Dangers of Sugar
From marinara sauce to peanut butter, added sugar can be found in even the most unexpected products.
Many people rely on quick, processed foods for meals and snacks. Since these products often contain added sugar, it makes up a large proportion of their daily calorie intake.
In the United States, the average adult consumes an estimated 17 teaspoons of added sugar each day (1Trusted Source). That accounts for 14% of total calorie intake in adults following a 2,000-calorie diet.
Experts believe that sugar consumption is a major cause of obesity and many chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes (2Trusted Source).
That’s why dietary guidelines suggest limiting calories from added sugar to less than 10% per day (3Trusted Source).
Here are 11 reasons why eating too much sugar is bad for your health.
Obesity rates are rising worldwide, and evidence suggests that added sugar — often from sugar-sweetened beverages — is a major contributor to obesity (4Trusted Source).
Sugar-sweetened drinks like sodas, juices, and sweet teas are loaded with fructose, a type of simple sugar.
Consuming fructose increases your hunger and desire for food more than glucose, the main type of sugar found in starchy foods (5Trusted Source).
Additionally, animal studies show that excessive fructose consumption may cause resistance to leptin, an important hormone that regulates hunger and tells your body to stop eating (6Trusted Source).
In other words, sugary beverages don’t curb your hunger, making it easy to quickly consume a high number of liquid calories. This can lead to weight gain.
Research shows that consuming sugary beverages is associated with weight gain and increased risk of type 2 diabetes (7Trusted Source, 8Trusted Source).
Also, drinking a lot of sugar-sweetened beverages is linked to an increased amount of visceral fat, a kind of deep belly fat associated with conditions like diabetes and heart disease (9Trusted Source).
Summary
Consuming too much added sugar, especially from sugary beverages, increases your risk of weight gain and can lead to visceral fat accumulation.
High-sugar diets have been associated with an increased risk of many diseases, including heart disease, the number one cause of death worldwide (8Trusted Source, 10, 11Trusted Source).
Evidence suggests that high-sugar diets can lead to obesity and inflammation as well as high triglycerides, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels — all of which are risk factors for heart disease (12Trusted Source).
Additionally, consuming too much sugar, especially from sugar-sweetened drinks, has been linked to atherosclerosis, a disease characterized by fatty, artery-clogging deposits (13).
A study in over 25,877 adults found that individuals who consumed more added sugar had a greater risk of developing heart disease and coronary complications compared to individuals who consumed less added sugar (10).
Not only does increased sugar intake increase cardiovascular risk, but it can also increase risk of stroke (10).
In the same study, more than eight servings per week of sugar-sweetened beverages were associated with increased stroke risk (10).
Just one 12-ounce (473-ml) can of soda contains 39 grams of sugar, which equates to 8% of your daily calorie consumption, based on a 2,000-calorie diet (14).
This means that one sugary drink a day can bring you close to the recommended daily limit for added sugar.
Summary
Added sugar consumption increases heart disease risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, and inflammation. High-sugar diets have been linked to an increased risk of heart disease.
A diet high in refined carbs, including sugary foods and drinks, has been associated with a higher risk of developing acne.
Foods with a higher glycemic index, such as processed sweets, raise your blood sugar more rapidly than foods with a lower glycemic index (15Trusted Source).
Consuming sugary foods can cause a spike in blood sugar and insulin levels, leading to increased androgen secretion, oil production, and inflammation — all of which play a role in acne development (16Trusted Source).
Evidence has shown that low-glycemic diets are associated with a reduced acne risk, while high-glycemic diets are linked to a higher acne risk (17Trusted Source).
For example, a study of 24,452 participants found that the consumption of fatty and sugary products, sugary beverages, and milk was associated with current acne in adults (18Trusted Source).
Additionally, many population studies have shown that rural communities that consume traditional, non-processed foods have much lower rates of acne compared to more urban, high-income areas where processed food is part of a standard diet (19Trusted Source).
These findings coincide with the theory that diets high in processed, sugar-laden foods contribute to the development of acne.
Summary
High-sugar diets can increase androgen secretion, oil production, and inflammation, all of which can raise your risk of developing acne.
Diabetes is a leading cause of mortality and reduced life expectancy. Its prevalence has more than doubled over the past 30 years, and projections estimate its burden will continue to rise (20Trusted Source).
Excessive sugar consumption has been historically associated with an increased risk of diabetes (21Trusted Source).
While no study has proven that sugar consumption causes diabetes, there are strong connections.
