Understanding the Impact of Sugar on Your Body – Making Informed Dietary Choices

Sugar is a type of carbohydrate that provides energy for our bodies. Naturally present in some foods and added to many processed food and beverages.

Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend keeping added sugar intake below 10 percent of your daily calories; however, Americans consume on average more than 17 teaspoons of added sugar each day!

1. It Causes Weight Gain

Sugar in moderation can be beneficial, but too much can lead to weight gain, acne and type 2 diabetes. Foods containing added sugar enter your bloodstream quickly, leading to insulin spikes which increase your risk for type 2 diabetes over time.

American adults consume far too much sugar. This is due to processed food products like soft drinks, flavored yogurts, cereals, cookies and candy having added sugar for flavor purposes; this extra calorie consumption can lead to weight gain when eaten excessively and also encourage resistance against leptin which helps signal when your body has had enough.

2. It Causes Type 2 Diabetes

Human bodies require glucose (sugar) for proper functioning; however, overconsumption of sugar can lead to diabetes. Consuming too much sweets makes your cells resistant to insulin – the hormone which regulates blood sugar. Over time this leads to weight gain and prediabetes – an early indicator of type 2 diabetes.

Sugar consumption can lead to fatty liver disease, one of the primary contributors to heart disease. Furthermore, too much sugar may harm lung tissue leading to chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).

Studies show that cutting out added sugars can help people shed unwanted pounds. Replacing sweet beverages with water, tea, or coffee can drastically cut caloric intake without altering overall diet plans; in addition, cutting back will lower diabetes risks significantly.

3. It Causes High Blood Pressure

Sugar in excess can have detrimental effects on your body, whether from natural sources like berries or processed foods like soda and desserts. “Free sugars,” such as table sugar, honey, syrups, fruit juice, vegetable juice purees and pastes that have been altered from their original state can especially be problematic.

High-sugar diets have been shown to significantly increase the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease when consumed on an ongoing basis. Furthermore, they can wreak havoc with your metabolism and contribute to various conditions and diseases, including:

4. It Causes Heart Disease

Sugar in moderation can be beneficial, but excessive consumption has been linked with weight gain, acne breakouts, diabetes and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Limit your intake of added sugars found in products like marinara sauce, peanut butter and energy drinks. Instead, opt for whole-food sources of sugar such as fresh fruits and vegetables as sources for nourishment.

Sugar consumption in excess can overload your liver, leading to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and increasing heart disease risk. A study revealed that those consuming the highest percentage of their calories from added sugars were twice as likely to die of heart disease than those who consumed less added sugars.

5. It Causes Alzheimer’s Disease

While consuming too much sugar may increase the risk of heart disease, more fascinatingly it has also been shown to lead to Alzheimer’s. According to one 2017 study, individuals who consumed more sugar were twice as likely to develop the condition than those consuming less.

Alzheimer’s patients experience difficulty breaking down glucose due to overactivation of a pathway that converts it to fructose; over time this leads to uric acid buildup and even greater activation of fructose survival pathway.

Alzheimer’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by excessive amounts of sugar consumed through diet. Many experts now refer to Alzheimer’s as Type 3 Diabetes; therefore it would be wiser for us to work toward eliminating all sources of sugar from our daily lives and take steps towards making lifestyle changes in this regard. Now is the time for action – reduce sugar from your daily life now!