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Topics: Food and Drink, Health, Science, Mental Health
Ellie Kemp
Topics: Food and Drink, Health, Science, Mental Health
Health experts have warned of six ways eating excess sugar can impact your body - and they'll probably make you think twice about reaching for that donut.
We all know by now that eating too much of anything, particularly sugar, is bad for us -everything in moderation, as the old saying goes.
And while there are certain times of the day that eating sugar actually increases our pleasure and sees less impact on our body, we should still be mindful of how much of it we consume.
The American Heart Association recommends men should consume no more than nine teaspoons of the white stuff a day - which is around 36 grams, or 150 calories.
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Women, meanwhile, should consume no more than six teaspoons, so 25 grams or 100 calories.
While that sounds like a lot, unless you keep track of your diet, chances are, with all the added sugar in food and drinks nowadays, you're probably consuming more without even realizing it.
And with that in mind, let's take a look at the six ways too much sugar can impact our health.
You might instantly think of alcohol when it comes to the liver, but it's not just booze that's bad for our organs.
Your liver actually metabolizes sugar as it does alcohol, as experts at Dartmouth Health explain, converting carbohydrates to fat.
But the accumulation of fat could cause 'fatty liver disease,' which can in turn lead to diabetes and raise your risk for heart disease.
Our gut can also take the brunt of sugar-binges, ultimately making us feel slow and sluggish.
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), found in candy, soda and packaged sweets, is particularly bad for our guts.
Jean Copeland, registered dietitian and nutritionist at DHMC's Heart and Vascular Center, explains: "When you consume HFCS, a less efficient method of absorption takes place, leaving unabsorbed sugar in your small intestines."
Fluid is then drawn into the gut from the bloodstream, bloating and gurgling in the abdomen.
The sugar eventually moves to the colon, where bacteria ferment it, causing gas or diarrhea.
We've had it ingrained into us since we were kids that sugar rots our teeth.
Sugary drinks, dried fruit, candy and chocolate are common offenders, with acidic sour candies among the worst, WebMD explains.
Sugar works by feeding the bacteria in our mouths, which 'leave behind acid that wears away your tooth enamel.'
This causes our teeth to become weaker, more sensitive and oftentimes appear more yellow in color.
WedMD recommends rinsing your mouth with water or drink after a sweet treat to neutralise the acid.
We all know that eating too much of anything can contribute to weight gain, but sugar is a particularly dangerous culprit.
Shockingly, if you drink a can of soda every day and don’t trim the calories elsewhere, you'd be 15 pounds heavier in three years, WedMD says.
It's no secret that high-sugar diets can lead to obesity, which then increases your risk of developing conditions including diabetes, heart diseases, strokes and even certain types of cancers.
A less obvious area sugar can impact us is our skin.
Dr Nish from Unity Point Health explains how our skin is composed of collagen and elastin, which make our skin supple and soft.
But pesky sugar causes a 'cross-linking of collagen,' which results in stiffening and loss of elasticity.
So, the more sugar we eat, the more our skin suffers.
Sugar could also cause 'increased acne, appearance of wrinkles, sagging in neck and chin and the development of dark spots,' Dr Nish adds.
Having a sweet tooth could also see you struggle more with your mental health.
WebMD reported that a recent study showed men who ate more than 66 grams of sugar a day - that's almost double the recommended amount - were 23 percent more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety or depression than men who ate 40 grams or less.
Scarily, excess sugar could also stoke up depression by causing inflammation in the body and even the brain, which is more common in people with depression.
Other studies suggest that unstable blood sugar can also play a part in unstable moods.