Here we are going to share information on the topic “symptoms of too much sugar in your body.” Although sugar has a poor reputation, it is actually an important source of energy and is necessary for human survival. Naturally, there are differences among sugars. Because these meals also contain fiber and calcium, for example, we don’t need to be as concerned about the natural sugars lactose, which is found in dairy-rich foods, and fructose, which is found in fruits and vegetables. However, added sugars, which are frequently present in processed meals, are unnecessary, and the majority of us eat too much of them.
- The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans state that an average American consumes 17 teaspoons (tsp) or 270 calories of added sugar per day.
- Anything that is added to food to give it a sweet taste is considered an added sugar, and this includes naturally occurring sugars like honey and maple syrup.
- The author of The Little Book of Game Changers and New York City health coach Jessica Cording, RD, says, “Even if they may be more healthy than table sugar, it’s still adding more calories but not much in the way of vitamins and minerals.”
- At least 61 alternative names can be used to disguise sugar, according to researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. Even though you’re trying your hardest to eat a balanced diet, you might be consuming more sugar than you intended.
symptoms of too much sugar in your body
Sugar’s Harmful Effects on the Body
The majority of the sugar that we eat is metabolized and absorbed in the small intestine, according to Harvard Health Publishing. Larger molecules are broken down into three simpler sugars:
Glucose, galactose, and fructose, by specialized enzymes.
- A portion of the glucose is stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen, a chemical that your body may convert back to glucose when necessary.
- However, blood glucose levels rise as soon as glucose enters the bloodstream. In reaction, the pancreas releases insulin to facilitate the uptake of glucose by the body. Consuming a lot of added sugar can cause your cells to grow resistant to insulin over time, which increases your chance of developing type 2 diabetes, systemic inflammation, and other chronic illnesses.
- Consuming excessive amounts of added sugar has also been connected, in accordance with one study, to cancer, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, heart disease risk factors, weight gain, and obesity.
- According to Cording, “excessive intakes of added sugars effect our energy, mood, weight, and risk of disease.” “It can affect both our physical and emotional health in all cases.”
- William W. Li, MD, a physician in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the author of Eat to Beat Disease, states that “we need our blood sugar to be operating in the Goldilocks zone of energy” for us to work as smoothly and normally as possible.
Do you consume too many sweets?
- Industry associations propose varying amounts of added sugar. The U.S. Departments of Health, Human Services, and Agriculture produce the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which advise limiting the daily percentage of calories from added sugars to no more than 10%.
- That equates to a maximum of roughly 12 tsp for an individual consuming 2,000 calories per day.
- However, the American Heart Association (AHA) advises limiting daily added sugar consumption to 150 calories for men and 100 calories for women.
- Furthermore, children two years of age and older should not consume more than 100 calories per day from added sugars, according to the American Heart Association. This equates to roughly 6 teaspoons for women and children and 9 teaspoons for males.
- Both parties concur that children under the age of two should not be given additional sugar.
- Additives may be taking the place of other healthy foods if you’re not eating enough fruits and vegetables and aren’t eating balanced meals consisting of lean protein, healthy fat, and unrefined carbohydrates. Not only are you probably losing out on fiber, vitamins, and minerals, but all that additional sugar may show up in other unexpected ways.
symptoms of too much sugar in your body
The next 12 indicators indicate that you may be consuming too much sugar.
1. Increased Appetition and Gain of Weight
- One of the first indicators that you’re ingesting too many extra calories from added sugars is increased appetite. Keri Stoner-Davis, RDN, of Lomond Nutrition in Plano, Texas, states that although sugar satisfies our taste receptors, it doesn’t actually fill our bellies.
- The body quickly burns through sugar and increases hunger without the protein, fiber, and healthy fats that the majority of processed snacks and sugary treats have, according to Cording. This can result in thoughtless and even obsessive nibbling.
- A review and meta-analysis found that drinking beverages with added sugar encourages weight gain in both adults and kids.
However, more than just additional calories can contribute to weight gain.
Studies have shown that the body’s defense mechanism is the gut microbiome, an ecosystem of 39 trillion microorganisms. In addition to helping our bodies metabolism fats and control cholesterol, a healthy stomach helps our metabolism control blood sugar and insulin levels. According to Dr. Li, “it disrupts that ecology when you have added sugar.”
Dysbiosis, or an imbalance between these bacteria, as well as issues with metabolism and the body’s capacity to correctly digest fats and cholesterol, result from the overgrowth of bad bacteria and the decline of good bacteria.
