Dashing into a gas station before work to grab caffeine filled Coca Cola, BAM, the sight hits consumers in the face. Rows upon rows of mouthwatering, scrumptious candy. Lollipops, Hershey’s chocolate bars, and Sour Patch Kids are mere inches from greedy hands. One or two bags couldn’t hurt, right? Most people think they will be able to pace themselves and eat just one piece from that chocolate bar per day. However within the hour the candy is gobbled down, and oddly enough the bountiful salad they were going to have for lunch a few hours later does not seem quite as appetizing. Sugar is a constant presence in life, and the public needs to realize the harmful effects sugar is having on their bodies. Society is addicted to sugar both physically and mentally and these cravings can pose drastic health concerns, even if issues are not noticeable in the short term.

Consumers might feel full after devouring a large chocolate cake, but the truth is those calories aren’t going to do much for the body except get converted into fat. Drinking sweetened soda pops can trick the body into thinking that it is still hungry even when the proper amount of calories have been consumed. This repercussion happens because sugar can suppress the chemical that makes the body think its full (Fox News).   Snacks filled with processed foods ensure the body receives empty calories that are not giving any of the nutrients that the human body needs. Constant munching can lead to a variety of diseases all caused by nutrient deficiency.

Overdosing on sugar is not only depriving the human body of nutrients but is also overloading the liver with glucose. The liver is the only part of the body that can metabolize sugar so when an person chugs a 32oz bottle of soda pop they are sending an excess amount of sugar into the liver. This sugar can be beneficial if the body needs to restock on glucose after a lengthy run, but most of the time that is not the case. Instead, the sugar gets transformed into fat calories and over time the damage to the liver can lead to a host of chronic diseases like malnutrition and hypertension (Nature.)

The desire to down pixie stick after pixie stick is not only caused by their delectable taste but by sugar’s effect on the human brain. An article from Nature, a weekly international journal of science, explains that it acts almost like a drug, releasing dopamine when it’s eaten in large quantities. Because of this, more and more sugar is required each time a consumer indulges in a sweet. Often, people try to lose weight by going on diets but if these diets still have a significant amount of processed sugar in them they will not help a person lose any weight, just increase the frustration of many.

Sugar is everywhere. It coats grocery store walls, and often the insides of people’s pantries. The consequences of a few chocolate bars may seem only as bad as an extra workout later in the day, but that workout doesn’t happen frequently and the consequences can be far more severe than gaining a few pounds. Sugar is a main factor in weight gain, which can lead to the primary cause of death in the United States. Heart disease. According to the Center for Disease control, heart disease kills 611,105 people each year. To stop this rapidly growing sugar epidemic, the public needs to eat less sugar. Supporting this fact is The World Health Organization, which  released a report in 2015 stating that sugar should account for no more 10% of daily calories.

Although the consequences to eating sugar may seem dire, there is no reason to relinquish all intake of sugar. Moderation is key, and luckily, not all sugar needs to be avoided. The sugar contained in fruits and vegetables is far different than cane sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Having to chew and digest the other parts of the fruit slows down the time it takes for the liver to process the sugar. Fruit also has a large amount of healthy fiber and nutrients in it that  balances out the negative affects sugar can cause. (Huffington Post.)

Cutting sugar out of a diet isn’t easy, but for the sake of everyone’s mind and body it is essential that the public start to realize just how it is effecting their bodies. Sugar is far more deadly than it seems and instead of compromising the body’s health try saving bagfuls of candies for a special occasion and enjoy a few salads as a healthy alternative.