10 Not-So-Sweet Ways Sugar Can Affect Your Health
Sugar may increase your risk of depression
Sugar is as tricky as it gets. It seems to be your “friend” by releasing dopamine and impacting the reward system in the brain, seemingly making you feel good but, in reality, feeding your anxiety and depression.
According to psychologist Deborah Serani, PsyD, award-winning author of Depression in Later Life, too many carbs from sugar drive your glucose levels through the roof, affecting your mood and making you feel more irritated, agitated, anxious, unable to sleep properly etc. Rather than taking your carbs from sugar, opt for lean protein, complex carbs, and foods with omega-3s, and B vitamins. On that note, stay away from these 8 Dangerous Foods That Can Worsen Your Anxiety.
Sugar may cause fatty liver disease
Another negative outcome of sugar is an unhealthy liver. “Fructose is metabolized in the liver, and consuming too much can lead to the production of fat in the liver”. Over time, the fat cells replace the liver cells, ramping up inflammation and inflicting the non-alcohol related fatty liver disease (NAFLD). According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, this is something around 40 percent of American adults suffer from.
If you’ve got the sugar part under control, you might want to know more about these 10 Warning Signs Your Liver Is Not Healthy.
Sugar can damage your teeth
In case you didn’t already know, people are not the only ones with a thing for sugar. Oral bacteria love sugar just as much, if not more; it thrives on sugar and relies on it to grow, releasing an acid that eats away at the enamel of your teeth, allowing the harmful bacteria to reach the dentin, the deeper layer of the tooth structure, closer to the pulp.
The more you feast on sugar, the higher the acid production and the quicker cavities form. More than that, sugar facilitates the growth of yeast, which, in turn, can turn the corners of your mouth or tongue red. Not to mention it can turn your breath into a living nightmare, for you and those around you. Maybe this post can also help you identify the cause: Struggling with Bad Breath? Avoid These 8 Foods at All Costs.
