How too much sugar affects different parts of the body |

How many times have you told yourself to save room for dessert? Sugar is often an ingredient in many of your favorite foods and drinks. While the occasional sweet treat can be enjoyable, adding too much processed sugar has many serious health consequences. From soda to breakfast cereals and breads, processed sugar is found in many foods. Excessive sugar consumption can lead to serious health problems over time. Let’s see how sugar affects different parts of our body.

Mouth

When you eat sugary treats, bacteria in your mouth break down the sugar molecules to form acids. While your saliva can neutralize these acids, it won’t be able to do the job if you consume too much sugar. This erosion of tooth enamel increases the risk of tooth decay.

Intestines

The sweets you consume are broken down into simple sugars (glucose and fructose) in the small intestine. Although the body easily absorbs glucose, some people have difficulty digesting fructose, which is often found in sugary drinks and sodas. This can cause fructose to build up in the intestines, causing gas, bloating, and potentially contributing to symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

Pancreas

When you eat sugary treats, your blood sugar levels rise, prompting your pancreas to produce insulin to manage those levels. Excessive sugar consumption over time can cause the pancreas to become overloaded, leading to insulin resistance and ultimately type 2 diabetes.

Brain

Glucose provides fuel for the brain. When your blood sugar spikes and your insulin levels spike, your glucose levels can plummet within a couple of hours, leaving you feeling irritable, tired, and craving more sweets. Sugar also triggers the release of dopamine, the feel-good hormone, which over time can lead to food cravings and even addiction-like behaviors.

Liver

Excessive consumption of processed sugar causes the liver to convert fructose into fat. This fat accumulates in the organ, leading to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Progression of this condition can cause inflammation and damage to the liver over time. Too much added sugar can also contribute to insulin resistance.

Heart

Excess sugar can raise blood pressure, increase inflammation and increase levels of bad fats such as triglycerides, increasing the risk of heart disease. Excessive consumption of sugar can also lead to obesity.

Joints

Excessive sugar consumption can contribute to inflammation and worsen conditions such as arthritis and joint pain. High sugar intake can also affect bone density, increasing the risk of fractures and osteoporosis over time.

Occasional consumption of sugar is unlikely to lead to chronic diseases. Federal health officials recommend that added sugars should make up no more than 10% of your daily caloric intake. For a 2,000 calorie diet, this equates to a maximum of 50 grams of added sugar.
The American Heart Association recommends an even stricter limit of added sugar of 6% of daily calories, which means a maximum of about 25 grams per day for women and 36 grams per day for men.
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