You probably already know that filling up on sugary soda and sweets can send your energy levels skyrocketing, and then quickly crashing back down to the ground. But the exaggerated ups and downs aren’t the only reasons not to over-indulge in sugar. In fact, eating too much sugar can set you up for a variety of health concerns.
Each gram of sugar contains 4 calories. Although that may not seem significant, those calories quickly add up. For example, some types of sweetened yogurt can have up to 30 grams of sugar per serving, according to an article from the American Council on Exercise, adding up to a whopping 120 calories from the sugar alone. Consuming more calories than you burn each day results in weight gain. So if your diet is packed with sugar, those extra calories are stored in fat tissue that tends to accumulate around your middle.
In 2010, the "Journal of the American Medical Association" published results of a study looking at the link between added sugars and lipid levels in the bloodstream. According to the study, increased sugar consumption was associated with high triglyceride levels, high LDL cholesterol levels and low HDL cholesterol levels. All three factors contribute to plaque accumulation along the inner walls of arteries, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Type 2 Diabetes
Consistently eating too much sugar can put you at risk for Type 2 diabetes. When you consume more sugar than your body needs, the extra glucose molecules are stored for later use. But accumulating too much sugar can make your body less sensitive to insulin, the hormone needed to push sugar molecules into the cells. As insulin insensitivity worsens, sugar molecules start accumulating in your bloodstream, leading to high blood sugar. Eventually, consistently high blood sugar levels can lead to the development of diabetes.
Although sugar addiction might not be as critical as an addiction to nicotine or alcohol, the dependency is very real. Frequently consuming sugar foods and beverages causes your internal taste preferences to change, according to researchers at the Office of Knowledge Enterprise Development at Arizona State University. As you grow accustomed to the sugary sweetness, you actually depend on these flavors to satisfy your cravings. So if you’re used to drinking your morning coffee with three packets of sugar, you probably won’t even enjoy the breakfast beverage without the sugar. Breaking your sugar dependency is possible, although not easy. To make the transition easier, slowly reduce your daily sugar intake until you’re eating less than American Heart Association’s recommended intake. The AHA recommends about 6 teaspoons of sugar per day for women and 9 teaspoons per day for men.
- American Diabetes Association: Diabetes Myths
- Cleveland Clinic: Eating Too Much Sugar? Tame Your Sweet Tooth
- Time: Study: Too Much Sugar Increases Heart Risks
- American Heart Association: Sugars and Carbohydrates
- The Journal of the American Medical Association: Caloric Sweetener Consumption and Dyslipidemia Among US Adults
- American Council on Exercise: How to Decipher the Yogurt Aisle—Finding Truly Healthy, Weight-loss Options
- Arizona State University Office of Knowledge Enterprise Development: In Good Taste: Research Explores Food Preferences
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