You all know that sugar and chocolates can lead to cavities, but did you know that too much sugar can increase your risk of contracting Alzheimer’s or cause nutritional deficiencies? Well, it’s true. Eating sugar can do more than just give your cavities and trigger diabetes.
As we mentioned above, sugar can lead to cavities. Tooth decay happens when bacteria lining the teeth feed on simple sugars, creating an acid that destroys the enamel. Contrary to popular belief, sour candies are worse for your teeth than sweet ones as they contain more acid (1).
This is another effect of eating too much sugar. Sugary foods are crammed with calories that aren’t enough to satiate your hunger. The best way to reduce weight is to decrease the amount of sugar intake.
Eating too much sugar leads to insulin resistance, and your body can demand more insulin. As insulin levels soar, glucose stagnates in your blood. Insulin resistance can lead to many symptoms like fatigue, hypertension and hunger. It can also cause serious complications in diabetic people (2).
You would have heard the joke about the ant that did not eat sugar as it had diabetes. Even if you haven’t heard of the joke, scientifically, you can increase the risk of contracting type-2 diabetes if you consume too much sugar. Studies conducted conclude that drinking soda can result in you gaining weight and even contracting type-2 diabetes (3).
Eating too much sugar can cause leptin resistance in your body. This is quite dangerous, as leptin is the hormone that signals your brain that you are full. If you suffer from leptin resistance, your body doesn’t receive this “I’m full” signal, which can lead to overeating and causes serious weight control issues.
Studies on rats conclude that consuming too much fructose can alter levels of leptin, which reduces your body’s sensitivity to it. When fructose was removed from the rats’ diet, these effects were reversed (4).
Overeating can make you obese, and overeating sugar is probably the worst thing to do. Obesity is usually associated with high amounts of sugar in your diet.
Heart disease is a common condition that can affect anyone. Depending on the cause and the factors leading to it, you can experience MI, stroke or even mild palpitations. Eating too much sugar is quite dangerous for people with a predisposition towards heart disease. Studies conclude that too much sugar can increase your risk of contracting heart disease, especially in women (5).
Usually eating too much salt can lead to hypertension and excessively high blood pressure. However, eating too much sugar isn’t any healthier. In fact, consuming high amounts of sugar every day can lead to high blood pressure.
There have been many studies that have linked obesity and diabetes to cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s. As obesity and diabetes usually occur due to overconsumption of sugar, excess sugar can lead to cognitive decline (6).
Usually, people tend to get their energy and calories from sugary liquids and energy drinks. However, excess sugar consumption can lead to nutritional deficiency as the body only depends on these drinks and sugary foods to generate energy. Studies concluded that when humans get 18% of the total calorie amount from sugar, they usually have low levels of essential nutrients like Vitamin C, Vitamin A, iron, calcium and folate.
So, now that you know the effects of eating too much sugar, it is probably the time to switch over to those fruit juices instead of your favorite can of soda. Also, tell us how you reduced your sugar intake. Leave a comment below.