To begin with, inflammation can actually be helpful in some situations. If you get sick or injured, acute inflammation can help your body protect and heal itself.
But when inflammation is chronic and long-term, it’s a whole different story. Lots of factors can play a part in this type of inflammation, but one of the biggest culprits is sugar.
Eating (or drinking) a ton of sugar every day can lead to low-grade inflammation in your body. This might not sound so bad but it’s the type of inflammation that’s commonly linked to health problems and obesity.
It’s both refined and processed added sugars that contribute to this — not the natural sugars that you’ll find in fruits, vegetables, and dairy products. Refined/processed sugars are added (and packaged) to/ into many processed foods, so it’s not just about the sugar you add yourself.
So now let’s talk about why sugar can be a major factor regarding inflammation and the effects this can have on your body.
The Link between Sugar and Inflammation
According to the results of several studies, there’s a strong link between added sugars and inflammation. The more sugar you consume, the higher you can expect your inflammatory markers to be.
In a small-scale study, drinking 40g of added sugar in a can of soda every day for 6 months increased the amount of uric acid in the body, especially for people who were already overweight. This is extremely important since high amounts of uric acid lead to crystals forming in the joints and tendons and also to high-level inflammation.
Sugary drinks are a super common culprit for inflammation for this very reason, and this can happen very quickly. According to one study, drinking 50g of fructose spikes levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), an inflammatory marker, in just 30 minutes. This might sound like a ton of fructose but a lot of us consume this (and more!) on any average day.
Studies have also suggested that cutting back on sugary foods and drinks can decrease levels of inflammatory markers. This is really crucial, as it indicates that you can reduce inflammation and improve your health if your diet isn’t loaded with added sugars.
How Added Sugars Affect Your Body
So, what does sugar actually do to your body to encourage this inflammation to develop?
Below are just a few things that can happen if your diet is full of refined/processed sugars, especially if your diet is unhealthy in other ways as well.
High LDL cholesterol: According to some studies, sugary drinks are strongly linked to higher levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol.
Increased gut permeability: Eating a ton of sugar may affect the permeability of the intestinal walls. This means that all those undigested food particles, toxins, and various bacteria can pass through into the bloodstream. When this happens, they’re treated as foreign invaders in the body. The end result? Inflammation is a very likely outcome. Fructose is a common culprit for “leaky” gut syndrome.
Formation of AGEs: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are created as a result of protein and fat mixing with sugar in your bloodstream. If there are too many AGEs in your body, oxidative stress and inflammation are more likely to occur.
Weight gain: Refined sugars are a huge factor in weight gain and obesity. This alone can increase inflammation levels in the body. On top of that, sugar and artificial sweeteners are likely to stop you from feeling full, even if you’re eating a ton of food (and consuming a ton of calories!). This can lead to overeating and weight gain.
Greater risk of heart disease: Some studies have shown a link between high sugar intake and a greater risk of developing heart disease — especially with regard to sugary drinks. A study of 75,000 women found that a sugar and carb-heavy diet raised the risk of heart disease, probably due to the effects on cardiovascular health, insulin resistance, and inflammatory markers.
More potential for type 2 diabetes: Eating lots of sugar can make you more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. According to one study, having one sugary drink per day can raise your risk factor by almost 20%. Corn syrup is one of the worst types of sugar from a diabetes perspective.
Potential cancer risks: Studies on mice have shown that eating too much sugar could increase the risk of developing some types of cancer. Mice that were fed a lot of sugar went on to develop breast cancer. In humans, one study has suggested a potential link between high-sugar diets and colon cancer, although more research needs to be done to confirm whether this is definitely the case. It’s thought that inflammation from a sugar-rich diet may have a big part to play.
Long story short- proceed with caution where sugar is concerned!
Remember, chronic inflammation can also affect your energy levels, mood, digestion, and immunity.
Hopefully this post helped you better understand how sugar really works against your body if too much is consumed.
‘Til next time!
Jenn 💕
