You should know these signs of too much sugar
As with many things, the same applies to sugar: too much of it is bad and can lead to unpleasant symptoms. The fact that sugar is unhealthy and that reducing sugar is not only sensible when you are on a diet has been widely discussed in recent years. But even those who do not eat tons of sweets every day will at some point ask themselves the question "Am I eating too much sugar?" At the same time, you naturally want to know whether consuming too much sugar can lead to certain symptoms. The fact is that there are physical and psychological warning signs of a sugar overdose. In this context, people often talk about the body being overwhelmed by sugar.
We explain which symptoms of too much sugar occur most often and what you can do about them.
What happens in the body when you eat too much sugar?
What actually happens in our organism when we eat sugar? Even the consumption of small amounts of sugar causes the pancreas to release the hormone insulin. Insulin ensures that the sugar or glucose leaves the blood quickly and is stored in the cells. This is because the cells need it there as an energy source. If we have too much sugar in our blood over a long period of time due to excessive consumption, this not only leads to various symptoms, but also makes it more difficult for it to be stored in the cells. Over the long term, an excess of sugar leads to the body becoming desensitized to insulin, which means that more and more insulin is needed to store the sugar in the cells. This is also the reason why excessive sugar consumption can lead to type 2 diabetes in the long term.
In order to avoid the negative consequences of consuming too much sugar, you should definitely stick to the recommendation of how much sugar you should eat per day. This includes not only sugar from sweets, but also sugar from fruit. Fruit also contains not only pure fructose, but also glucose. With our Chunky Flavour you can easily save a lot of sugar and still have full flavour.
Too much sugar: These symptoms can occur
There are many signs of too much sugar, and sugar overload or even sugar addiction can manifest itself differently in everyone. The symptoms of too much sugar consumption range from skin blemishes and tiredness to headaches and food cravings. If you know the signs of too much sugar, you can correctly interpret the warning signs and take appropriate countermeasures. These 9 symptoms indicate that you are eating too much sugar.
1. Cravings and binge eating
Cravings for sweets are a part of everyday life for many people and make it particularly difficult to stick to a diet. If you eat a lot of sweets, you constantly want even more sweets and regularly have to deal with cravings. There are various reasons for this. If you constantly eat sugary foods (this includes fruit with a lot of fructose) or sweets, your insulin and blood sugar levels are constantly too high. A high insulin level leads to increased hunger and can therefore also encourage cravings.[1] In addition, a permanently high sugar consumption can lead to insulin resistance[2], which ensures that the sugar or glucose no longer reaches the cells where the energy is actually needed. So, even though there is enough sugar in the blood, the cells are not properly supplied and continue to signal hunger to the brain. As a result of this and the fact that sugar does not cause a real feeling of satiety, you are constantly hungry and often have cravings for even more sweets.
In addition, sugar can even be addictive.[3] This sugar addiction has not only physical but also psychological causes, which is because sugar releases opioids and dopamine. If you don't notice this and eat too much sugar over a long period of time, you can develop symptoms such as diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease.
2. Fatigue and lack of motivation
Are you constantly tired and listless? This can also be one of the symptoms of too much sugar in your diet. In order to stay awake and productive, our body needs energy in the form of glucose. Eating sweets and simple carbohydrates does increase blood sugar quickly and gives the body an energy boost, but the blood sugar level then drops rapidly. This drop in blood sugar makes you feel tired and exhausted at first. With unsweetened and not heavily processed foods, glucose gradually enters the bloodstream during digestion. However, if the body is given a lot of free sugar, it ends up in the bloodstream very quickly. The result is that the body can no longer absorb the glucose properly. The transport to the cells is disrupted and the available energy does not reach where it is needed. The result: you feel tired and less productive. Many people then want to counteract this with sugar and eat something sweet. However, this only makes the problem worse.[4]
If you eat complex carbohydrates such as oatmeal, potatoes or wholemeal bread or fruit and vegetables instead of sweets and simple carbohydrates, you can prevent this sharp rise and fall in blood sugar levels.
3. Difficulty concentrating
A sufficiently high blood sugar level is important in order to be able to concentrate well. Our brain can only get the energy it needs from glucose. And it needs a lot of it in relation to its size. In normal operation, it uses up to 140 g of glucose a day. You quickly notice this when your mental performance suffers when you are hungry and it has been a while since your last meal. But it is not only hypoglycemia that can lead to concentration difficulties; too much sugar in the body also has a negative effect on the brain and the ability to concentrate. But how do these symptoms arise?
