What changes will occur in a person's body if they eat sugar continuously for two months without interruption? Someone conducted an experiment using their own body.

American actor Damon Gameau became a guinea pig and persisted in consuming 200g of sugar from "healthy foods" (including lactose, glucose, fructose, and sucrose) for 60 consecutive days. He regularly consulted health experts and doctors to check his physical condition and analyze the effects of sugar on the human body.

After 12 days of the experiment, Damon found that he had gained weight. The weight scale showed an increase of 3.2 kilograms, and during the examination, it was found that not only body fat, but also within a few weeks, Damon had developed fatty liver due to excessive fat in the liver.

As the experiment progressed, Damon's emotions began to become unstable, he became moody and even manic. After eating sweet food, his mood is very good, but after about 45 minutes, he will experience a state of depression.

In the middle of the experiment, Damon not only gained weight and had unpredictable emotions, but his attention also became difficult to concentrate and his skin had problems.

Just 60 days passed quickly. For 60 days, Damon consumed 2300 kilojoules of calories per day, which was not much different from before, but his body underwent significant changes - his weight increased by 8.5kg, waist circumference increased by 10cm, liver function decreased, forming fatty liver, and the fat content in his blood surged from 0.08 to 1.5.

All these changes are caused by sugar.

Sugar is an essential element in life activities, but when the body consumes a large amount of sugar, the energy reserves in the body become too large, and the processing of sugar becomes chaotic. Excess fructose will turn into fat, causing gradual damage to the body.

1、 Oxford study: Eating too sweet may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease

In 2015, the World Health Organization issued recommendations on its official website regarding sugar intake, strongly recommending that children and adults limit their sugar intake to less than 10% of their total energy intake to prevent issues such as obesity and dental caries. The sugar in the guide mainly refers to "free sugars".

Free sugars refer to monosaccharides, disaccharides added to food by manufacturers, chefs, or consumers, as well as naturally occurring sugars such as honey, syrup, fruit juice, and concentrated fruit juice.

What impact does the intake of free sugars have on the human body?

In 2023, published in the BMC Medicine journal, a study from Oxford University focused on data from 110497 individuals in the UK Biobank for 9.4 years and found that:

For every 5% increase in the proportion of free sugars in daily energy intake, the overall risk of cardiovascular disease increases by 7%, including a 6% increase in heart disease risk and a 10% increase in stroke risk. Research suggests that the more free sugars consumed from food, the higher the risk of related cardiovascular diseases.

2、 The harm of eating sugar has been concealed for fifty years

The World Health Organization investigated the causes of hunger related deaths in 23 countries and found that those who consume a high sugar diet for a long time have an average lifespan 10-20 years shorter than those who consume a normal diet.

Is the harm of sugar to the human body only discovered in recent years? An article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine in 2016 pointed out that the US sugar industry deliberately concealed the "truth" about sugar.

Since the 1950s, the mortality rate of coronary heart disease patients in the United States has increased, and early research suggested that both sugar and fat were high-risk factors. But the sugar industry has used its financial resources to suppress research on sugar, only supporting studies related to fat - attributing the main risk factors for coronary heart disease to saturated fat, and masking the harm of sugar for fifty years.

The harm of sugar to the human body is ultimately "paper cannot cover fire", and its impact is systemic——

1. Heart disease risk

In 2017, an article published in PLOS Biology found that excessive intake of sugar can affect the gut microbiota, thereby increasing triglyceride levels and increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke in the human body.

2. Obesity

Han Dongmei, from the Pregnancy Nutrition Clinic of Peking Union Medical College Hospital, pointed out that sugar can be converted into fat, and high sugar intake is a risk factor for diabetes and obesity.

3. Malnutrition

Xia Pengbin, a nutritionist from the Clinical Nutrition Department of Southeast University Affiliated Zhongda Hospital, pointed out that eating too much sugar can also cause malnutrition, because eating too much sugar can affect children's appetite, inevitably leading to a decrease in other nutrients and causing nutritional imbalance.

4. Accelerate aging

He Xiaoqin, director of the nutrition department at Taizhou Hospital in Zhejiang Province, pointed out that eating too much sugar can take away collagen from the human body, causing a decrease in skin elasticity and premature appearance of wrinkles and spots.

5. Affects the brain

The metabolism of sugar is mainly concentrated in the brain, and excessive intake of sugar can affect the normal function of brain neurons. The more sugar young people consume, the higher their risk of developing dementia.

3、 Who is more likely to develop cancer, those who love sweet foods or those who do not?

Repeatedly mentioning sugary drinks can have an impact on health. Does liking sweet foods mean a higher risk of developing cancer?

Published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), a research team from the University of Washington investigated dietary data from 101257 French adults. During the follow-up period, a total of 2193 patients were diagnosed with cancer.

The analysis of the results showed that an increase of 100ml of sugary drinks per day would increase the overall risk of cancer by 18% and the risk of breast cancer by 22%.

Researchers have analyzed that the reason why sugary drinks increase the risk of cancer may be related to the fact that sugar affects visceral fat, blood sugar, and inflammatory markers.

Therefore, for the sake of health, it is very important to control sugar appropriately. What are the methods? Associate Professor of Nutrition at City University of New York, Lorraine Kearney, has developed a "sugar free" plan, which you may refer to:

Day 1: Make up your mind to start by not buying or eating any food containing refined sugar, including low sugar foods, but supplementing with natural sweet fruits in moderation;

Days 3-5: You may feel unwell and can engage in activities such as walking or meditation to distract your attention;

Days 8-10: Taste buds begin to change and no longer crave sweetness;

Days 15-21: The body can already recognize the need for sugar;

21 days later: Can rationally control sugar intake and autonomously manage sugar.

According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization, it is best to control the total amount of sugar per person per day to below 10%. If physical activity is light, the daily intake of sugar should not exceed 22 grams. Sugar control does not mean not consuming any sugar. We should selectively consume sugar and use it to provide us with energy, rather than letting sugar destroy our health