For those of you who’ve followed me for years, you know that I am not a fan of sugar. Not the kind found in fruits or beets. No. I’m referring to the simple sugars found in processed foods like candy, soda, bread, pasta, snack bars and desserts. Even the kind that hides behind different names in so-called “health” foods that claim to be low carb, gluten-free, or vegan. The same sugars that also go unnoticed in dressings, sports supplements, and juices. Let’s face it. Sugar is everywhere. And because of that, all of us are at risk for an overdose. Because what these companies won’t tell you is that sugar is one of the worst offenders against your health. And the next time someone asks why you don’t eat sugar, show them this post. We’re going into the bitter truth about a dangerously sweet enemy. Let’s get started.

Weight Gain

Whenever we eat sugar, it’s either converted into or is already glucose. Once that happens, it’s either used immediately for energy (like running a marathon) or stored away for future use. Now, the storage can be either in the liver, muscles, or fat. For our ancestors, this wasn’t a big deal when they were out hunting in the wild and trying to find enough food to survive. Today it’s different; we no longer need to scavenge for food. It’s just a short trip to the store or a few seconds to the refrigerator. All of that excess, stored sugar won’t be used up. And so, we’ll keep storing more and more and creating more fat, which causes weight gain. [1]

In fairness, I have to stress that this is what happens you eat excess amounts of sugar. If you ate a cookie every so often while the rest of your diet was otherwise sugar-free, then you’re not going to balloon up. But the problem is that most people are eating tons of sugar. Recent data shows that close to 40% of adults in the US are obese. [2] Let me repeat that. Obese. Not overweight, obese. That’s almost half of the population. While sugar isn’t the only thing to blame (after all, there’s also lack of exercise, depression, poor food quality, etc.), it is part of the problem.

Sugar is also what many experts believe to be “empty carbs”. They don’t offer anything outside of calories and carbs. No vitamins, minerals, proteins, or fats. Nothing.

Blood Sugar

Another problem with too much sugar is its effects on our blood sugar. Overeating sugar leads to chronically high blood sugar levels that, unless corrected, leads to a condition known as hyperglycemia. [3] Hyperglycemia itself is a serious problem because it not only promotes weight gain, but it also paves the way for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. For those of you that don’t know, insulin resistance is when your cells stop responding to insulin, which helps to maintain blood sugar. When the signals to keep our blood sugar from skyrocketing start to fail, our body pumps out more and more insulin to the now unresponsive cells, which is a state of insulin resistance. [3]

But the effects of sugar are twofold. Aside from jacking up blood sugar to abnormally high levels, it’s also pro-inflammatory, which further leads to insulin resistance. And what follows insulin resistance is type 2 diabetes. [4]

And if you thought insulin was the only thing your body becomes resistant to, then think again. High blood sugar levels also contribute to leptin resistance. Leptin is a hormone that plays a big role in how our body takes in and burns calories. It’s also involved in fat storage and helps to lower hunger. [5] However, chronically high blood sugar is known to interfere with leptin, and just like with insulin can create a state of leptin resistance. As a result, our appetite becomes difficult to manage, and we’re more likely to overeat and gain body fat. [6] The more sugar you eat, the more you want. It’s like an addiction. Once you start cutting it out of your diet, you’ll crave less of it. Low carb diets and Keto especially can help you get rid off these cravings.

Disease

If weight is not an issue for you, then think about your risk of chronic disease. There are many studies showing a relationship between high-sugar diets and disease risk. [7] That’s because they lead to a number of things that are culprits behind disease, such as inflammation (which I mentioned before), triglycerides (fat in the bloodstream), high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and high blood sugar. [8]

Another concern is sugar’s link to cancer. There’s one study that I want to share with you. The first was done on over 430,000 subjects and showed that the people who consumed the excess sugar had the highest risk for cancer. (In fact, 29,099 men and 13,355 ended up being diagnosed with cancer!) [9] While the researchers admit that there’s more to cancer than just sugar, they do admit there is a strong correlation. It doesn’t equal causation, but it’s still worth keeping an eye on.

Processed sugars like high-fructose corn syrup are a particular concern, especially when it comes to fatty liver disease. That’s because fructose is almost 100% broken down by the liver, which converts it into glucose (for immediate use) or glycogen (or later use). With fatty liver disease, the liver no longer has any more room to store glycogen, so basically any carbs get turned immediately into fat. That’s how fatty liver disease begins. While people usually associate fatty liver with alcohol, when the main culprit here is sugar (or high-fructose corn syrup), then the problem becomes non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). [10]

Other Side Effects

These are some of the top side effects I wanted to go into. But here’s a list of other risks that are worth mentioning regarding excess sugar:

• Arthritis
• Gout (high-sugar leading to raised uric acid in the blood which contributes to gout)
• Kidney disease
• High risk of dementia
• Cavities and Tooth Decay
• Candida, or yeast, overgrowth
• Premature wrinkles (damages the protein fibers in the skin- more on that here)
• Acne
• Impotence
• Hormone imbalances (especially PCOS)

[11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19]

So, with such a long list of risks, are you still convinced that sugar is as sweet and innocence as it makes itself out to be? Just as a reminder, I’m talking about excess sugar. Which, unfortunately, is something society is exposed to. But I hope that you can take this information and at least be more mindful about how much you choose to consume. Think about the long-term risks and decide what’s best for you.

Sources:

[1] https://www.sharecare.com/health/carbohydrates/how-sugar-cause-weight-gain
[2] https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2018/rising-obesity-united-states-public-health-crisis
[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23322142
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5454857/
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4069066/
[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3649097/
[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4856550/
[8] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3712514/
[9] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3494407/
[10] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29408694
[11] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25030783
[12] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25928993
[13] https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMc1311765
[14] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3893787/
[15] https://www.health.com/yeast-infection/does-sugar-cause-yeast-infections
[16] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20620757
[17] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/acne-what-you-need-to-know-2019010315717
[18] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317012.php
[19] https://health.clevelandclinic.org/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pill-not-remedy/