How does sugar affect your body?

Sugar adds calories which if you eat more than you need, you will gain weight. Weight gain increases your risk of getting heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, or even some types of cancer. If your body doesn’t make enough insulin like a person with diabetes, then the sugar you eat increases the sugar in your blood to unhealthy levels. However, if you are underweight, sugar can add extra calories so that you can gain weight but not replace healthy foods.

The body breaks down sugars you eat into the sugar in your blood (glucose). Unfortunately, there are no vitamins or minerals in sugar and so it is called an “empty” calorie. That is why it is the first food to be eliminated from a weight loss plan. By the way, it doesn’t matter if the sugar is white, brown or raw. The amount of molasses in brown sugar is so low it doesn’t contribute enough of any vitamin or mineral to count on a food label either.