You might have heard the tagline of dairy milk, “Kuch meetha ho jaaye“. We feel good when we eat something sweet. Oh, wait!! That’s one of the side effects of sugar.
If anyone wants to know why sugar is bad for health? You’ll get the answer below. However, you need to understand the main problem, which is the risk of consuming excessive sugar.
The major source of sugar is white sugar that almost all of us use in our kitchen. Another major source is artificial sweeteners that are found in packaged foods and drinks.
Now, let’s find out the side effects of sugar and why it should not be consumed?
Contents
Side effects of sugar
1. Sugar Increases the Risk of heart diseases
The most deadly side effect of sugar can be the risk of heart diseases. You definitely not need me to tell you the severity of heart diseases. Consuming excessive sugar can increase your blood pressure, obesity, and inflammation that are major risk factors for heart-related problems.
When someone eats sugar, the insulin level also increases. Resulting in the growth of muscle cells on the outer wall of the arteries. This increases blood pressure and also the risk of heart disease. For anyone having heart diseases, knowing about heart-healthy foods is a must. Also, try to include these foods in the diet.
Another white sugar side effect is, it reduces the level of insulin in the body due to insulin resistance. This again results in higher blood pressure. Eating less sugar can help to lower blood pressure.
2. Sugar Increases the Risk of Acne
What causes Acne? Among many, one of the causes is sugar. Acne mainly affects the age group of 15-22 years, due to puberty-related changes. This problem increases when teenagers and youth consume too many sugary foods.
Consuming more sugar can increase the AGEs molecules in the body. They damage the important proteins for the skin like collagen and elastin. This result in more wrinkles and ages your skin faster.
Also, sugar can increase insulin and blood sugar levels in the body. It causes more oil production, inflammation and secretion of androgen, all of which are responsible for the occurrence of acne.
3. Sugar Makes you Fat
Another reason, why sugar is bad for you is that it can weigh you more. Yes, some people want to gain weight, but this is not the solution to it at all.
Many sugary drinks include fructose which may increase your hunger. An increase in fructose may also lead to the deficiency of the leptin hormone. This hormone is like a regulator of our eating limit. It tells us when we are full and when we need to stop eating.
Consuming excessive sugar causes inflammation in the fat cells of the body. The job of these cells is to release chemicals that add on the weight.
To sum up this point, the side effect of sugar is that it increases your eating capacity in the wrong way which makes you fat.
4. Sugar Surges the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Another risk in consuming excessive sugar is the fear of type 2 diabetes. It is generally said that if you eat more sugar then you may get diabetes. All of this is based on studies and researches.
The side effects of sugar are lack of insulin production and obesity, which are the major reasons for type 2 diabetes.
That’s the reason why sugar is bad for health. There can be many reasons for diabetes but that does not mean you don’t stop eating too much sugar.
5. Excessive Sugar Causes Depression
Let me tell you something surprising, our body absorbs sugar within 30 minutes. There is a good sign in it and also a bad one. While the good part is that the sugar is not get stored in our body.
But the bad part is, it suddenly increasing the blood sugar level and after around 30 minutes it drops. After the cells absorb the sugar in the body, we feel irritation and anxiety. We want to have more sugar again and again. If this happens for a long time, it negatively affects your mood. Thus, leading to depression.
So, don’t make it a habit of eating sugar every time you desire of having it and have control over overeating.
6. Sugar affects your Brain
Another side effect of sugar is the release of dopamine. Do you know why you prefer foods filled with sugar rather than fibre rich foods like fruits and vegetables?
This is because of the hormone called dopamine that affects our brain. Whenever you consume sugary foods, dopamine releases and you feel really good. But when you eat a fruit or vegetable, there is no release of this hormone. This makes your mind choose sugary foods and drinks over fibre rich foods.
That’s why sugar is bad for you. This is a kind of addiction whose regular consumption gives you pleasure.
7. Sugar Lowers Your Energy
When you feel low in energy, sugar can boost your energy immediately. To make it more clear, it increases the level of blood sugar and insulin that boost your energy.
But it will drop it immediately as well. As mentioned above, sugar is absorbed by the cells in our body within 30 minutes. This will make you feel hungrier and also fatigued. You again need to have something to regain energy.
Therefore, it is always recommended that foods that are high in fibre and other nutrients should be consumed. They will not boost energy immediately but maintain energy for a long time.
8. Sugar and Cancer
The side effects of sugar mentioned above like obesity and insulin resistance can move someone into the range of cancer. Another white sugar side effect i.e. inflammation increases the risk of cancer disease.
Many studies show a certain relationship between cancer and eating too much sugar. But, still, this is not a clear sign of the disease. The researches are ongoing and we are waiting to make a certain statement.
Signs you are Eating too much Sugar
Cavities are Caused by Sugar
If you are eating too much sugar, then you’ll probably get cavities. A cavity is caused by bacteria that feed on the remaining sugar in your mouth. You may also find a small hole in your teeth while cavities.
Excessive Sugar Causes Acne
Now, you very well know the white sugar side effects on our skin. If you’re visiting a doctor, the first thing he will say is to reduce sugary foods. Apart from acne, wrinkles at a young age can also be a sign of too much sugar.
Sugar Cravings
If you want something sweet quite often, then it can be a sign of excessive sugar. Many people want something sweet after the meal and without that, they feel irritated and angry. If that’s the case with you also, then you know what to do now.
Sugar Makes you Hungry
As sugar is absorbed within 30 minutes, you frequently feel hungrier. This can be a bad sign if you don’t want to be fat. As you feel hungry, you want more food to end the hunger.
Low energy due to Sugar
Sugar can instantly boost and dips your energy. Limit the use of some sugary foods in your diet. If you’re feeling fatigued after some time of eating, then it might be due to the sugar.
How to Reduce Sugar Consumption?
If anyone knows about the side effects of sugar, then their next question is how to reduce it? There are some common and practical ways through which you can reduce the excessive consumption of sugar.
Firstly, reduce the consumption of drinks filled with sugar. These drinks generally contain artificial sweeteners. Also, artificial sweeteners side effects are bad for the health. Alternatively, healthy drinks are a better option. Not just you’re consuming less sugar, but you’re also having more nutrients in your body.
Secondly, reduce desserts from your after-meal. Sometimes you even don’t realize how much white sugar you are eating because of that. You know the white sugar side effects and also its health concerns. The habit of eating sugar in some form after diet can be bad for health.
Thirdly, read food and drinks labels before buying them. If consumed for a long time, these artificial sweeteners side effects can do serious damage to your body. The labels include variable names for sugar, so be aware of that.
Lastly, try gradually reducing the consumption of sugar. It will never be an easy task to do but considering the risks of consuming excessive sugar, it is needed. Sugar is addictive and needs to be consumed within the limit.
Conclusion
I hope you have understood the side effects of sugar and the reasons why is sugar bad for you? To sum up the disadvantages of eating sugar, it includes the risk of chronic diseases, ageing and wrinkles, obesity, low energy and also addictive. There are many other risks in consuming excessive sugar like effect on sexual health, joints, calcium deficiency, etc. You need to make a tough decision for your own healthy life of limiting its consumption.