Eating large amounts of sugar can indirectly raise diabetes risk by contributing to weight gain and increased body fat — both of which are risks for developing diabetes (22Trusted Source).
Obesity, which is often caused by excessive sugar consumption, is considered the strongest risk factor for diabetes (23Trusted Source).
What’s more, prolonged high-sugar consumption drives resistance to insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates blood sugar levels.
Insulin resistance causes blood sugar levels to rise and strongly increases your risk of diabetes.
Additionally, research has found that people who drink sugar-sweetened beverages are more likely to develop diabetes (24Trusted Source).
A study including individuals who drank sugary beverages for over a 4-year period found that increased consumption of sugary beverages — including soft drinks and 100% fruit juice — is associated with a higher risk for type 2 diabetes (25).
Summary
A high-sugar diet may lead to obesity and insulin resistance, both of which are risk factors for type 2 diabetes.
Eating excessive amounts of sugar may increase your risk of developing certain cancers.
First, a diet rich in sugary foods and beverages can lead to obesity, which significantly raises your risk of cancer (26Trusted Source).
Also, diets high in sugar increase inflammation in your body and may cause insulin resistance, both of which increase cancer risk (27Trusted Source, 28Trusted Source).
A systematic review analyzing 37 prospective cohort studies found that in two of five studies on added sugar, a 60% – 95% increased cancer risk was observed with higher sugar intakes (29Trusted Source).
The same review found that in 8 of 15 studies on sugary foods and beverages, a 23% – 200% increased cancer risk was observed with greater sugary beverage consumption (29Trusted Source).
Other studies have found sugar intake to be linked to specific types of cancer.
A study in over 22,720 men spanning over 9 years found that increased sugar consumption from sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with a greater risk of prostate cancer (30Trusted Source).
Another study found that esophageal cancer was associated with increased consumption of sucrose, or table sugar, and sweetened desserts and beverages (31Trusted Source).
Research on the link between added sugar intake and cancer is ongoing, and more studies are needed to fully understand this complex relationship.
Summary
Too much sugar can lead to obesity, insulin resistance, and inflammation, all of which are risk factors for cancer.
While a healthy diet can help improve your mood, a diet high in added sugar and processed foods may contribute to changes in mood and emotions.
It may even increase your chances of developing depression.
High sugar consumption has been linked to cognitive impairments, memory problems, and emotional disorders like anxiety and depression (32, 33Trusted Source).
Researchers believe that chronic systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, and a disrupted dopaminergic reward signaling system — all of which can be caused by increased sugar consumption — may contribute to sugar’s detrimental impact on mental health (34Trusted Source).
A study following 8,000 people showed that men who consumed 67 grams or more of sugar per day were 23% more likely to develop depression than men who ate less than 40 grams per day (35Trusted Source).
Another study in over 69,000 women demonstrated that those with the highest intakes of added sugars had a significantly greater risk of depression, compared to those with the lowest intakes (36Trusted Source).
Summary
A diet rich in added sugar and ultra-processed foods may increase depression risk in both men and women.
Wrinkles are a natural sign of skin aging. They appear eventually, regardless of your health.
However, poor food choices can worsen wrinkles and speed up the skin aging process.
Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are compounds formed by reactions between sugar and protein in your body. They are suspected to play a key role in skin aging (37).
Consuming a diet high in refined carbs and sugar leads to the production of AGEs, which may cause your skin to age prematurely (38Trusted Source).
AGEs damage collagen and elastin, which are proteins that help the skin stretch and keep its youthful appearance.
When collagen and elastin become damaged, the skin loses its firmness and begins to sag.
More research is needed to fully understand the connection between sugar and skin changes in humans.
Summary
Sugary foods can increase the production of AGEs, which can accelerate skin aging and wrinkle formation.
Telomeres are structures found at the end of chromosomes, which are molecules that hold part or all of your genetic information.
Telomeres act as protective caps, preventing chromosomes from deteriorating or fusing together.
As you grow older, telomeres naturally shorten, which causes cells to age and malfunction (39Trusted Source).
Although the shortening of telomeres is a natural part of aging, certain lifestyle choices can speed up the process.
Consuming high amounts of sugar has been shown to accelerate telomere shortening, which increases cellular aging (40Trusted Source).
A pilot study on 61 preschool-aged children found that increased consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with decreased telomere length, signifying cellular aging (41Trusted Source).
