Dr. Robert Lustig: How Sugar & Processed Foods Impact Your Health (2024)

FAQs

How do sugar and processed food affect your health? ›

"The effects of added sugar intake — higher blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, diabetes, and fatty liver disease — are all linked to an increased risk for heart attack and stroke," says Dr. Hu.

Heavily processed foods often include unhealthy levels of added sugar, sodium and fat. These ingredients make the food we eat taste better, but too much of them leads to serious health issues like obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

A diet high in refined sugar is associated with numerous health issues. For example, multiple studies have linked consuming added sugar to a higher risk of obesity, diabetes, and unhealthy blood triglyceride levels.

Recent studies have shown that there are no advantages to refined sugar, but there are several disadvantages. These include links to: obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, Alzheimer's and cellular aging.

Mostly plants.” That's seven words; I'll reduce it to three: eat real food. The “not too much” will take care of itself. And the “mostly plants” isn't a worry if you eat the plants as they came out of the ground, or the animals who ate the food that came out of the ground—because they ate plants.

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is an easy way to work some heart-friendly plant protein into your day. But depending on whether it contains added hydrogenated oils and mono- and diglycerides, it can fall into the processed or ultra-processed bucket on the NOVA scale, explains the National Peanut Board.

Cutting out processed foods could lead you to experience a variety of personal health benefits such as having more energy, losing weight, improving regularity, or just feeling healthier overall.

Pasta is also processed and by itself fits in a healthy diet. When pre-prepared pasta dishes add salt, fat, and other ingredients, they are ultra-processed. Plain cornflakes, which we consider healthy, are processed but not ultra-processed until frosted with sugar, colors and flavorings are added.

Cutting out or limiting added sugar has several benefits. You might increase your intake of nutrient-rich foods, manage your weight, and reduce your risk of diabetes and heart disease. Still, you might feel an intense and out-of-control craving for sugar if you cut out or limit carbs, your body's primary energy source.

What does a sugar face look like? ›

Here are the tell-tale signs on your face that sugar is the culprit aging your skin: The surface of your skin looks hard and shiny. Deep, crosshatch lines appear along your upper lip. Discoloration and hyperpigmentation mark your skin.

A banana will raise your blood sugar, but how much will depend on the size and ripeness of the banana, and the foods it is paired with. The American Diabetes Association recommends eating bananas and other fruit as they contain fiber. It notes that eating fiber can help lower blood sugar levels.

Seafood, pork, beef, and chicken are all sugar-free. They're also an important source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. If you don't eat meat, soybeans, lentils, beans, nuts, and seeds are great sugar-free, high-protein foods.

In conclusion, quitting sugar for two weeks can lead to a wide range of transformative changes in the body and mind. From weight loss and improved cardiovascular health to clearer skin and enhanced mental well-being, the benefits are evident.

It causes metabolic dysfunction.

Eating too much sugar causes a barrage of symptoms known as classic metabolic syndrome. These include weight gain, abdominal obesity, decreased HDL and increased LDL, elevated blood sugar, elevated triglycerides, and high blood pressure.

Cut added sugar and you could lower calories and body weight, which could improve your cholesterol. But it's not just the weight loss. Even at the same weight as others, people who got less than 20% of their calories from added sugars tended to have lower triglycerides.

Focusing on eating unprocessed foods, sometimes called "clean eating," has several health benefits, such as boosting your mood, helping you lose weight, and improving sleep. To do this, you may want to limit your intake of processed foods, including cheese, processed meats, sugar-sweetened drinks, and potato chips.