Risks of high sugar consumption

What are the risks of high sugar consumption?

Too much sugar makes you fat and it’s unhealthy. Yep, you knew that already. But exactly how dangerous is it actually? This unit will help you to better assess the risks of consuming too much sugar.

Sugar stimulates inflammation throughout the body and is closely associated with cardiovascular diseases such as arteriosclerosis, arthritis and many other inflammatory diseases.

Sugar causes diabetes mellitus Type 2

Diabetes is probably the most well-known illness associated consuming too much sugar. Around 537 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes.

According to an extrapolation from the International Diabetes Federation, this number will increase to 783 million people by 2045. Type 2 diabetes remains undetected for up to seven years on average. It is assumed that half of all diabetics don’t realise that they have the disease.

Type 2 diabetes is unequivocally caused by consuming too much sugar, as well as by being overweight and getting too little exercise. Diabetic foot (chronic wounds on the foot that heal poorly), eye, heart and kidney ailments are frequent concomitant diseases to diabetes.

Further consequences

Sugar causes fatty liver

The development of a fatty liver is another danger of excessive sugar consumption. In the past, fatty liver was only associated with alcohol consumption, but now more and more cases of non-alcoholic fatty liver occur.

It is believed that around 20 to 30 percent of the population in western industrialised countries suffer from non-alcoholic fatty liver. Fructose in particular plays a significant role in fatty liver formation.

Fructose has become a major problem in our modern diet because it is often used in juices or as a sweetener (glucose – fructose syrup) in processed foods. Fructose goes directly to the liver, where it has to be processed further.

If too much fructose lands in the liver over a long period of time, this leads to a fatty liver. This results in in the liver being severely restricted in its function. The problem is that those affected hardly notice it, because fatty liver has unspecific symptoms such as fatigue and listlessness.

Sugar test

Prevent sugar diseases

The good news is that both diabetes and early-stage fatty liver are reversible, and you don’t have to buy expensive medication to do it. In future, just eat a balanced diet with lots of fresh vegetables and exercise regularly. You’ll notice a change very quickly!
  

Do the sugar test: Food that contains sugar is the breeding ground for caries. These bacteria produce acids which attack the teeth. Dental plaque forms quickly in an acidic environment.

If you cut out food that is high in sugar (including bread) your teeth will remain smooth the whole day long. Chewing fresh vegetables like a fresh carrot, for example, even reduces deposits like plaque. How long will your teeth stay shiny for today?