Furthermore, Li contends that sugar may harm our fat hormones, such as leptin, which suppresses appetite. Li claims that “high sugar impairs metabolism, partly by interacting with leptin.” “Eating sugar increases your desire to eat sugar, which increases your level of hunger.”
2. Sensitivity
- Stress may not be the main cause of your mood swings, irritability, or tense feelings; you may also be overdosing on sugar.
- According to one study, consuming additional sugars may increase inflammation, lower mood, and exacerbate depressive symptoms.
- Your blood sugar will jump rapidly after a high-sugar meal or snack devoid of protein and fat, but as your body tries to metabolize it all, your energy levels plummet, leaving you feeling lethargic and agitated, according to Cording.
Additionally, blood glucose levels in the brain decrease when low blood glucose occurs due to an increase in insulin following a high-sugar diet. Li claims that “having a normal amount of blood sugar to feed our brains is vitally critical.”
The most crucial thing is to recognize when something is off. For instance, too much sugar may be the cause if you become agitated an hour after eating a snack or at the same time every day. “It’s a good idea to look at what you’re eating if you find it occurring to you frequently,” advises Cording.
3. Lethargy and Insufficient Energy
- Sugar is readily digested and absorbed, so if you’re experiencing exhaustion, it may be related to the quantity of sugar you’re eating.
- No matter how much you eat, Stoner-Davis claims that sugar is a highly rapid energy source, so after 30 minutes you’ll either be hungry again, run out of energy, or searching for energy.
- Li adds that significant fluctuations in insulin and blood sugar might also have a negative impact on your general level of energy.
4. Foods Lack Sufficient Sweet Taste
- It’s possible that you’re receiving too much sugar in the first place if you’ve observed that foods don’t taste as sweet as they once did or if you find yourself needing to add sugar to make things taste delicious (e.g., dusting your cereal with brown sugar).
- The difference will be more apparent if you’re attempting to make healthier decisions, like moving from flavored yoghurt to plain yoghurt.
- When you become accustomed to eating things that are less sweet, it may be more difficult to feel content since your brain has been trained to expect a very high level of sweetness, according to Cording.
You might want to reconsider your diet if artificial sweeteners are taking the place of sugar in it. Because many of these sugar substitutes are significantly sweeter than real sugar, Cording claims that our brains are tricked into thinking that the sweetness level is abnormally high. Overall, this may lead to more sugar cravings.
5. Sweets Cravings
- You can be addicted to the feel-good effects of sugar on your brain if you’re desiring sweets. According to Cording, sugar stimulates the mesocorticolimbic pathway, which is the brain’s pleasure center, increasing dopamine, sometimes known as the “happy hormone.”
- Our dietary decisions are greatly influenced by this brain circuit, which also influences our desires for sweets.
- In other words, research shows that eating sugar raises dopamine, and that dopamine spike itself might boost cravings for sweets, creating a vicious cycle.
- The good news is that, according to Stoner-Davis, eating regularly and concentrating on modest meals and snacks made of actual, whole foods will help reduce cravings.
6. Elevated Blood Pressure
- An excessive amount of added sugar in your diet may be a contributing factor if you have been diagnosed with hypertension.
- Consuming beverages with added sugar is significantly linked to high blood pressure and a higher incidence of hypertension, according to study.
- Li does, however, warn that no clear cause-and-effect connection has been discovered. What is known, though, is that elevated glucose levels can harm the lining of our blood vessels, which facilitates the adhesion of lipids such as cholesterol to the blood vessel walls. “You have blood vessel stiffening when that occurs. Blood pressure increases when blood vessels stiffen, according to Li.
7. Wrinkles and Acne
- According to the American Academy of Dermatology, it can be beneficial to think about how much additional sugar you’re consuming if you’re struggling with acne.
- According to Cording, “glycemic management plays a crucial effect in skin health and acne.” For instance, a study found that acne development may be influenced by insulin resistance.
- Another indication that you may be eating too much sugar is wrinkles. According to one study, advanced glycation end products—products of too much sugar—encourage skin ageing.
8. Joint Soreness
- It’s possible that anything other than ageing is causing your joint pain.
- Soda and desserts were most frequently mentioned by the 24 percent of respondents with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who claimed that food had an impact on their symptoms.
- Studies have indicated that frequent consumption of soda with added sugar raises the risk of RA in some women, even those who have late-onset RA.
- According to Cording, consuming an excessive amount of sugar can cause systemic inflammation, which can result in joint pain. However, she notes that there are a number of reasons why people get joint pain, so changing your diet to include less sugar might not be the answer.
