7 Ways Sugar Is Harming Your Health: The Ugly Truth

While most people think they know what’s in their food, the truth is, ingredients aren’t always clear. One such ingredient is sugar. This ubiquitous sweetener is in almost everything we eat, often stealthily disguised as something else. And while it’s widely known that sugar isn’t exactly the best thing for us, only recently has the medical community started to really understand its negative effects. The next time your sweet tooth kicks in, think twice and consider these 7 ways sugar is harming your health.

Disrupted Sleep

A recent study showed that sugar consumption is related to a disruption in sleep quality. Participants with higher sugar diets took extra time to fall asleep. And, they experienced more restlessness and awakening throughout the night. But most important perhaps, those high sugar consumers, spent less time in deep slow-wave sleep, a state of rest that’s essential to the body’s healing and restoration. 

So how do you fix this? Pay attention to sugary food choices throughout the day and before bedtime. Cutting back might just put an end to all that tossing and turning.

Always Sick? Weakened Immune Systems

Can’t kick that cough? Excess sugar may be to blame. Sugar can stunt your white blood cells, the immune cells in your body that are responsible for fighting pathogens. Without these cells functioning properly you’re susceptible to viruses and infections. Try replacing sugary foods with healthy options like vegetables, chock full of the vitamins and minerals necessary for maintaining a strong immune system. Foods like garlic, turmeric, and broccoli even contain nutrients that fight disease-causing pathogens.

Gut Health

Our gut biome functions best with a delicate balance of good and bad bacteria. Too much sugar however, overfeeds the bad bacteria and disrupts this balance. But why does this matter for our health? Guts are responsible for a whole lot more than just helping us make decisions. In fact, they play a large role in regulating the immune system, ensuring proper digestion, and absorbing the daily nutrients we need. When our guts are out of wack, a host of problems arise. Addressing things like digestive issues, bloating, inflammation, and joint pain often begins with addressing our guts.

Skin Problems

That pesky adult acne might be caused by, you guessed it, sugar. Refined sugar can cause systemic inflammation in the body, which in turn weakens our immune systems. As a result, bacteria builds on the skin, creating pimples and a host of skin problems. What’s more, this increase in inflammation also promotes the production of stress hormones like cortisol. Which, like a perfect storm, produces more sebum, the oily substance on the face, giving bacteria the ideal environment to flourish. 

Low Energy

Those of you who reach for a quick bite of candy as a midday pick me up might be surprised by this one. While it’s true that sugar will certainly give you a boost of energy, it’s only temporary. The body absorbs sugar quickly, giving you an equally quick rise in blood sugar. But what follows is a dramatic crash of energy, leaving you even more tired, irritable, and mentally drained. Try replacing your midday sugar fix with an energy-boosting protein like almonds or plain yogurt. Ridding yourself of the constant highs and lows of a sugar diet will balance your moods and stabilize your energy for the long run (or your daily run).

Weight Gain

Sugar is a carbohydrate. And, like any carbohydrate, when eaten in excess it will be stored by your body as fat. This in turn leads to weight gain. What’s more, consuming high amounts of sugar will also cause spikes in blood sugar, which lead to cravings for even more carbohydrates. Try cutting back on the amount of sugar you consume in one sitting, while substituting lower sugar foods with options containing fiber. Especially for people with diabetes, food with fiber can help slow the absorption of sugar. 

Yeast Infections

All women have yeast or candida albicans in their vaginas, existing symbiotically with good bacteria like lactobacili. When these are balanced, things are fine. But, it’s when one or the other grows more rapidly that you run into trouble. Yeast feeds on sugar. So, consuming in excess causes blood sugar spikes, which in turn causes yeast to overgrow. The result? Yeast infections. 

While studies show that those with lowered immune systems, as well as type 1 and type 2 diabetes, run the highest risk of developing yeast infections due to diet, watching your daily sugar is still an overall healthy choice. 

When you stop and give some thought to your daily diet, it’s not hard to see how sugar is harming your health. But, with a little effort, and some alternative food choices, you might just find yourself sugar-free.