Weight Gain
Sugar has the ability to have adverse consequences when consumed excessively, including weight gain. Sugar is found in many processed food items and excessive consumption may contribute to cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and certain forms of cancer.
Sugar affects the mesocorticolimbic pathway of the brain, stimulating dopamine release to increase cravings for sweet food and create dependency that can be hard to break. Eating whole, unprocessed foods may help decrease sugar consumption while improving health outcomes.
Participants in qualitative studies generally associated excessive sugar consumption with various health conditions, including obesity, diabetes, cirrhosis, neuropathy skin problems and general inflammation (for an example see [25]). Notably, higher association ratings were also linked with an intention to reduce sugar intake and seek information on this subject matter.
Blood Sugar Levels
As sugar enters the body, its cells quickly break it down to produce glucose for immediate energy use, with any excess stored as glycogen in liver and muscles or converted to fat for long-term storage.
Recent studies have demonstrated that excessive sugar consumption can contribute to chronic inflammation and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, as well as leading to obesity and increasing visceral fat accumulation – both linked with cardiovascular disease.
Rekha B. Kumar, MD is an attending endocrinologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and assistant professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. She specializes in diagnosing and treating various endocrinology disorders such as obesity/weight management and thyroid conditions, among others. Furthermore, Rekha has written several books related to health and wellness as well as contributing to online publications.
Blood Pressure Levels
Sugary foods cause your body to store fat, increasing triglyceride and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels over time and leading to blockages in blood vessels – increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and making you susceptible.
Sugar has a devastating impact on our brains, leading to mood swings, cognitive decline, and dementia. Consuming too much sugar causes dopamine levels to spike and alter cravings for unhealthy snacks – leading to unhealthy cycles of overeating.
Sugar can be found in soft drinks, energy bars, sweet snacks and desserts; packaged products like granola, pasta sauces and sliced bread also contain added sugars. Furthermore, excessive sugar may be contributing to digestive issues since it causes gut inflammation and prevents short-chain fatty acid production.
Cardiovascular Diseases
Sugar has long been linked with heart and vascular diseases. A diet high in sugar increases your risk of obesity and chronic inflammation which in turn increase cardiovascular risks; so limiting sugar consumption is paramount.
Dietary sugars consist of six-carbon sugars such as glucose, fructose and sucrose. When consumed in excess, these hexoses cause disruptions in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism that lead to weight gain, fat storage and low-grade chronic inflammation – often with adverse consequences such as cognitive decline, gout or kidney issues. The National Lifelong Blood Institute suggests limiting your added sugar consumption to no more than 10% of calories for maximum effectiveness.
Type 2 Diabetes
Though sugar does not directly cause type 2 diabetes, it does contribute to your likelihood of contracting it. That is because when you eat too many sweet foods and beverages, your weight gain increases and being overweight increases your chance of type 2 diabetes – particularly among middle and late adulthood adults.
Sugar consumption also interferes with leptin, the hormone responsible for telling your brain when you’re full, according to a 2008 animal study. A high-sugar diet increases leptin resistance which may prevent it from sensing when someone is full and may lead to continued overeating even though there has already been enough food consumed; leading to further weight gain which leads to type 2 diabetes and other health problems.
