Free Employee Wellness Handout – The Damaging Effects of Sugar On Your Body

Editor’s Note: Injury prevention and wellness handouts are an effective (and inexpensive) way to educate and motivate employees to use good work practices and take care of their bodies.

Scroll to the bottom of this post for the free Wellness Handout PDF file.

The Damaging Effects of Sugar On Your Body

Clearly, not all foods are created equal when it comes to our health and well being. We know that what we eat has a dramatic impact on our health, and our daily eating decisions play a huge role in how our health works out.

It is obviously in our best interest to do the best we can to take care of our bodies. Despite this, a recent study by Dr. Stephen Guyenet cited that the average American eats (and drinks) more than 100 pounds of sugar every year.

The problem: Sugar Causes Chronic Inflammation

In the 2004 issue of TIME magazine, the cover read The Secret Killer. It was referring to inflammation – it’s the secret killer in this country, and sugar is a major cause of chronic inflammation.

When cells and tissues in your body are chronically inflamed, they do not function properly. Over the course of time, this inflammation causes all sorts of problems with how your body functions.

Chronic inflammation significantly increases your risk exposure to chronic diseases like:

How can you prevent chronic inflammation?

It’s always better to be proactive and think prevention first. Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

Limit sugar intake. This is the obvious first step. Recommended sugar intake is 6 teaspoons per day for women and 9 teaspoons for men (AHA). For reference, a 12 ounce can of regular soda has about 8 teaspoons of sugar.
Ditch the Diet Coke. Replace soda with clean, pure water and you will be amazed at how much better you feel. (You’ll survive without soda, we promise!)
Be wary of processed foods. Processed foods that claim to be “low fat” are often jam packed with sugar and salt to make them taste better. Read food labels and don’t be fooled.
Eat fiber. Eating an adequate amount of fiber every day can help your body’s metabolism combat the effects of sugar.
Stay active. Getting enough physical activity into your day is good for you all around. It’s also an important part of how your body functions and how well your body’s metabolism works.

Prevention is always better than treatment! Limiting your sugar intake is a proactive strategy to live longer and stay well.