We all rely on processed foods for quick meals and tasty snacks even though we’re partly aware of how bad they are for our health. We know that this type of food causes obesity and the only reason we love it so much is the added sugar, but what we don’t know is how much this added sugar can damage our organs and lead to serious diseases.
The average American consumes about an extra 100 calories of sugar each day as compared to the recommended amount. In order to reduce your sugar consumption, you need to become familiar with the type of foods containing excess sugar and how bad they are for your health. Here are the main reasons why eating too much sugar can negatively impact your health.
Causes Weight Gain
This is pretty basic since everyone knows that eating too much sugar leads to weight gain, but we are here to highlight which foods, in particular, contain the highest amounts of sugar. The main reason behind gaining weight from sugar consumption is sugary drinks or sweetened beverages. We are talking about juices, sodas, and sweet teas. These drinks carry loads of fructose which is a simple sugar that increases hunger and makes you crave more food. It’s important to note that this is not the same sugar found in starchy foods. This type of sugar, however, may increase your body’s resistance to leptin which is the hormone responsible for signaling your body to stop eating and regulating your hunger. In other words, t sweetened drinks cause you to feel less full and less aware of when you’ve had too many calories, leading you to consume even more liquid calories. Studies prove that people who consume more sugary beverages tend to gain weight faster and more often than people who don’t. Sugar from sweetened drinks also leads to gaining belly fat or visceral fat which is associated with many diseases like heart disease and diabetes.
Heart Disease
Eating too much sugar is linked to developing a lot of heart-related diseases such as heart attacks, heart failure, and heart strokes. This is because of the increased insulin in your bloodstream which damages your body’s arteries causing inflammation that makes their walls thicker and stiffer than normal. This adds pressure to your heart and damages it by time as well. Your blood pressure also increases when you eat too much sugar; increased blood pressure is one of the biggest culprits for heart disease. Studies show that people who consume less added sugar, especially that from sugary drinks, as part of their diets, are less likely to die from heart disease. However, for a healthy heart, it’s important to choose food and supplements wisely. You can buy kratom powder to balance your health and immune system.
Increases Your Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes is strongly linked with obesity which is caused primarily by consuming too many sugar calories. Additionally, excessive amounts of sugar can increase your resistance to insulin which is produced from your pancreas to regulate your blood sugar levels. This leads to insulin resistance which means your body won’t be able to control your blood sugar levels and eventually this leads to diabetes. If you have diabetes, the writers at DealingwithDiabetes.org suggest managing your diet and cutting down on certain foods rich in carbohydrates like sweet potatoes to keep an eye on your blood sugar levels. It’s also as important to know what foods contain the most sugar and how to replace them. Studies concluded that, of course, sweetened beverages are the highest source of added sugar which leads people to gain weight and develop type 2 diabetes.
Causes Acne
It’s been proven that high-glycemic diets containing more processed food and more refined carbs are associated with higher risks of getting acne. Processed and sugary food causes your blood sugar levels to spike up, androgen secretion to increase, along with increasing your body’s oil production and causing inflammation. It takes just that for your skin to start breaking out and developing acne. Your skin is more likely to develop acne if your diet mainly consists of high-glycemic foods that raise your blood sugar levels.
Many population studies were made to support this, proving that communities that consumed more traditional food rather than processed food had almost zero rates of acne compared to high-income areas and societies. This shows that diets with more processed or added sugar are more likely to cause acne and other similar skin problems.
Too much sugar is related to kidney damage, joint pain, liver problems, and not to mention how bad it is for your teeth. Besides causing acne, excess amounts of sugar accelerate the skin’s aging process because of the inflammation. There are many reasons why you should reduce sugar consumption aside from heart disease and type 2 diabetes which is why it’s never too early to start prioritizing your health.
