Sweet Addict: 7 Detrimental effects of sugar on the body

Angela Goh

16 Mar 2016

updated the 17 March 2016 à 09:53

1/7
Increases chance of diabetes
Studies have shown that an increase of 150kcal per person per day in sugar availability can increase diabetes prevalence by 1.1%.
2/7
Fattens your liver
After long periods of inactivity, your liver turns the fructose in sugar into fat, some of which remains within liver. Overtime, this can ultimately lead to Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
3/7
Makes you age
Fructose can react with proteins and cause a reaction that contributes to a loss of elasticity in tissues such as the collagen in your skin.
4/7
Increases stress and lethargy
Consuming a large amount of sugar can temporarily spike your blood glucose and insulin secretion, giving you an energy boost. This is then followed by a crash, in which your body releases epinephrine and adrenaline to compensate for the low blood sugar. This can cause anxiety, nervousness, headaches, and fatigue
5/7
Tricks you into being hungry
Excess fructose consumption causes leptin resistance (leptin tells you you’re full), meaning we have no signal that we’ve eaten too much.
6/7
Addictive response
Bingeing on sugar can condition the brain to release dopamine in response to consumption
7/7
Tooth decay
Teeth are slowly broken down by bacteria - simple sugars provide an energy source for the bacteria, speeding up the decaying process.

From popular cereals to almost every soft drink under the sun, sugar seems dominate our lives in one way or another.

Planning on going on a carb-free diet this weekend so you’ll finally be able fit into that pencil skirt you’ve been wanting to try? Well, that’s a good start, but we should really be considering cutting down on pesky sugars permanently and not just for a few days. Instead, replace unhealthy choices with detoxifying foods like asparagus and broccoli.

Consuming too much sugar in the long run may cause some serious damage to the body. We’ve come up with seven terrifying reasons that may be enough to persuade you to phase out your unhealthy sugar binge habits altogether.

Angela Goh

Photos: Getty Images

Close the Loop: H&M teams up with M.I.A. for recycling...

How does poor blood circulation affect your...

Sweet Addict: 7 Detrimental effects of sugar on the body

React to this post Cancel reply