9. Problems with Sleep
- You might want to consider eating a better diet if you’re experiencing problems getting to sleep or staying asleep.
- A 300-student study found a strong correlation between increased added sugar consumption and decreased sleep quality.
- In addition to glycemic control, the room’s light and temperature affect our sleep cycles and the quality of our sleep.
- A person’s sleep cycle and quality can be seriously disrupted if they regularly consume large amounts of added sugar, according to Cording.
10. Digestive Problems
- Your doctor can assist you in determining the reason of your symptoms if you’re experiencing diarrheas’, cramps, or stomach pain.
- One potential cause is an excess of sugar, which is recognized to irritate the stomach, according to Cording.
- Sugar can also make gastrointestinal symptoms worse for people who have had stomach surgery, have underlying medical disorders including Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or irritable bowel syndrome, according to Stoner-Davis.
- Constipation may also arise if fiber-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are substituted with high-sugar options.
11. Cognitive Disorientation
- Too many added sugars may cause issues with memory, focus and concentration, and mental clarity.
- Although glucose is the brain’s main energy source, too much of it can lead to hyperglycemia, or elevated blood glucose levels, which can impair mood and cognitive function as well as induce inflammation in the brain, according to Cording.
- People with type 2 diabetes who had hyperglycemia were found to have impairments in working memory, attention, and information processing speed.
- Studies indicate that this also applies to those without diabetes. According to a study, having high blood sugar impairs cognitive function, resulting in reductions in learning capacity, memory consolidation, and delayed recall.
12. Spaces
- It’s possible that you’re consuming too much added sugar if your dentist detects more cavities in your mouth or if you have gum disease, according to Stoner-Davis.
- This is because the bacteria in our mouths prefer to feed on simple sugars.
- While reducing additional sugar intake is a good idea, if you must eat anything high in sugar, rinse your mouth out afterward or pair it with something like milk or carrots, which coat and protect your teeth. According to Stoner-Davis.
- Dairy products, green and black teas, fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, and sugar-free chewing gum are all suggested by the University of Rochester Medical Center to help avoid cavities and maintain good oral health.
Conclusion
symptoms of too much sugar in your body
Even while it’s not practical to completely eliminate added sugars from your diet, it’s still a good idea to read labels, prioritize whole, unprocessed foods, and make healthier food choices. Li states, “As individuals, we’re becoming more cognizant of our health, so we can determine how much of that item we put in our body. Companies will still make their goods taste delicious; that’s part of their business.”
FAQ
symptoms of too much sugar in your body
How do you flush sugar out of your body?
Answer: Sip a lot of water.
Water consumption aids in the kidneys’ removal of surplus sugar. According to one study, individuals who consume more water are less likely to experience high blood sugar. Keep in mind that water is the best. Sugar-filled beverages cause blood sugar to rise even further.
What are 7 negative effects that sugar has on the body?
Answer: The affects of sugar on your body: nine unnoticed negative effects
- Your organs may become fat if you eat a lot of sugar.
- Consuming excessive amounts of sugar can raise your risk of diabetes.
- Heart problems may result from it….
- Overindulgence in sweets can drastically alter cholesterol levels.
- It has a connection to Alzheimer’s.
- Consuming excessive amounts of sugar can lead to addiction.
What happens when you eat too much sugar in one day?
Answer: You may enjoy frosted doughnuts as a sweet treat or midday snack, or you may prefer fruity smoothies to start your day, but all that sugar can negatively impact your heart and blood sugar levels. Consuming excessive amounts of sugar raises your risk of illness and can cause symptoms like bloating and exhaustion.
What reduces blood sugar quickly?
Answer: Taking fast-acting insulin is the quickest way to lower your blood sugar levels. Exercise is another quick and efficient method. But in more serious situations, you ought to visit the hospital. Hyperglycemia or elevated blood glucose is the term for elevated blood sugar levels.
What organ is sugar bad for?
Answer: Live Your Life
A lot of additional sugar probably involves high fructose corn syrup or fructose syrup. When taken in excess, fructose can harm the liver due to its processing in the liver. Fructose is converted to fat by the liver during its breakdown.
How much sugar is OK in a day?
Answer: AHA Sugar Suggestion
A man’s daily intake of added sugar should not exceed 9 teaspoons (36 grammes or 150 calories). The recommended daily allowance for women is less, at 6 tablespoons (25 grammes or 100 calories). Just think about the 8 teaspoons (32 grammes) of added sugar in a 12-ounce can of Coke!