What Happens In Your Body When You Consume Too Much Sugar

Don’t we all love the occasional sweet treat to satisfy our sweet tooth?

Whether it’s a donut, an ice cream, French fries, a can of soda or any other form of sweets, all of these foods contain large amounts of carbohydrates or sugars.

In this day and age where a sedentary lifestyle has been adopted by many individuals and most developed countries face health problems like obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus, it’s vital to increase awareness regarding the changes in our bodies following the consumption of foods rich in sugar.

Since the holiday season is around the corner, you might find yourself guilty of over-indulging with sweets. While these sweets may satisfy your sweet tooth in the short run, over-indulging with them can take a toll on your health in the long run.

This is especially true of hidden sugars, which trick you into thinking the sugar content of the food you’re consuming is low when it is actually alarmingly high.

To avoid this, you should read ingredient labels carefully!

So, let’s get to what exactly happens in your body when you eat too much sugar.

Following the consumption of sweets containing tons of sugar in them, your body detects the increase in your blood sugar level and then your insulin level spikes in order to bring your blood glucose level back to normal.

When you over-indulge with sweets, your insulin level spikes more often and these spikes can lead to insulin resistance, which is the basis of type 2 diabetes mellitus, a leading cause of retinopathy and renal insufficiency.

Diabetes mellitus affects every other organ system in your body and if it runs in your family, you should be stricter about consuming sweets than the average person.

The sugars that are not immediately used by your body are converted into fat by your liver.

This fat is stored in your abdomen (in the case of men) or hips (in the case of women), leading to obesity and further health complications that are collectively known as the metabolic syndrome.

Additionally, due to rapid conversion of the sugars to fats in your liver, your chances of suffering from a disease called fatty liver also greatly increases.

Fatty liver can further lead to extensive liver damage and cirrhosis, which can be a life-threatening condition

Not only this but if sugary foods are left inside your mouth, they can be acted upon by bacteria and be converted to acids, which can lead to tooth decay.

Unfortunately, hidden sugars make up a great deal of the sugar we consume.

These hidden sugars are found in sodas, rice, French fries, juices and other processed foods that contain a high amount of carbohydrates.

While you may think that a carton of processed fruit juice may be healthy for you, a quick glance at the ingredient label will open your eyes to its sugar content, which is usually listed as the second or third ingredient in most processed fruit juices.

While these fruit juices and others such processed foods boast to be “healthy”, they’re actually quite the opposite owing to their high carbohydrate levels.

Now that the holidays are almost here and the “trick or treat” season just passed, please don’t overdose on sweets and other items that contain hidden sugars.Now, I didn't say not to have any, just beware of having TOO MANY.

Read ingredient labels of all the products you buy before buying them and try to avoid processed foods as much as you can because most of them contain high amounts of sugars.

Also, avoid sodas at all costs!

They’re loaded with sugars and the insulin spike following their consumption can really be harmful to your body if it’s consumed excessively and more often.

So, this holiday season, make it your goal to not let go of your healthy eating control your eating habits.

Eat healthy so that you can live healthier and longer with a greater quality of life!

It’s not only important to keep an eye on your macro nutrients but also how you consume them.

Look out for the hidden sugars in processed food and make healthy eating choices! Don’t let temporary cravings mess with your health.

Keep the saying, “a few moments on the lips and forever on the hips” in mind and tell yourself that those few moments aren’t worth it because they really aren’t!

References:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/too-much-sugar

https://articles.mercola.com/sugar-side-effects.aspx

https://www.thisisinsider.com/what-happens-when-you-eat-too-much-sugar-2017-9#tooth-decay-2

Katie Osterhoff

Online Nutrition & Fitness Mentor

KatieOsterhoff.com

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Control Your Stress

Long lines, family gatherings, and compelled joy will provoke anxiety, worry, and stress throughout the holiday season.

An excessive amount of caffeine, wine, and sugar, you’ve got a formula to keep your stress endocrine cortisol jacked up all day, breaking down muscle and storing fat.

Realize your center of calm: meditation, deep respiration, yoga, reading or simply walking your dog around the block will offer fleeting elation throughout the frantic season.