Sugar or added sugar is one of the worst foods known to man. This “silent killer” has gone on to achieve the name by the manner in which its negative effects tend to pile up without much warning. Excessive intake of sugar causes harmful effects on metabolism, and causes the body to become vulnerable to all sorts of diseases. A sugar laden diet can raise your risk of dying of heart disease even if you aren’t overweight. Here are 10 ways sugar can be damaging to your health:
1. Sugar causes imbalances in the body
Excessive intake of sugar causes the body’s “pH” to become imbalanced. This could lead to mood swings, fatigue, headaches and cravings for sugar that will shoot your glucose to higher heights. These cravings will then set the stage for addiction, and at this point every portion of sugar you take will make you feel temporarily good, only for a short while and then throw you back into craving.
2. Sugar Increases the Risk Of obesity, Diabetes And Heart Disease
Studies have shown that foods containing high glycemic properties (i.e. foods that affect blood sugar) including foods containing sugar that a person consumes creates a tendency for one to develop diabetes and heart disease.
3. Sugar Interferes With Immune Function
Excessive sugar in the body suppresses immune response. It is important to know that bacteria and yeast feed on sugar and when that goes out of balance, infections an illnesses are more likely to happen.
4. Sugar Accelerates Aging
Another effect of excessive sugar intake is that it can cause aging and sagging skin. Some of the sugar you consume, after hitting your bloodstream, ends up attaching itself to proteins, in a process called glycation. These new molecular structures contribute to the loss of elasticity found in aging body tissues, from your skin to your organs and arteries. The more sugar circulating in your blood, the faster this damage takes hold.
5. Dental problems
The most common issue with sugar is the decaying of the teeth. Sugary foods and foods with added sugar are the main contributors to this issue.
Increasing evidence also shows that chronic infections, such as those which result from periodontal problems, play a role in the development of coronary artery disease. The most popular theory is that the connection is related to widespread effects from the body’s inflammatory response to infection.
6. Sugar Can Give You Cancer
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and is characterized by uncontrolled growth and multiplication of cells. Insulin is one of the key hormones for regulating this sort of growth. Scientists have come to believe that having constantly elevated insulin levels can contribute to cancer. There is also considerable evidence that sugar, due to its harmful effects on metabolism, can contribute to cancer.
7. Sugar Increases Stress
When we’re under stress, our stress hormone levels rise. These chemicals are the body’s fight-or-flight soldiers sent out to prepare the body for an attack or an escape; however, they are also active when blood sugar is low. For example, consuming sugar from a piece of cake can increase your sugar level, which then causes the body to release stress hormones such as adrenaline, epinephrine and cortisol. They provide the body with a quick energy boost. Unfortunately, these hormones are triggered at the wrong time as they make one to feel anxious, irritable or shaky since the host is not doing any active fat burning exercise at the moment.
#8. Sugar is addictive
Some studies show that sugar is very addictive as it provides your brain the pleasure and rush that is similar to what drugs do. In this way, if your diet consists mainly of sugary foods, your brain becomes dependent on the sugar and lack of it may make you feel lethargic and tired.
#9. Causes loss of tissue elasticity and function
Sugar has been linked with loss of tissue elasticity and function over time, which is not something that may hit you while you’re young, but will most definitely make it’s effects felt as you grow older.
#10. Causes Kidney issues
Kidney pain is one of the most debilitating pains and sugar is also known to cause kidney pain, especially in people who already have a history of kidney stones.
