Obesity to Ageing, 5 Side Effects of Eating Too Much Sugar

Sugar is healthy for you in moderation, but too much can cause weight gain, acne, type 2 diabetes, and a host of other major medical conditions.

The main sources of added sugar include sugary drinks, sweetened dairy products, candy, and baked goods. But even salty items can include sugar, like bread, ketchup, and protein bars, making it all too easy to overindulge in sweet foods. Sugar, regardless of its name, is sugar, and when consumed in excess, it can have a variety of detrimental health effects. Nutritionist Divya Kaur said: “When you eat too much sugar, the extra insulin in your bloodstream can affect arteries throughout your body. It causes its walls to swell, grow thicker than normal and stiffer, this stresses your heart and damages it over time.” The health expert further shares the ill effects of eating too much sugar.

5 SIDE EFFECTS OF EATING TOO MUCH SUGAR

1. Obesity: Consuming too much added sugar can cause weight gain and significantly increase the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity.
2. Acne: Sugar in any form influences the two main causes of acne: hormones and inflammation. As you eat refined and processed carbohydrates like white sugar, your blood sugar levels rise at a faster rate and your pancreas responds by releasing insulin.
3. Aging: Sugar damages the skin through a natural process called glycation. Sugar in the bloodstream binds to proteins and produces damaging free radicals called advanced glycation end products (AGEs)
4. Low energy: When sugar and processed carbohydrates are consumed, they cause a rapid rise in blood sugar. This tells the pancreas to make a large amount of insulin to move the sugar out of the blood and into the cells.
5. Dental caries: Sugar has a direct connection to tooth decay. After eating foods that contain sugar, these molecules combine with saliva and bacteria present in the mouth. This combination leads to plaque on the teeth.

Short-term effects of eating too much sugar include acne, weight gain, and fatigue. Long-term use of excess sugar increases the chance of developing chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.