The effects of sugar on the body are far-reaching and cause side effects that many people aren't aware of. 

There’s more negative side effects of sugar than just excess calories - it can lead to several side effects and symptoms over time.

One sugar fact is that it’s tough to avoid in today’s diet - so many foods have sugar added that you wouldn’t normally suspect - it’s in baked beans, ketchup, peanut butter, salad dressing, pasta sauce and so many other packaged and processed foods!

It's easy to get side effects and symptoms from too much sugar when it's in everything you eat.

Here are some of the most common side effects of sugar on the body:

1. Sugar leads to weight gain - you already knew that. This is because sugar is essentially energy, and your body will store any excess sugar you consume as energy, otherwise known as fat. This is one of the main side effects of sugar on the body.

2. Sugar can set you up for diabetes. First it starts with insulin resistance and then if you continue to eat sugary foods, type II diabetes can be the result. After too much sugar over time, the body's cells begin to ignore the insulin, and sugar builds up in the blood stream leading to insulin resistance and eventually diabetes - excess sugar and insulin creates inflammation, obesity, high blood pressure and elevated triglycerides. This can happen in any age, and in fact we’re seeing younger and younger people with these issues from too much sugar. 

3. Does sugar cause acne? Absolutely. Sugar feeds the ‘bad’ acne that causes acne, and as it raises insulin levels this in turn leads to the secretion of androgens. Androgen hormones in turn lead to more oil production. All of this leads to the development of acne. 

4. Another sugar side effect on the body is the possibility of cancer - excess sugar can cause inflammation, insulin resistance and obesity - 3 primary causes ‘fertile grounds’ for cancer development.

5. Symptoms of too much sugar on the brain include depression. When blood sugars swing up and down, this causes inflammation in the brain which is detrimental to mental health. Those who consume more sugar have a higher risk of depression.

6. Sugar binds with certain proteins in the body and these protein-sugar molecules 'gum up' other tissues - namely they can damage the other proteins in your skin (collagen and elastin) that keep your skin looking youthful and resilient. Sugar can actually cause your skin to age prematurely. 

7. Another sugar fact is that it can also increase the rate of overall aging. - it causes the telomeres on your chromosomes to shorten, which accelerates the aging of your DNA.

8. One of the last side effects of sugar on the body is that sugar can lead to low energy. It causes blood sugar to go up and down, leading to uneven and irregular energy patterns.

We cover all of these topics along with how to stop eating sugar and how to stop sugar cravings in our video about the effects of sugar on the body.