New research shows that the benefits of cutting back on sugar range from cancer prevention to a healthier heart.
You probably know that you need to eat less sugar. After all, the average American puts away more than 150 pounds per year of the sweet stuff, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.
But do you know why? To hit a healthy weight and reduce, right? Not so fast. While reducing your intake of added sugars can definitely help you lose weight, the true benefits of eating less sugar go way beyond the scale. Check out these 9 amazing benefits of slimming your sugar habit that have nothing to do with weight loss:
1. You’ll Cut Your Risk of Cancer
In a 2016 Cancer Research study, mice that ate a low-sugar diet were at half the risk of breast cancer compared with mice that consumed a diet with levels of sugar similar to the average American. That’s because fructose, a sugar molecule contained in high-fructose corn syrup and table sugar alike, increases the body’s expression of proteins and fatty acids that promote the development and spread of cancer. And it’s not just breast cancer. In one National Cancer Institute study of 435,674 men and women, people who consumed less added sugar had lower rates of cancer in the esophagus, small intestine and lungs.
2. You’ll Be Happier
3. You’ll Boost Your Brainpower
diabetes
4. You’ll Improve Your Heart Health
impacts your cardiovascular health
arrhythmias
5. You’ll Sport a Whiter Smile
Mom was right. That sugar will rot your teeth. The less added sugar you eat, the less tooth decay you’ll experience, suggests 2015 research from the University of Washington School of Dentistry. Unfortunately, the study also found that most people don’t have an accurate idea as to how much or little sugar they actually eat.
6. You’ll Have a Healthier Liver
cutting down on sugar
7. You’ll Slash Your Risk of Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes
8. You’ll Have Better Skin
and
acne
9. You’ll Live Longer
Between sugar’s role in diabetes, heart disease, cancer, liver damage and depression, how could reducing your intake not increase your lifespan? In fact, a Harvard School of Public Health study estimates that sweetened beverages contribute to 180,000 deaths worldwide – and 25,000 in America alone – per year. In one Nature Communications study, mice who consumed a diet containing 25 percent added sugar died at twice the rate of rats fed a standard diet.
Written for Health.USnews.com