Do you have a sweet tooth? Are you always craving for something sweet to complete your meals? Try not to be overwhelmed when you learn about the basketful of harmful effects of sugar on your body. Honestly speaking, there is nothing sweet about sugar, in fact sugar is bitter and vengeful in all the ways it takes a toll on your body.

The sugar found in our food is of two kinds mainly – sucrose and fructose. 

  • Sucrose or the table sugar increases blood sugar levels and initiates the pancreas to release insulin forces the sugar into cells, thus contributing to fat formation. 
  • Fructose on the other hand acts upon the liver and hence no insulin is secreted. But fructose is more detrimental to health as it releases the hormone for hunger – ghrelin making us hungrier; one continues to eat, leading to weight gain. Fructose is found in corn syrup which is used to sweeten most processed and packed foods.

Here are top 7 reasons why you should get away from this addictive white powder:

  1. Sugar and cancer: Over consumption of sugar has been found to cause cancer. Studies have linked elevated blood sugar levels to cancers in women. Moreover, pancreatic cancer uses fructose to initiate a particular process that aids rapid cell division. Extra sugar present in the bloodstream feeds the cancer cells.
  2. Impact on liver: Sugar overdose hits the liver and causes the liver cells to bloat up and become fatter. This leads to liver complications and conditions like fatty liver disease. Research shows that extra calories fatten the liver cells first by 27% while external body gains hardly 2% of fat.
  3. Hurts your Heart: Excess sugar in the diet contributes to heart diseases and may even damage your arteries. Sugar is known to deplete good cholesterol levels in the blood.Prolonged exposure of the arterial inner walls to sugar causes it to get irritated and less responsive to body’s healing mechanisms. This results in malabsorption of oxygen and other nutrients into the cells.
  4. Addictive properties of Sugar: Sugar evokes addictive responses within our body which make us crave for it even more. It is a never-ending struggle that is triggered by the feel good hormones like dopamine in our body. However, the receptors that release dopamine weaken over time and hence need more sugar to get activated which leaves us wanting for more.
  5. Aids in ageing: Fructose especially contributes to ageing by boosting cell damage and causing cells to die faster. Sugars can also cause wrinkles as they are capable of breaking down the collagen and elastin of skin, which are responsible for the tightness and glow of the skin.
  6. Causes mental anxiety: Kicking back on sugar will help you feel more relaxed and less stressed. Excess sugars can also cause depression and reduce cognitive abilities like memory and so on.
  7. Bad teeth and bones: Sugar binds with the bacteria of the mouth to form acid that diminishes the quality of your teeth. Similarly, sugar works to deplete vital minerals like Calcium which causes osteoporosis and bone loss.Lastly, sugar directly leads to weight gain and diabetes, the silent killer.