Many people rely on instant processed foods for meals and snacks. Since these products often contain added sugar, it makes up a large portion of their daily calorie intake. Added sugar accounts for 17% of total calorie intake in adults and up to 14% in children.
Here are five reasons why eating too much sugar is bad for your health.
1. Can cause weight gain
Obesity rates are rising around the world, and added sugar, especially in sugary drinks, is thought to be one of the culprits. Sugary drinks such as soda, fruit juice, and milk tea contain fructose, a simple sugar.
Consuming fructose increases your hunger and cravings for food more than glucose, the main sugar in starchy foods.
Additionally, excess fructose intake may lead to resistance to leptin, an important hormone that regulates hunger and tells the body to stop eating. In other words, sugary drinks won't suppress your hunger, so it's easy to consume a lot of liquid calories quickly.
This can lead to weight gain. Those who drank sugary drinks such as milk tea and fruit juice weighed more than those who did not drink sugary drinks.
Consuming too much sugar, especially from sugar-sweetened beverages, increases the risk of weight gain and may lead to the accumulation of visceral fat.
2. Increased risk of heart disease
A diet high in sugar has been linked to an increased risk of many diseases, including heart disease, the number one cause of death globally. There is evidence that a diet high in sugar can lead to obesity, inflammation, and high triglyceride, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels -- all risk factors for heart disease.
Eating too much-added sugar increases heart disease risks factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, and inflammation. A diet high in sugar has been linked to an increased risk of dying from heart disease.
3. Linked to Acne
A diet high in refined carbohydrates, including sugary foods and drinks, has been linked to a higher risk of acne. Foods with a high glycemic index, such as processed candy, raise your blood sugar faster than foods with a low glycemic index.
Sugary foods quickly raise blood sugar and insulin levels, leading to increased androgen production, oil production, and inflammation, all of which play a role in the development of acne.
Studies have shown that a low-glycemic diet is associated with a reduced risk of acne, while a high-glycemic diet is associated with a greater risk. A diet high in sugar increases androgen production, oil production, and inflammation, all of which can increase the risk of acne.
4. Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Over the past 30 years, the global prevalence of diabetes has more than doubled. While there are many reasons for this, there is a clear link between excess sugar intake and diabetes risk.
Obesity, often caused by eating too much sugar, is considered the strongest risk factor for diabetes. What's more, prolonged high sugar intake can lead to resistance to insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates blood sugar levels.
Insulin resistance can lead to elevated blood sugar levels and greatly increase the risk of diabetes. For every 150 calories of sugar consumed per day or about a cup of milk tea, the risk of diabetes increased by 1.1 percent. Studies have shown that people who drink sugary drinks, including fruit juice, are more likely to develop diabetes.
5. Increases your risk of depression
Eating a lot of processed food, including high-sugar products like cakes and sugar-sweetened drinks, has been linked to a higher risk of depression.
Researchers believe that blood sugar fluctuations, neurotransmitter dysregulation, and inflammation may all be responsible for sugar's adverse effects on mental health. Studies have shown that men who ate 67 grams or more of sugar per day were 23 percent more likely to suffer from depression than men who ate less than 40 grams per day.
The study showed that women with the highest intake of added sugar had a significantly increased risk of depression compared to women with the lowest intake.
