12 Reasons We Should All Cut Back on Sugar

You can plug your ears and bury your head in the sand, but eventually, the truth about sugar will catch up to you. Though sugar is everywhere and in everything, here at Healthversed, we’re hoping that the truth about sugar shall set you and your diet free.

The truth? It makes you fat, weakens your immune system, wreaks havoc on your emotional stability, can cause cancer, and much, much more. The thing is we’re so used to consuming it on the daily that we often neglect the facts. Sugar is toxic. There are no two ways about it. Don`t believe us? Then it’s time to get clicking!

It deforms the collagen in your skin

Your sugar-rich diet is rendering your expensive lotions, creams, and age-defying powders all but useless. That’s right. Sugar does more than make you doughy around the middle. It ages you too.

The sugar that you digest attaches and permanently deforms the collagen in your skin. It’s called glycation, magnifying the effects of aging, and worsening common skin conditions, like rosacea and acne.

So, next time you timidly approach your workplace vending machine with a crumpled five note, ask yourself if that chocolate-covered-nugget-thing is worth a lifetime of bad skin.

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It alters dopamine’s effectiveness

Dopamine is an organic chemical that transmits signals from one area of the brain to another. It has a ton of jobs, but most importantly, it plays a critical role in all of our reward-motivated behavior patterns. It’s responsible for our feelings of pleasure.

Eating sugar floods our brain with a massive amount of dopamine. The result? A blunting of dopamine’s effects, an addiction to sugar, and an opiate-like tolerance that builds and builds. The more sugar that you consume, the more you’ll need the next time.

Nobody ever said that kicking sugar was easy, but you can do it with a little help.

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It causes weight gain

Calorie counting apps are incredibly useful and watching your calorie consumption is a fantastic routine to build on. But it’s important to remember that not all calories are created equally. Case in point: sugar.

It can lead to insulin resistance, it interferes with the satiety hormone leptin, and as previously mentioned, it’s incredibly addictive. The medical community has been blaming sugar for the obesity epidemic for decades, and it’s not getting any better. If you don’t want to be another statistic, then it’s high time to cross sugar-rich foodstuffs off of your grocery list for good.

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It’s terrible for your heart

Looking to improve your heart health? Start drinking your coffee black. According to a groundbreaking study, an abundance of sugar can dramatically increase your risk of heart disease. The study tracked patients for 15 years and determined that all it took was consuming 25% of your daily calories as sugar to more than double your risk of dying from heart disease. Don’t believe us? There’s famous study that Harvard did on it.

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It rots your teeth

This one should not come as a surprise. A sugar heavy diet has been known to wreak havoc on your pearly whites. It’s been known to cause irreparable damage to the tooth’s protective enamel, and it fuels tooth-destroying bacteria like plaque. Contrary to our previous points, the amount of sugar you eat isn’t the problem here. More, it’s the means of conveyance.

For example, exposure to “liquid sugar”, like soft drinks, is particularly damaging because it can get into those hard-to-reach, seemingly un-brushable areas of your mouth. If you must eat sugar, you’re encouraged to brush immediately after.

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It contains no essential nutrients

No vitamins. No protein. No fat. Just a lot of carbohydrates, a lot of calories, and a lot of bad side effects.

Sure, refined sugar may provide you with a temporary boost in energy, but it doesn’t last very long, and it’s often followed by a pervasive energy slump.

We’ve said it before and we’ll most definitely say it again, if you’re looking to lose weight and keep it off, start by cutting out the sugar. You can ease yourself off it. You can go cold turkey. However you decide to do it, do it now.

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It can cause serious liver damage

If you’re expecting the bad news about sugar to end, well, we have some bad news.

As it turns out, sugar is bad for your liver, too. Your liver has the capacity to metabolize roughly six teaspoons of added sugar per day. Which in theory should be fine. Unfortunately for us, the average diet contains roughly 20 teaspoons per day. All of that excess sugar can cause a fatty buildup in and around the liver that can later lead to liver disease. Many people believe that sugar is actually worse for your liver than alcohol.

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It can lead to Type 2 diabetes

There has been a lot of hmming and hawing about sugar’s role in the development of Type 2 diabetes in adults. Though the cause and effect of it all has been muddied over the years, recent studies have in fact determined a link between excessive sugar consumption and an increased diabetes risk.

According to the study, for every 150 calories of sugar that you consume per day, your risk of diabetes increases by 1%. For perspective, that’s about as much sugar contained in a single 12 ounce can of soda.

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It can give you cancer

Not only does sugar fuel already established cancer cells, studies have shown that it can initiate the growth of new cancer cells as well.

Furthermore, a high-sugar diet leads to obesity, which also increases your risk of developing cancer.

We know we’ve been harping on it a lot here, but sugar consumption should not be taken lightly. Not only does it dramatically impact your quality of life, but it can kill you if left unchecked. Check those labels and cut the sugar where possible. Your body will thank you, 10-fold.

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It makes you depressed

The highs and lows of sugar consumption can do a lot of damage to even the most resolute minds. As previously discussed, it highjacks our brain’s reward system and destabilizes our emotional responses.

The more sugar you eat, the higher your risk of developing depression. And if you’re already depressed, doctors recommend cutting the sugar as a way to mitigate the symptoms.

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It causes chronic inflammation

Inflammation isn’t always a bad thing. It’s a critical and natural component of the healing process. It helps repair cuts, bruises, scrapes, and all of the other injuries that aren’t as plain to see. Acute, injury related inflammation is natural and healthy. However, if the inflammation becomes a recurring symptom, it could be a problem.

And yes, excess sugar consumption can lead to chronic inflammation and all of the diseases that come along with it.

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It negatively impacts sleep

You’d think loading up on sugary cereal before heading off to bed would prevent you from falling asleep. That’s not exactly true. Instead, studies have shown that refined carbs negatively affect the overall quality of sleep. A sugar heavy day may cause you to wake up more often over the course of a night’s rest. It diminishes your overall restfulness and causes even more sleep-related health issues. There are a lot of ways to increase the quality of your sleep but if you’re going to start somewhere, Healthversed suggests cutting back on the sugar!

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Jul 24, 2017