in the body, as well as increase triglyceride levels, which is a marker for cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, sugar may result in atherosclerosis, a disease marked by fatty deposits clogging arteries. Research indicates that high sugar diets can cause obesity, inflammation, high triglycerides, blood sugar, and blood pressure, all of which are risk factors for heart disease. Moreover, it has been reported that consuming too much sugar, especially from sugar-sweetened drinks, is linked to atherocelerosis, which is characterized by fatty deposits in the arteries.
Obesity
It is well known that sugary drinks, such as sodas, juices and sweet teas, contain fructose, a type of simple sugar. When you consume fructose, your brain’s appetite and satiety centers are disrupted, resulting in weight gain. Consuming excessive amounts of fructose can increase hunger and lead to binge eating. Furthermore excessive fructose consumption may cause the body to resist leptin, a hormone that regulates hunger and signals the body to stop eating. Diabetes is also caused by an inability to respond to insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels produced by the pancreas. Insulin resistance causes blood sugar levels to rise and raises diabetes risk.
Increases your risk of type 2 diabetes
Diabetes can be caused by a variety of factors, however, excessive sugar consumption is clearly linked to diabetes. Additionally, prolonged high sugar consumption causes resistance to insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates blood sugar levels. A study of over 175 countries found that the risk of developing diabetes grew by 1.1% for every 150 calories of sugar each day, or around one can of soda. Insulin resistance increases blood sugar levels and significantly increases diabetes risk. As a result, your body might produce less insulin, which is responsible for converting food into energy.
Increase your risk of depression
Despite the benefits of a healthy diet, a diet high in added sugar and processed foods can contribute to depression. The detrimental impact of sugar on mental health may be due to blood sugar swings, neurotransmitter dysregulation, and inflammation. Men who eat 40 grams or less sugar are less likely to suffer from depression. It is more common for people with depression to experience swelling or inflammation in their brain from too much sugar. Sugar is addictive, increasing levels of dopamine and opiates in your brain.
Drains your energy
A high amount of added sugar spikes blood glucose and insulin levels, resulting in increased energy. However, this euphoria is only temporary. If a product is loaded with sugar but lacks protein, fiber, or fat, it results in an initial spike that is soon followed by a sharp drop in blood sugar, commonly known as a crash. Having constant blood sugar fluctuations can cause strong fluctuations in energy levels. Choose carb sources that are low in added sugar and high in fiber to avoid this cycle.
Fatty liver
The incidence of fatty liver is consistently linked to high fructose consumption. Unlike glucose and other sugars, fructose is almost exclusively digested by the liver. Fructose can be converted into energy or stored as glycogen in liver. However, liver can only store so much glycogen before excess amounts become fat. Therefore, eating a lot of added sugar in the form of fructose can cause nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. An accumulation of fat in the liver that is characterized by excessive weight gain. A study of over 5,900 adults showed that daily consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with a 56 percent higher risk of developing NAFLD. The consumption of too much sugar can result in NAFLD, a condition in which liver fat accumulates excessively
These are just some of the ways how sugar harms your body. Adding too much sugar to food and beverages can have negative health effects, including weight gain, blood sugar problems, and increased chances of heart disease, among others. When you follow a healthy diet based on whole foods, cutting added sugar from your diet should be easy. If you need to reduce added sugar, consider some of the small changes listed above.