Summary
Eating too much sugar can accelerate the shortening of telomeres, which increases cellular aging.
Foods high in added sugar quickly spike blood sugar and insulin levels, leading to increased energy.
However, this rise in energy levels is fleeting.
Products that are loaded with sugar but lacking in protein, fiber, or fat lead to a brief energy boost that’s quickly followed by a sharp drop in blood sugar, often referred to as a crash (42).
Having constant blood sugar swings can lead to major fluctuations in energy levels (43Trusted Source).
A meta-analysis examining sugar’s effect on mood found that carbohydrate consumption, especially sugar, lowers alertness within 60 minutes of consumption, and increases fatigue within 30 minutes after consumption (42).
To avoid this energy-draining cycle, choose carb sources that are low in added sugar and rich in fiber.
Pairing carbs with protein or fat is another great way to keep your blood sugar and energy levels stable.
For example, eating an apple along with a small handful of almonds is an excellent snack for prolonged, consistent energy levels.
Summary
High-sugar foods can negatively impact your energy levels by causing a spike in blood sugar followed by a crash.
A high intake of fructose has been consistently linked to an increased risk of fatty liver.
Fructose is a common type of sugar, with one major source being high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) used to sweeten soda, candy, baked goods, cereals, and more.
Unlike glucose and other types of sugar, which are taken up by many cells throughout the body, fructose is almost exclusively broken down by the liver (44Trusted Source).
In the liver, fructose is converted into energy or stored as glycogen.
However, the liver can only store so much glycogen before excess amounts are turned into fat.
Large amounts of added sugar in the form of fructose overload your liver, leading to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a condition characterized by excessive fat buildup in the liver (45Trusted Source).
An animal study found that feeding mice a high-fructose diet for long periods of time led to the deterioration of their intestinal barrier, liver inflammation, liver tumors, and signs of fatty livers compared to a control group (46Trusted Source).
The same study found that the same amount of fructose is more likely to lead to developing a fatty liver when consumed through beverages rather than food, and when consumed in a single setting compared to several doses spread over a longer amount of time (46Trusted Source).
A study in over 5,900 adults showed that people who drank sugar-sweetened beverages daily had a 56% higher risk of developing NAFLD, compared to people who did not (47Trusted Source).
Summary
Eating too much sugar may lead to NAFLD, a condition in which excessive fat builds up in the liver.
Aside from the risks listed above, sugar can harm your body in countless other ways.
Research shows that too much added sugar can:
Research on the impact of added sugar on health is ongoing, and new discoveries are constantly being made.
Summary
Consuming too much sugar may worsen cognitive decline, increase gout risk, harm your kidneys, and cause cavities.
Excessive added sugar has many negative health effects.
Although consuming small amounts now and then is perfectly healthy, you should try to cut back on sugar whenever possible.
Fortunately, simply focusing on eating whole, unprocessed foods automatically decreases the amount of sugar in your diet.
Here are some tips on how to reduce your intake of added sugars:
In addition, keeping a food diary is an excellent way of becoming more aware of the main sources of sugar in your diet.
The best way to limit your added sugar intake is to prepare your own healthy meals at home and avoid buying foods and drinks that are high in added sugar.
Summary
Focusing on preparing healthy meals and limiting your intake of foods that contain added sweeteners can help you cut back on the amount of sugar in your diet.
Added sugars are sugars that are added during the processing of foods, during preparation, or at the table (49Trusted Source).
For example, sucrose or dextrose added during food processing is an added sugar, as is honey used to sweeten tea at your kitchen table.
Fortunately, “added sugars” are listed separately on Nutrition Facts panels underneath the line for “total sugars,” making it easier to determine whether or not your food contains any added sugars.
Foods that contain close to, or more than the recommended amounts, may be considered high in sugar.
Men should consume no more than 9 teaspoons (36 grams or 150 calories) of added sugar per day (53Trusted Source).
Women should consume no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams or 150 calories) (53Trusted Source).
Foods high in sugar include:
While some foods high in sugar may be obvious, many foods are surprisingly high in sugar.
Eating too much added sugar can have many negative health effects.
An excess of sweetened foods and beverages can lead to weight gain, blood sugar problems, and an increased risk of heart disease, among other dangerous conditions.
For these reasons, added sugar should be kept to a minimum whenever possible, which is easy when you follow a nutrient-dense diet based on whole foods.
If you need to cut added sugar from your diet, try some of the small changes listed above.
Before you know it, your sugar habit will be a thing of the past.
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