When you consume a lot of sugar, your blood sugar level fluctuates greatly: after a meal containing sugar or sweets, your blood sugar rises sharply and then drops steeply again relatively quickly. This fluctuation naturally also affects the supply of your brain. It is not constantly supplied with enough glucose, which affects your mental performance. But it is not only mental performance that can suffer from too much sugar. Scientists have found a connection between sugar consumption and the development of mental illnesses.[5]
4. The immune system is weakened
Frequent infections such as colds can also be a sign that you are eating too much sugar. Constantly consuming too much sugar can also weaken the immune system. Scientists believe that sugar can affect the immune response of cells.[6] In addition, a diet rich in sugar is often accompanied by a diet poor in nutrients. Those who eat convenience foods, highly processed foods and lots of sweets provide their bodies with fewer fruits, vegetables and meals rich in vitamins and minerals. Another problem here is the hidden sugar that is hidden in many processed foods.
5. Disturbed intestinal flora and digestive problems
High sugar consumption can not only weaken the immune system, but also disrupt the intestinal flora.[7] If you have eaten too much sugar, symptoms such as flatulence, diarrhea or constipation can occur. The reason: Sugar mainly feeds bad intestinal bacteria, which also occur naturally in the organism.[8] This can lead to an imbalance in the intestinal flora. In addition, too much sugar can also lead to nausea. Which digestive problems occur as a result of too much sugar also depends on the other diet and external factors such as stress, too little exercise or even taking medication. Digestive problems should be taken seriously as warning signs of too much sugar consumption.
6. Bladder and fungal infections
Most bacteria feel particularly comfortable in an environment rich in sugar and can multiply particularly quickly there. People who eat a lot of sugar therefore have more problems with fungal infections. High sugar consumption can, for example, promote intestinal fungi. These are usually yeasts of the genus Candida albicans. These can lead not only to digestive problems, but also to vaginal yeast infections.[9] As intestinal fungi, yeasts cause symptoms such as flatulence, a feeling of fullness or intestinal cramps. If the immune system is also weakened by too much sugar, the intestinal fungi can multiply even more easily.
But intestinal problems are not the only sign of too much sugar. A connection has been found between high sugar consumption in women and bacterial vaginosis. It is believed that here too, bacteria can multiply more easily due to the vaginal flora being weakened by sugar.[10]
7. Skin problems: impure skin, acne or cellulite
Too much sugar in the body can also manifest itself in symptoms on the skin. This happens when too much sugar can no longer be processed. As a result, the sugar binds to the proteins collagen and elastin in the blood. These ensure that the skin is firm and healthy. However, by binding too much sugar, they can no longer fulfill this task and, in addition to a loss of elasticity, skin blemishes, pimples and acne occur.[11] If the skin's elasticity decreases, the formation of wrinkles and cellulite is encouraged.
8. Bad mood and mood swings
When we eat too much sugar, the symptoms can be not only physical, but also psychological. High sugar consumption is often associated with mood swings and can also trigger depression and anxiety disorders. [12] This is because our brain functions best when it is supplied with a constant amount of glucose. Too much sugar creates an oversupply that the brain cannot handle well and affects the opioid and dopamine balance. This also has a negative effect on mood. In addition, the constant ups and downs of blood sugar levels can of course also lead to mood swings. Since sugar can even be addictive due to its influence on the body's own opioids and dopamine release, even short-term sugar withdrawal can lead to a bad mood.
9. Caries
"Sugar is bad for your teeth" - most people hear this as children. However, this warning is justified, because high sugar consumption puts a lot of strain on your teeth. It doesn't matter whether you eat or drink the sugar. Enzymes convert the sugar into acid, which attacks tooth enamel and can lead to tooth decay. If you eat too much sugar, you can't reduce the signs of tooth decay by brushing your teeth more often. [13]
What helps against the symptoms of too much sugar?
If you have eaten too much sugar, symptoms such as nausea or headaches usually disappear within a very short time. However, this is not the case if you have consumed too much sugar over a long period of time. In this case, there is only one thing that helps against the symptoms of too much sugar: significantly reduce sugar consumption. Because too much sugar consumption can not only lead to unpleasant symptoms such as mood swings or concentration problems, but can also endanger your health in the long term and lead to serious illnesses such as diabetes. If you want to avoid sugar, you can use sugar alternatives. With our CHUNKY FLAVOUR, you don't have to do without sweets despite giving up sugar.
Save yourself the sugar from sweets and processed foods and invest it in a balanced diet with lots of fruit and vegetables. Although these naturally contain sugar, it is not freely available and fruit and vegetables provide your body with important vitamins, minerals and fiber. This not only has a positive effect on the immune system and intestinal flora, but can also eliminate skin blemishes caused by inflammation. If you also pay attention to complex carbohydrates and a protein-rich diet, you will stay full for longer and can also get cravings and mood swings under control.
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