Whether you are just looking into cutting back on sugar, or have started and are looking
for motivation to keep going, one important thing to do is learn why you should cut back.
This starts with having a better understanding of what sugar is actually doing to your
body. Here are some of the more common negative effects a lot of added sugar can
have on your body.

1- It Can Overload Your Liver

This is probably one of the most common adverse side effects that added sugar has on
your body. Your liver is put in jeopardy if you consume too many foods with added
sugar, since fructose can overload it. Sugar will be broken down into fructose and
glucose, and your liver can only metabolize so much of it at one time.

This may lead to issues later on with your liver. It is important to note that the amount of fructose needed to overload your liver is only possible with an excessive amount of added sugar, so
fructose found in fruit is likely not nearly enough to cause this.

2- You May Gain Weight

Having too much sugar in your body can also trick your body into holding onto weight or
gaining weight, making it very difficult to manage a healthy body. When you have too
much fructose in your body, it doesn’t stimulate insulin properly.

This ultimately causes your hunger hormone to work in overdrive, which is why you tend to eat more or feel hungrier after you have eaten foods with a lot of added sugar. When you keep feeling
hungry, you eat more to be satiated, and thus have a much higher risk of gaining weight.

3- It Can Increase Your Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

While sugar is not the only culprit for type 2 diabetes, it can definitely help it progress
further. This is due to insulin resistance of your body when you consume high amounts
of sugar.

As mentioned previously, your body becomes resistant to insulin when it is
trying to digest a lot of fructose, which can cause mismanaged levels of blood sugar.
This in turn may increase your risk for diabetes, or accelerate it to where you notice its
effects much sooner.

4- Sugar Can Exacerbate Mood and Mental Issues

If you are someone who suffers from mood swings or mental health issues, you might
notice that they become worse when you consume a lot of sugar. Sugar causes a short-
term boost of energy that leads to a much longer sugar crash.

In short, this in turn can make it harder when dealing with mental health issues like depression, as the crash often mimics a depressive episode. Too much sugar can also cause severe mood swings and irritability.

See you soon,

Ludmilla!