How a diet high in sugar makes you sick, wrinkly, and weak

Updated: Oct 29, 2024Veronika Larisova

Eating too much sugar isn't great—we all know it causes dental cavities and packs on the kilos. But did you know that indulging in too much sugar can also make you sick, inflamed, wrinkly, and even lower your sex drive? Beyond the usual warnings, the hidden dangers of sugar are far more extensive and alarming. From accelerating the aging process to wreaking havoc on your immune system, sugar's impact on your health is profound and often overlooked.

Inflammation and Immune Function

Dietary sugars, particularly with high levels of glucose and fructose, can significantly impact inflammation and immune function. High glucose environments impair the immune system, which affects various immune cells like macrophages, aka T cells and B cells. Specifically, excess glucose promotes T cell-mediated inflammation and disrupts normal T cell function, while fructose reduces lymphocyte populations. T-cells are white blood cells that play a crucial role in the immune system, particularly in the adaptive immune response. They are part of the body's defence mechanism against infections and cancer. Lymphocytes, also white blood cells, identify and attack pathogens, such as viruses and bacteria, and produce antibodies.

Additionally, sugar promotes the production of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). These harmful compounds can come from eating foods cooked at high temperatures or form inside the body when consuming high amounts of sugar, especially fructose. High sugar intake leads to AGE build-up, linked to insulin resistance and changes in how the body handles fats. Fructose is a particularly strong contributor to this process. Research indicates that AGEs from our diet can disrupt many cellular functions, including fat synthesis, inflammation, and antioxidant defences, potentially leading to organ damage in the liver, muscles, and brain, contributing to various chronic inflammatory conditions and diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disease, kidney disease, liver disease and infertility.

Skin Aging

Sugar accelerates skin aging by damaging collagen and elastin, the proteins that keep skin firm and elastic. This occurs through glycation in the skin, where sugar molecules attach to collagen and elastin fibres, forming AGEs. AGEs make the collagen and elastin fibres stiff, brittle, and prone to breaking. Over time, this degradation of collagen and elastin results in the appearance of wrinkles, sagging, and a loss of skin firmness. Additionally, AGEs can weaken the skin’s structure and reduce its ability to regenerate, exacerbating the aging process. The inflammatory response triggered by sugar also contributes to skin aging by damaging the skin cells and accelerating the breakdown of collagen and elastin.

Gut Health

In the gut, high sugar intake reduces microbial diversity and damages to the intestinal barrier, leading to increased inflammatory responses. For example, sugar promotes the growth of harmful bacteria and fungi while suppressing beneficial gut microbiota. A diet high in sugar feeds pathogenic bacteria and yeast like Candida, which can lead to an imbalance in the gut microbiome, known as dysbiosis. This imbalance can result in increased intestinal permeability, often referred to as "leaky gut," where toxins and undigested food particles pass through the gut lining into the bloodstream, triggering inflammation and immune responses. Furthermore, a disrupted gut microbiome can impair digestion and nutrient absorption, contributing to gastrointestinal issues such as bloating, gas, and irritable bowel syndrome.

Excessive sugar consumption also disrupts the balance of gut microbiota by increasing Firmicutes and reducing Bacteroidetes, leading to increased inflammation, enhanced calorie extraction from food, and potential weight gain. This dysbiosis contributes to a cascade of negative health effects, including metabolic disorders and chronic inflammation, underscoring the importance of maintaining a balanced diet low in refined sugars.

And, as described previously, high glucose levels activate signalling pathways in macrophages, increasing inflammatory cytokine production and further driving inflammation.

Reduced Testosterone

High sugar consumption can lead to reduced testosterone levels through several mechanisms. Firstly, excessive sugar intake contributes to weight gain and obesity, conditions that are associated with lower testosterone levels. Fat cells, particularly those in the abdominal area, contain the enzyme aromatase, which converts testosterone into estrogen, thus reducing circulating testosterone levels. Secondly, sugar-induced insulin resistance and chronic inflammation can impair the function of the Leydig cells in the testes, which are responsible for producing testosterone. Additionally, spikes in blood glucose levels from sugar consumption can lead to increased cortisol levels, a stress hormone that can inhibit testosterone production.

A study that analysed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was associated with lower serum testosterone levels in men aged 20-39. Specifically, men who consumed the highest amounts of sugary beverages were 2.3 times more likely to have low testosterone compared to those who consumed the least. The reduction in testosterone levels is thought to be related to the spike in insulin that follows high sugar consumption. Additionally, insulin resistance, which is often a result of chronic high sugar intake, can further impair testosterone production.

Reducing sugar intake can thus be an important aspect of managing or preventing conditions associated with low testosterone, such as reduced muscle mass, increased body fat, and decreased libido.

Finding Easy Alternatives

The easiest way to cut out refined sugars, is finding great alternatives. Luckily for you we have lots of snacking options that make cutting out refined sugars and ultra processed crap easy. Our Collagen bars are a great snack that gives you a little something sweet without refined sugar. Pro tip: Stick the choc coated bars in the freezer and you have an "ice cream" bar.

Also, the Chief collagen powders work great for sweetening baked goods. Try this Gluten-Free Collagen & Pecan Banana Bread that features our Creamy Vanilla Collagen Powder, it is absolutely delicious.

If you need any pantry swaps, check out Mingles Seasoning and Undivided Food Co. Both of those brands create great alternatives to the sugary options on the supermarket shelves.

Missing the occasional lolly? We highly recommend Funday. Their lollies have nostalgic flavours without loads of sugar or sugar alcohols.

Just to set the record straight, we are not trying to demonise sugar. As a matter of fact, eating fruits and vegetables is essential for our health and occasionally indulging in sweet treats is also fine. The problem is when every single one of our meals contains lots of refined sugar, such as when we eat ultra-processed foods daily. So don’t worry about counting how many cups of fresh fruit you have. Instead, cut out sweetened beverages and become a pack flipper! Read our e-book How To Read Food Labels and start paying attention to the sugar content in packaged and bottled foods.