6 negative effects of sugar you didn’t know about

Whilst sugar has become an ingredient found in almost every processed food, our bodies weren’t designed to consume as much sugar as most societies are consuming nowadays. The average developed country consumes over 90 grams of sugar a day, when the World Health Organization’s recommended daily allowance is 25 grams, that’s almost 4 times less. But in a world where sugar is more accessible than ever, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the average person is consuming more sugar than ever before, considering that sugar can be as or more addictive than cocaine. The neural affects of sugar appear to be more rewarding than that of cocaine.

But, whilst we hear that sugar is bad for our health, do we really know the actual affects it causes? Find out why you should consider quitting sugar to improve your health, energy, concentration levels, mood, immunity and gut health.

The surprising detrimental effects of sugar on your health:

1. It wreaks havoc on your gut health.

We’ve extensively looked at how gut health is essential for our immunity, mood and energy levels. Sugar feeds ‘bad bacteria’ of the gut and suppresses good bacteria, causing an imbalance of the micro biome, which as a result affects digestion, nutrient absorption, immunity and causes inflammation.

2. It lowers immunity

Around 70% of our immunity is based in the gut, meaning that when we eat foods rich in sugar, we’re weakening our immune system. If you constantly get sick, start by curing your gut health and eliminating foods like sugar that are harmful.

3. It causes the skin to age

Sugar is collagens enemy. It causes a process known as glycation, in which sugar molecules attach themselves to collagen fibres and cause them to lose their strength and flexibility. The result? Wrinkles, fine lines and sagging.

4. Lowers energy levels

We tend to reach out for sugar because it gives us that kick of energy we’re looking for, however, this energy boost is very unsustainable and short lasting. Instead, what happens in our blood sugar levels is that they suffer a drastic increase and soon after, drop down, leaving us feeling lethargic and craving another energy boost. Unfortunately, this causes a positive feedback loop, where our body craves more to replenish blood sugar levels. This becomes a never-ending cycle that can only be fixed by removing sugar from your diet and allowing for your blood sugar levels to stabilise.

5. It imbalances hormone levels

Every time our blood sugar levels suffer the “rollercoaster effect” that sugar causes, our hormone levels are also affected. Many women suffer hormonal dysfunction because they’re blood sugar levels are constantly increasing and decreasing and aren’t stable. This is the worst thing you can do to your hormone levels.

6. It affects your mood

Just like our hormone and energy levels are affected by constant blood sugar level changes, our mood does as well. All of these changes leave us feeling cranky and moody.

As we can see, sugar is not just a chemical, nutrient-free ingredient that we can ingest without it having an affect on our health. The collateral affect it has on all aspects of our health is a clear sign that we should avoid it as much as possible.

Giving up sugar can be difficult, as it has an addictive affect, however, our nutritional expert Melanie Waxman shares her Guide to Quitting Sugar to make it easier! Give it a try!