A little sugar every now and then is not a problem for healthy people. But things are different if there is too much sugar. Here you can find out how to recognize your body’s warning signals about too much sugar.
Many people know that sugar not only contributes to weight gain, but can also make you sick. However, sugar is consumed in large quantities. Sugar is often found in foods that we wouldn’t suspect. Not only the occasional piece of chocolate, but also ready meals and even certain unprocessed foods sometimes contain large amounts of sugar. It’s not that easy to keep track of the daily amount.
But how much sugar a day is actually okay and at what point does it become harmful to your health? You can find out here. You will also get a detailed overview of the warning signals that your body sends when you consume too much sugar.
We don’t need free sugar
In its sugar guideline values, the World Health Organization (WHO) speaks of “free sugar”. This includes both refined sugar – such as that found in sweets, soft drinks or hidden in many other processed foods – as well as natural sugar – found in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates. Your body doesn’t actually need these, according to the NDR. This means that you don’t actually have to consume any free sugar during the day. Sugar is in no way beneficial to health. On the contrary. That’s why you shouldn’t exceed a certain amount per day.
According to the health insurance company AOK, the only thing necessary for life is glucose, i.e. glucose. Our body can get this from everything you eat with the hormone insulin. So you don’t have to add any additional sugar. Too much sugar is more likely to harm than help.
How much sugar is okay?
In our article How much sugar a day is healthy? We researched this value at the World Health Organization (WHO). The result was:
- Free sugars should make up a maximum of ten percent of your daily calorie requirement. This recommendation applies to most people regardless of gender or age.
- According to the AOK, most Germans consume twice as much sugar every day.
- One kilogram of sugar corresponds to four kilocalories. If you consume around 2000 kilocalories per day, this means that 50 grams of sugar is your upper limit for sugar according to the WHO guidelines. Even better would be just 25 grams.
The following are not affected by the 10 percent rule:
- intact fruits and vegetables (eaten whole or sliced, raw or cooked)
- Dairy products without added sugar
The fructose in fruit is usually only a problem for people with fructose intolerance. Otherwise, it is quite difficult to eat “too much” fruit. Read more about this in this article: Is too much fruit actually unhealthy?
But not everyone can or wants to calculate and monitor closely every day whether they may be consuming too much sugar. And even if you follow the WHO recommendation exactly, your own body may still have a problem with this amount of sugar. If you are unsure whether you are consuming too much sugar, you can pay attention to certain signals from your body. Your own body sends the following warning signals when you consume too much sugar.
1. Food cravings
Consuming too much sugar causes the blood sugar level to become unbalanced: the values initially rise extremely high after sugar intake and then fall rapidly again. Such fluctuations in blood sugar levels are responsible for the treacherous food cravings, according to the consumer advice center.
The result: Even though your body has already received much more sugar than it actually needs and can utilize, you still have an irrepressible desire for more.
By limiting your sugar consumption, you can eliminate one of the causes of food cravings. Unfortunately, that’s not always enough, because according to the consumer advice center, other factors can also lead to food cravings:
- Lack of sleep
- stress
- boredom
- Hormones (for example in women just before their period)
We explain in detail how you can prevent cravings in this article: Cravings: You can avoid them with these tips
2. Tiredness, lack of motivation and energy
The rapid intake of too much sugar and the subsequent rapid drop in blood sugar levels creates a completely different problem as a result of too much sugar: constant tiredness and listlessness.
The health insurance company Viactiv writes that the transport of glucose into the cells is disrupted if you consume too much sugar. As a result, the energy no longer reaches where it should actually go and a feeling of tiredness and listlessness arises. You can prevent this by using complex carbohydrates such as oats, potatoes or whole grains instead. These keep you fuller for longer and prevent your blood sugar level from going on a rollercoaster ride.
3. Sleep disorders, depression, anxiety
In the worst case scenario, the constant ups and downs in blood sugar levels can have even more serious consequences than short-term mood swings and fatigue. According to AOK and Viactiv, long-term increased sugar consumption can even lead to depressive moods or depression, anxiety or sleep disorders.
This is because constant high sugar consumption negatively affects the opioid and dopamine levels in the brain. The brain can handle moderate amounts of sugar better. However, you should definitely avoid constant high spikes in blood sugar levels due to increased amounts of sugar for the sake of your mental health.
Also read: Nutrition against depression: Does food make you happy?
4. Cognitive limitations and migraines
According to a report in the Tagesschau, permanently increased sugar consumption has a number of negative consequences for your brain, in addition to those already mentioned:
- Sugar can increase cognitive performance in the short term. However, in the long term, the exact opposite happens. Sugar is also called a “neurotoxic substance” because the negative effects on the brain can be massive.
- Among other things, sugar damages the nerve cells in the brain and increases the risk of brain diseases such as dementia, Alzheimer’s and strokes.
- Negative effects of sugar in the brain also affect the blood vessels. Sugar can cause deposits in these areas, which results in a lack of blood supply to individual areas of the brain. This also promotes the development of the diseases mentioned above.
- Migraine sufferers should be particularly careful with sugar. Frank Erbguth, the President of the German Brain Foundation, explains in an interview with SWR that although sugar is not the main cause of migraines, it can certainly promote the attacks. Migraine patients should therefore pay particular attention to moderate sugar consumption.
4. Stomach and intestinal problems are warning signs
High amounts of sugar damage the stomach. Accordingly, too much sugar can impair the regeneration of the intestine and lead to inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases in the long term.
But even in the short term, sugar is bad for digestion and can lead to the following problems:
- Flatulence
- Diarrhea
- abdominal cramps
- constipation
In addition, sugar is often partly responsible or promotes known diseases of the digestive tract such as irritable bowel syndrome. If you experience one or more of these symptoms, it may be a warning signal from your body that you are consuming too much sugar.
5. Hair loss and skin diseases
Thehealthy writes that too much sugar can lead to increased skin impurities, especially in people with acne. So if your skin suddenly becomes noticeably worse, it could be due to too much sugar.
Sugar can also be responsible for hair loss and gray hair at a young age, says Aponet. The daily consumption of sugary soft drinks is said to pose a particular risk, especially for men. No wonder, because soft drinks are just one of many sugar traps in everyday life. Read more about this: Over-sweetened: Every second soft drink is too sweet
Conclusion: It is healthier for your body and mind to avoid sugar as much as possible. Instead, try a balanced diet or even a life without sugar.
Read more on Techzle\.com:
- Sugar substitutes and sweeteners: differences and facts worth knowing
- Sugar withdrawal: What effectively helps against sugar addiction
- Lower blood sugar: These foods are suitable
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