The Dangers of Too Much Sugar in Your Diet
Consuming too much sugar can have negative effects on the body. Here are some of the dangers of too much sugar:
- Weight gain: Eating too much sugar can lead to weight gain. This is because sugar is high in calories and can cause you to consume more calories than you need.
- Increased risk of chronic diseases: Consuming too much sugar can increase the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and fatty liver disease.
- Higher blood pressure: A high-sugar diet has been associated with higher blood pressure.
- Inflammation: Consuming too much sugar can cause inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation is linked to many diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
- Cognitive decline: Eating too much sugar may worsen cognitive decline.
- Kidney damage: For people with diabetes, too much sugar can lead to kidney damage
- Cavities: Consuming too much sugar can cause cavities.
- Mood disorders: Higher sugar intake has been linked to increased rates of depression and mood disorders in males.
- Bloating: Certain types of sugar may cause bloating and gas in people who have digestive conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).
- Increased hunger: Eating too much sugar can lead to increased hunger and weight gain.
- Fatigue: Consuming too much sugar can cause fatigue and low energy levels.
- Irritability: Eating too much sugar can lead to irritability.
To reduce sugar intake, it is recommended to focus on eating whole, unprocessed foods and to cut back on sugar whenever possible. Remember too that carbohydrates (like rice, potato, bread) break down into sugar. So an effort to reduce sugar needs to factor that in.
Sources which support the above points include:
harvard, healthline, medicalnewstoday, visitcompletecare, webmd