Most people know that sugar is detrimental to your their health. And yet, people still consume it. When you see a glazed doughnut, a piece of cake or a cookie, your eyes glaze over and your mouth waters. As a result, you give in to temptation, get a sugar high, then get the sugar crash. But sugar is a lot more harmful that it appears to be. Here are 5 ways sugar is killing you.
1. Inflammation
Sugar increases inflammation in the body. As a matter of fact, sugar causes more inflammation that any other food. And consuming too much of it can cause chronic inflammation. Your body will seem to ache, you’ll feel tired and just won’t feel good at all.
It can also raise your cholesterol levels since inflammation is the leading cause of high cholesterol. Sugar inflames the cells in your body that is meant to protect it as it creates a waxy substance in your cells. For that reason, reducing your sugar intake reduces your cholesterol and inflammation.
2. Obesity
As we all know, obesity is at an all time high. It has reached an epidemic level. This is due to more and more food manufacturing companies adding high fructose corn syrup into most processed foods.
Processed foods such as sodas and cookies will make you pack on the pounds. By eliminating high fructose corn syrup, you’ll eliminate an aggressive processed sugar and keep the pounds off.
3. Addictive
One of the most diabolical characteristics of sugar is how addictive it is. The more sugar you eat, you more you’ll crave it. In recent studies on animals, it’s shown that sugar was more addictive than cocaine. In fact, it the most widely consumed substance on earth.
When you consume sugar, you get a blood sugar hike that creates a high. You’ll feel happy for an hour or two. Then you’ll experience a sugar crash where you don’t feel good. The only way to beat the crash is to consume more sugar. It’s a never ending cycle that leads to obesity and other health problems.
4. Raises Risks
Besides inflammation and high cholesterol, sugar raises your risk for other serious health problems. Health issues such as cancer, high blood pressure and fatty liver feed off sugar. These problems have been directly and indirectly linked to high sugar intake. As we previously mentioned, obesity has a direct correlation to sugar. This leads to cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. With this in mind, lowering your sugar intake can help you get healthier.
5. Accelerates Aging
If you want to retain your youthful appearance, stay away from sugar. Sugar breaks down the collagen and elastin in your skin. This loss of collagen lessens the strength and flexibility in the skin causing wrinkly, sagging skin. And the more sugar you consume, the more your skin starts to suffer. It can increase acne, cause sagging in your neck and chin, slows healing and cause you to develop dark spots.
These are just 5 ways that sugar is killing you. But there are so many more negative consequences. The best thing to do is monitor your sugar intake as much as you can. You can indulge with an occasional soda or sugar in your coffee, but don’t make it a habit. One of the healthiest things you can do for yourself is cut down the sugar and start replacing it with the nutrients your body needs.
