What Happens in Your Body When You Eat Too Much Sugar
You probably already know that consuming too much sugar is not good for your health. But you are probably still overdoing it, as the recommended limit is about 12 teaspoons per day or roughly 200 calories. Sweet drinks, candies, baked goods, and sweetened dairy products are the main sources of added sugar, but even such savory foods as bread, tomato sauce, and protein bars can have some added sugar too, making it very easy to have an excess of the sweet stuff.
Here are some of the potential side effects of eating sugar:
The Brain
Consuming sugar gives your brain a big and sudden surge of a substance called dopamine that makes you feel good, which explains why you would crave a candy bar more than an apple or a carrot. Since whole foods like fruits and vegetables don’t cause your brain to release that much dopamine, it starts to demand more and more sugar in order to get the same feeling of pleasure.
The Mood
The random candy bar or cookie will give you a swift burst of energy by immediately raising your blood sugar levels. And when your sugar levels drop after your cells have absorbed it, you start to feel jittery and anxious. But if you are having candy bars way too often, sugar starts to give its effect on the mood even after the 3 p.m. slump, and studies have shown that a high sugar intake leads to an increased risk of depression in adults.
The Teeth
You have probably heard from childhood that candy can rot your teeth, and it is true. Bacteria that induce cavities prefer to eat sugar and stay on your teeth after you eat something sweet.
The Joints
Eating too many sweets has been proven to worsen joint pain due to the inflammation they cause in the body, so it is one more reason to lay off the candy. Plus, studies confirm that eating sugar can increase the risk of having rheumatoid arthritis.
The Skin
Eating sugar can also make your skin age faster, which is another side effect of inflammation. Excessive sugar can attach itself to proteins in the bloodstream and create dangerous molecules called “advanced glycation end products”. These molecules can age your skin, as they have been shown to harm your skin’s collagen and elastin, which are protein fibers needed to keep your skin firm and youthful.
The Body Weight
This probably very obvious, but the more sugar you consume, the more you will weigh. Research has proven that people who drink too many sugar-sweetened drinks tend to gain more weight and be at higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes, than those people who don’t. Excessive amounts of sugar are able to inflame the fat cells that can cause them to release certain chemicals and, in turn, increase your weight.