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5 Reasons Too Much Sugar is Bad for You

Updated: Apr 26, 2023

Sugar is good for you in small amounts, too much of it can cause acne, diabetes type 2 and other serious health problems.


foods containing sugars

Additives like sugar can be found in everything from peanut butter to marinara sauce.


For their meals and snacks, many people rely on quick, processed foods. A significant portion of their daily calorie intake comes from these products, which frequently contain added sugar.


An estimated 17 teaspoons of added sugar are consumed daily by the typical adult in the United States Adults on a 2,000-calorie diet consume 14% of their daily calories from this.


1. It Has the Potential to Make You Gain Weight: The prevalence of obesity is on the rise all over the world, and there is evidence to suggest that beverages sweetened with sugar are a major source of added sugar.


Fructose, a type of simple sugar, is abundant in beverages that have been sweetened with sugar, such as soda, juice, and sweet tea.


Fructose is more likely than glucose, the main type of sugar found in starchy foods, to make you hungry and want more food.


Additionally, animal research indicates that excessive fructose intake may result in resistance to leptin, an essential hormone that controls hunger and signals the body to stop eating.


To put it another way, sugary drinks don't make you feel full, so it's easy to drink a lot of calories quickly. Weight gain may result from this.


Sugary beverages are linked to weight gain and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, according to research.


Visceral fat, a type of deep belly fat linked to conditions like diabetes and heart disease, is also linked to increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages.


Summary: Overindulging in added sugar, particularly in beverages that are high in sugar, can cause visceral fat to build up and raise your risk of weight gain.


2. May Increase Your Risk of Heart Disease: Diets high in sugar have been linked to an increased risk of numerous diseases, including heart disease, which is the Leading Cause of Death Worldwide.


There is evidence to suggest that eating a diet high in sugar can cause obesity, inflammation, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, and other risk factors for heart disease.


Atherosclerosis, a condition characterized by fatty deposits that clog arteries, has also been linked to excessive sugar intake, particularly from sugar-sweetened beverages.


Over 25,877 adults were studied and found that those who consumed more added sugar had a higher risk of heart disease and coronary complications than those who consumed less.


In addition to raising cardiovascular risk, sugar consumption may also raise stroke risk.


In similar review, in excess of eight servings each seven day stretch of sugar-improved refreshments were related with expanded stroke risk.


Based on a 2,000-calorie diet, one 12-ounce (473-ml) can of soda contains 39 grams of sugar, or 8% of your daily calorie intake.


This indicates that drinking one sugary beverage per day can bring you close to the daily limit of added sugar.


Summary: Obesity, high blood pressure, and inflammation are all risk factors for heart disease when added sugar is consumed. Heart disease risk has been linked to diets high in sugar.


3. Acne: A diet high in refined carbohydrates, such as sugary foods and beverages, has been linked to an increased risk of developing acne.


When compared to foods with a lower glycemic index, foods with a higher glycemic index, such as processed sweets, raise blood sugar more quickly.


Sugary foods can raise blood sugar and insulin levels, which in turn causes an increase in androgen secretion, oil production, and inflammation, all of which contribute to the development of acne (16Trusted Source).


Low-glycemic diets have been linked to a lower risk of acne, while high-glycemic diets have been linked to a higher risk of acne (17Trusted Source).


For instance, a study with 24,452 participants found that adults with current acne were more likely to consume milk, fatty and sugary products, and sugary beverages.


In addition, numerous population studies have demonstrated that, in comparison to more urban, high-income areas where processed foods are a standard part of a diet, rural communities that consume traditional, unprocessed foods have significantly lower rates of acne.


The hypothesis that eating lots of processed, sugary foods causes acne is supported by these findings.


Summary: Eating a diet high in sugar can raise your risk of developing acne because it can increase androgen secretion, oil production, and inflammation.


4. Increases Your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: Diabetes is a Major Risk Factor for Decreased Life Expectancy and Mortality. Over the past 30 years, its prevalence has more than doubled, and projections indicate that its burden will continue to rise.


Diabetes has historically been linked to consuming an excessive amount of sugar.


While no review has demonstrated that sugar utilization causes diabetes, there are solid associations.


Consuming a lot of sugar can make you more likely to get diabetes by making you gain weight and have more fat on your body, both of which are risk factors for diabetes.


Corpulence, which is many times brought about by unnecessary sugar utilization, is viewed as the most grounded risk factor for diabetes.


In addition, prolonged consumption of high levels of sugar leads to resistance to insulin, a pancreatic hormone that controls blood sugar levels.


Insulin resistance raises blood sugar levels and significantly raises diabetes risk.


Additionally, sugar-sweetened beverages have been linked to an increased risk of diabetes, according to research.


Sugary beverages, such as soft drinks and 100% fruit juice, are linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, according to a study involving people who drank sugary beverages for over four years.


Summary: Obesity and insulin resistance, two risk factors for type 2 diabetes, may result from a high-sugar diet.


5. Could Increase Your Risk of Cancer: Consuming a lot of sugar could make you more likely to get certain cancers.


First, eating a diet high in sugary foods and drinks can make you overweight, which raises your cancer risk significantly.


Additionally, consuming a diet high in sugar can lead to insulin resistance, both of which raise the risk of cancer.


A systematic review of 37 prospective cohort studies found that higher sugar intake was associated with an increased cancer risk of 60% to 95% in two of five studies on added sugar.


According to the same review, consuming more sugary beverages was associated with an increased cancer risk of 23% to 200% in 8 of 15 studies on sugary foods and beverages.


Sugar consumption has been linked to particular types of cancer in other studies.


Increased sugar consumption from sugar-sweetened beverages was linked to an increased risk of prostate cancer in a nine-year study involving over 22,720 men.


Eating more sucrose, also known as table sugar, as well as sweetened desserts and beverages was linked to an increased risk of esophageal cancer, according to another study.


More studies are needed to fully comprehend the complicated relationship between added sugar intake and cancer, which is currently the subject of ongoing research.


Summary: Consuming too much sugar can increase inflammation, obesity, and insulin resistance, all of which are cancer risk factors.

 

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