Nowadays, added sugar can be found in almost every product, even unexpected ones such as peanut butter and marinara sauce. When getting snacks or even meals, most people will look for quick processed foods. Due to the added sugar in most of these foods, it means people take in a lot of calories daily.
Studies in the US have revealed that adults consume 17% added sugars and around 14% for kids of the total calorie intake. Dieticians suggest that the percentage of calories and added sugar intake per day should be less than 10%. They believe that excess sugar consumption is the cause of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and obesity. Here are reasons why you should avoid too many sugars as much as possible:
- Increases the risk of a heart disease
High-sugar foods may result in several diseases in your body. That may include the number one killer worldwide, heart disease. Evidence shows that diets rich in sugars could lead to inflammation, obesity, and high triglyceride. These diets will also cause high blood pressure levels and blood sugar, all of which are risk factors for getting heart disease.
Taking in too much sugar like in soft drinks full of sugar may potentially cause atherosclerosis. It is a disease that develops from artery-clogging deposits. A research was done where more than 30,000 people who consumed around 21% calories from added sugar diets were at a greater risk of contracting heart disease (38%) compared to those that did not take in added sugar calories (8%).
- Weight Gain
Obese people are increasing day in day out worldwide, and the leading cause is added sugars, especially in sugar-sweetened beverages. Sweetened drinks such as sweet teas, juices, and sodas contain fructose which is a simple sugar. Taking in this simple sugar only boosts your hunger for food and not glucose which is the sugar contained in starchy foods.
Your body produces leptin, a hormone to regulate your hunger and tell your body that you are full. Excessive intake of fructose tampers with this hormone, and you might not know when to stop eating. Sugary beverages will never curb your hunger as you might consume so many liquid calories and end up with weight gain. Research has clearly shown that people who consume these sugary beverages such as juices and sodas weigh more than people who restrict themselves.
- Boost the risk of getting type 2 diabetes
Diabetes has always been a nightmare to the world, and its prevalence has even doubled in the last 30 years. Even though many things could lead to diabetes, evidence proves excessive sugar consumption increases the risk of contracting diabetes.
Excessive sugars bring about obesity, and one of the leading causes of diabetes is obesity. In addition, extreme sugary diets resist insulin, which is a hormone that is responsible for the regulation of your blood sugar levels. The insulin resistance will ultimately mean a hike in your blood sugar levels, thereby increasing the chances of contracting diabetes.
- Can cause acne
Diets high in sugary drinks and foods might lead to the development of acne. Beware of diets with a high glycemic index as these foods will rapidly increase your blood sugar; these could be things like processed sweets. Consume foods that contain a lower glycemic index as these will not easily raise blood sugar levels.
Sugary meals will easily raise insulin and blood sugar levels, leading to inflammation, oil production, and increased androgen secretion. All these factors could lead to acne development. Research shows that high-glycemic diets increase the risk of acne development compared to low-glycemic diets.
A study involving 2,300 teens clearly showed that those who consumed added sugars were at a higher risk (30% of developing acne. Population studies indicate that people in rural areas who consume non-processed foods are not at any risk of developing acne compared to their counterparts in urban areas.
- It boosts the risk of getting cancer
Certain cancers may develop from consuming excessive sugary foods. Diets with excess sugary beverages and foods may cause obesity. Obesity is one of the issues that can easily bring about cancer. Added sugars in meals increase inflammation, and this will easily cause insulin resistance. Insulin resistance and increased inflammation in the body increase your chances of getting cancer.
A research involving more than 430,000 people showed that consuming excessive sugars increased their chances of acquiring pleural cancer, esophageal cancer, and small intestines cancer. In a different study, women who took cookies and sweet buns three or more times a week were at a higher risk (1.42 times) to develop endometrial cancer than those who did not consume these foods more than 0.5 times every week. However, research is still underway to investigate the exact link between cancer and added sugars.
- It could potentially accelerate your skin aging process
Wrinkles will appear eventually as they are a sign of aging regardless of your health. However, it is crucial to note that poor food choices could speed up this process. Your wrinkles could come earlier and could be worse than they should be. The protein in your body and sugars will react to form advanced glycation end products (AGE), and these play a crucial role in the aging of your skin.
Taking in foods and beverages high in added sugars will lead to the mass production of AGEs. That will technically mean your skin will age before its time, and wrinkles will be all over before you notice it.
- Enhances depression
While a healthy diet helps enhance your mood, foods rich in sugar boost your chances of getting depressed. Taking in highly sugary food and other processed foods like sugary drinks and cakes will land you at the risk of depression. Experts believe that inflammation, neurotransmitter dysregulation, and sugar swings are some of the reasons why sugar impacts your mental health.
Around 8,000 people were placed under a study for about 22 years, and those who took in more than 67 grams of sugar daily were at a higher risk of depression than the people who took in lower intakes.
- May boost cellular aging
The best immune support is taking zero-added drink powder. The drink powder contains potent immune system activators such as Vitamin C D3, zinc, inflammatory adaptogen, elderberry, among other crucial elements.
Telomeres are protective caps that prevent your chromosomes from fusing or deteriorating. They are located at the end of your chromosomes and are responsible for holding all or part of your genetic data. As you age, these structures shorten, and that causes the cells to malfunction and age. Even though this should be a natural process, taking too many sugary foods will drive this process to start before its due time.
Studies show that taking in too much added sugar shortens your telomere and increasing cellular aging before its time. A study was done on about 5,300 adults, and it shows that people who consume sugar-sweetened beverages have shorter telomere and premature cellular aging.
- Chances of fatty liver
Taking foods rich in fructose could potentially lead to fatty liver. Fructose is different from other sugars like glucose that are absorbed by cells in your body. Fructose is broken down only by the liver. Here it is stored as glycogen or converted to energy. However, your liver cannot store so much glycogen meaning that the excess will be converted to fat.
When in large amounts in your liver, it can easily cause (NAFLD) non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. It is a condition brought about by the buildup of excess fats in the liver.
- Causes other health hazards
Added sugar can harm you in so many other ways, including:
- High risk of kidney disease
- Increased risk of developing gout
- It could affect your dental health
- Could accelerate cognitive decline
- It drains your energy
Added sugar foods will raise your insulin levels and blood sugar, which increases energy. However, this energy level is not recommendable as the rise is fleeting. Products rich in sugars but with no fiber, protein, or fat will boost your energy, but then you will experience a sharp drop known as a crash.
Taking in excess sugars will ultimately lead to these energy level fluctuations. To avoid this, you need to consume foods rich in fiber and low in added sugars. You could also pair your carbs with fat or protein to maintain your blood sugar levels.
Advantages of best immune support drink powder
The drink powder is effective because it provides all the essential nutrients your body needs with no added sugars. There are diverse immune system activators in the supplement, such as superfoods, elderberry, plant-based vitamin C, zinc, probiotics, and vitamin D. Here are some of its benefits:
- Probiotics digestive wellness
- Presence of elderberry
- Presence of vitamin D3, C and Zinc
- Anti-inflammatory adaptogens
- It does not contain any added sugars
- Has prebiotics
Parting Shot
Added sugars are generally harmful to your body. It would be best to avoid these excessive sugary diets and beverages at all costs to take good care of your health. If they must be consumed, ensure you do it occasionally and in low quantities.
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