Side Effects Of Consuming Excessive Sugar

Sugar is one of the main ingredients in our diet. Even though we might not have a sweet tooth, still we often end up consuming more than the required amount of sugar. This can have adverse effects on health in the long run. So, it’s always necessary to keep a tab on the amount of sugar we are consuming daily.

How much amount of sugar is advisable?

According to American Heart Association, the maximum amount of sugar that one should eat is 37.5 grams or 9 teaspoons for MEN and 25 grams or 6 teaspoons for WOMEN, DAILY.

What are the side effects of consuming excess sugar?

1.      Increase the risk of heart diseases.

Persistent high sugar diet may lead to obesity. Obesity can result in inflammation of blood vessels, deposition of fats, triglyceride, high blood sugar level. All these factors can be harmful to your heart and can eventually increase the risk of heart disease and even heart attack.

2.      Increase the risk of cancer.

As mentioned above, consuming high amount of sugar can not only lead to obesity but also increase the risk of certain types of cancer. High sugar diet causes decreases the resistance to the insulin naturally secreted by the pancreas of our body, which is one of the main causes of cancer. Cancers commonly associated with high sugar diets are esophageal cancer, cancer of small intestine.

3.      Accelerates the skin aging process.

Sugar level in your diet play a key role in skin aging. Sugars lead to the formation of Advanced Glycation end Products (AGEs) which speeds up the aging process. It damages the collagen levels and elasticity of your skin, which plays a key role in maintaining the youthful radiance of your skin.

4.      Can cause fatty liver.

The sugar we consume is broken down and converted into glycogen or energy and stored in the liver. But the liver can store only a limited amount of energy and not more than that. Excessive sugar levels can cause the liver to store excessive glycogen in it. This further makes the liver fat and causes fatty liver.

Hence, a moderation in the sugar consumption and intake is always better as it helps in preventing the above mentioned side effects.