March 16, 2020

The Dangers of Eating Too Much Sugar | Mind Pump

Sugar offers an escape similar to drugs–People consume sugar against their best self-interest because it makes them temporarily feel better
Negative Effects of High-Sugar Diets:
- Heart disease–People who consumed 17-21% of their calories from added sugar had a 38% greater risk of heart disease
- Acne–Teens who consume sugar have a 30% greater risk of developing acne
Sugar Advice:
- Aim to consume less than 70 grams a day
- Most of it should come from fruits, not soda or fruit juice
- Being skinny or fit doesn’t give you a pass to consume sugary drinks and foods (pancakes, donuts, cereal), it’s still unhealthy for you

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If you go from a high-sugar diet to no-sugar, you will suffer from withdrawal symptoms
- Sugar offers an escape similar to drugs–People consume sugar against their best self-interest because it makes them temporarily feel better
  - Consuming sugar lights up the same parts of your brain as if you consumed cocaine
When coaching clients, the first thing Adam almost always has to deal with is their overconsumption of sugar
Obtaining sugar in nature is difficult, but it’s easily accessible with processed foods
- Apples and bananas have been hand-selected and breed to be sweeter than they originally were
- If you wanted honey, you had to survive a swarm of bees
- Getting sugar from a sugar cane takes a massive amount of effort
Humans crave sugar because it’s now an easy and abundant energy source

May cause weight gain
- Eating a lot of sugar typically results in eating a lot of calories–The vast majority of high-calorie drinks are filled with sugar
- Sugary drinks don’t curb appetite
Several studies show that it can contribute to more visceral body fat, that’s the bad inflammatory type of fat
Increase risk of heart disease–People who consumed 17-21% of their calories from added sugar had a 38% greater risk of heart disease
Increases chances of developing acne–Teens who consume sugar have a 30% greater risk of developing acne
Accelerates tooth decay as sugar feeds bacteria
Accelerates skin and cellular aging–Women who consumed more sugar had more wrinkles
Shortens telomere length and leading to premature cellular aging
It increases:
- many autoimmune symptoms (e.g., fatigue, trouble concentrating)
- risk of type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s
- risk of getting cancer
- mood swings and depression

Aim to consume <70 grams of sugar a day
- Most of it should come from fruits, not soda or fruit juice
Being skinny or fit doesn’t give you a pass to consume sugary drinks and foods (pancakes, donuts, cereal), it’s still unhealthy for you
- You can get away with eating badly when you’re young but it will eventually catch up with you
Avoid high-fructose corn syrup, it’s another form of sugar
If you have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), going on a low-to-zero sugar diet will help you
If you crave sugar, eat a FRUIT
Treat sugar like beer, have it sparingly but remember it isn’t healthy and you should limit your intake