DavidWolfe.comSure, you may hear people joke about having too much sugar. “That donut has me bouncing off the walls.” Or, “I’m talking a mile a minute! I guess I shouldn’t have eaten all that candy!” But the truth is, too much sugar can have some pretty dangerous side effects.
In fact, it can lead to serious health issues like non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, diabetes, obesity, and even heart disease, just to name a few. If your diet is overloaded with sugar, it’s extremely important to cut back. You health – and your life – may depend on it.
Here are ten signs you are eating too much sugar:
1. Fatigue
When your blood sugar levels are too high, your body is unable to store and absorb glucose properly. Your cells don’t receive the fuel that they need to give you energy. This can cause constant fatigue.
2. Frequent Urination
High blood sugar levels prevent the kidneys from absorbing fluid. This causes the body to equalize the glucose concentration in the blood and in the cells by dissolving blood with intracellular fluid. This process can result in frequent urination.
3. Constant Hunger
Glucose is unable to enter the cells when your blood sugar remains at a high level, which prevents your body from receiving the energy it needs. As a result, your body searches for energy sources elsewhere, causing you to crave food.
4. Excessive Thirst
The body loses out on fluids when blood sugar levels are too high. The hypothalamus assesses your level of dehydration, then sends a signal to the brain to create thirst. Fluid loss can also result in dry mouth.
5. Dry Skin
High blood sugar levels can cause dry skin for several different reasons. Excessive urination dehydrates the body and the skin, and damaged nerves from high blood sugar can disrupt the sweat glands, which has a negative effect on skin-water balance.
6. Weight Loss
When glucose levels are too high, you may experience weight loss within a short period of time. This can be caused by fluid loss due to frequent urination. If your insulin levels aren’t sufficient enough for glucose metabolism, the body may switch to fat burning mode to compensate, which can also result in weight loss.
7. Trouble Concentrating
Blood sugar levels that are constantly high can prevent glucose from entering cells, including brain cells. Without glucose, the brain may begin to have trouble obtaining energy. This can cause trouble concentrating, remembering and making decisions.
8. Blurred Vision
High blood sugar levels result in dehydration, which can affect your vision. When the body is dehydrated, the cells of the eye begin to deform. They lose their ability to focus properly, causing blurred vision.
9. Slow Healing
Vascular damage can result from high blood sugar. This can have a negative effect on blood circulation in your limbs. You may notice that wounds and cuts are especially slow to heal, because your tissues aren’t getting the nutrients they need.
10. Irritability
Studies have shown that people with high blood sugar tend to be more anxious, irritable and depressed. When your brain doesn’t have an adequate supply of glucose, it can have a negative effect on your mood.
What is too much sugar?
When we say “too much sugar” what, exactly, are we talking about? Sure, you know to watch out for straight-up sugar, and you may even have cut back on desserts. But you should also avoid too many processed carbohydrates, like simple flours and processed grains. Also, “sugar” goes by many other names, so know the names when looking for added sugars.
Sources:
Bright Side
Harvard Health
Diabetes Self-Management
Web MD
NCBI
Medical News Today