Sugar, What’s the Risk

I want to think that any one of us working on living healthier lives would like to decrease our sugar intake. I sometimes wonder if my clients understand the risk associated with sugar.

We are all in agreement that smoking can cause cancer and that it can damage your lungs. We all agree that excessive alcohol consumption can lead to liver cancer or failure. Why is it that when I encourage no added sugar, the pushback is often what's the harm in a bit of sugar in my coffee or a cookie now and then? The risks are more significant with the amount and frequency of sugar consumption. I wanted to share two studies correlating the risk of added sugars in our diets. 

Increased Sugar Intake Can Cause Joint Pain
Consuming excess sugar can lead to chronically high blood sugar levels. High blood sugar can cause chronic inflammation, leading to joint pain and other adverse health effects.

One 2016 study(1) even identified drinking sugar-sweetened beverages as an individual risk factor for developing rheumatoid arthritis. This inflammatory disease causes pain and swelling in the joints.

High blood sugar levels can also cause an overproduction of reactive oxygen species, or ROS, in your body. ROS can cause inflammation and damage your cell tissues, leading to joint pain. This also leads to accelerated aging and mitochondrial dysfunction.

A diet high in added sugar can increase your risk of high blood sugar, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, fatty liver disease, and obesity — all of which are independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Studies (2) have shown that a diet high in added sugar can make you three times as likely to die from heart disease.

By decreasing your sugar intake now, you decrease your risk of diabetes, and joint and low back pain, help reduce your weight and lower your risk of developing cavities, fatty liver disease, and Alzheimer's disease.

If you want to learn more about a healthier lifestyle, you can access 10 Tactics to Decrease Pain & Weight Now. 

1. Hu Y, Costenbader KH, Gao X, Al-Daabil M, Sparks JA, Solomon DH, Hu FB, Karlson EW, Lu B. Sugar-sweetened soda consumption and risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis in women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014 Sep;100(3):959-67. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.114.086918. Epub 2014 Jul 16. PMID: 25030783; PMCID: PMC4135503.
2. DiNicolantonio JJ, Lucan SC, O'Keefe JH. The Evidence for Saturated Fat and for Sugar Related to Coronary Heart Disease. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 2016 Mar-Apr;58(5):464-72. doi: 10.1016/j.pcad.2015.11.006. Epub 2015 Nov 14. PMID: 26586275; PMCID: PMC4856550.