This is an obvious outcome when the body starts to store too much sugar. Besides, sugar-sweetened beverages contain fructose, a simple sugar that increases your hunger and desire for food more than glucose, leading to a vicious circle of consuming even more sugar. An accumulation of body fats also increases your risk for heart disease.

Constant bombardment of glucose — where you’re putting too much sugar into your body — means the liver cannot cope. The liver can only store so much glucose in a healthy manner. Over time, a diet high in fructose could lead to globules of fat building up around your liver, a precursor to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, something rarely seen before 1980. As your liver helps your body digest food, store energy, and remove poisons, a malfunctioning or inflamed liver will result in many serious issues.

There is a clear link between excessive sugar consumption and diabetes. Prolonged high-sugar consumption drives resistance to insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates blood sugar levels. When this happens, it can lead to a surge in blood sugar levels and increase one’s risk of diabetes. In fact,  insulin resistance is believed to be a leading driver of many diseases including metabolic syndrome, obesity, cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes.

People with type 2 diabetes do still make insulin in their bodies, but their cells don’t use it as well as others without type 2 diabetes. This is a lifelong condition that has to be managed.

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Too much sugar over a long period of time plays havoc on the pancreas. It wears the pancreas thin, which means the organ doesn’t function to its full capacity and cannot produce enough insulin, leading to insulin sensitivity. This could then ultimately lead to the individual having to inject insulin — which we more commonly deemed as type 2 diabetes.

Lots of sugar in the body thickens the blood, which in turn affects blood flow around the body. A healthy body needs a constant flow of blood to reach to all our vital parts. Sticky blood increase your blood pressure and high blood pressure leads to many health complications, particularly as you get older.

There is some evidence that consuming large amounts of sugar is associated with an increased risk of certain cancers, such as esophageal cancer. Having a diet high in sugar increases inflammation in your body and may cause insulin resistance, both of which increase cancer risk.

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Too much sugar takes minerals and calcium away from the bone, decreasing bone density. This means one’s bones are more likely to be prone to breakages. Older women who have undergone menopause are particularly at risk because the decrease in estrogen (a protective hormone for females) leads to weaker bones.

READ MORE: 10 Must-Eat Calcium-Rich Foods For Strong Bones And Teeth

People consuming 10 per cent or more of their energy from added sugar were at risk of higher levels of triglycerides – a fat found in the bloodstream, and were 50 to 300 per cent more likely to have low levels of good HDL cholesterol, say US researchers.

Eating too much sugar can also lead to the break down of collagen under your skin, causing skin problems like wrinkles and acne. Research shows that continued exposure to high blood sugar levels speeds up the ageing process and has an inflammatory effect on the body, increasing the risk of everything from arthritis to premature wrinkles.

READ MORE: Follow These Science-Backed Steps To Delay The Ageing Process

Too much sugar also damages your pearly whites, eroding the tooth enamel that can then lead to tooth decay, not to mention expensive dentist bills. Soft drinks are particularly harmful to tooth enamel because they contain both sugar and acid – a lethal combination that increases the chance of dental decay and enamel erosion.

Elevated and then sudden decreases of blood sugar levels will have a direct impact on your energy and mood. You get an increased ‘high’ after eating sugar, then once the body has used the sugar, you then have a corresponding ‘crash’. Science shows it takes just 30 minutes or less to go from a sugar rush to a full-on sugar crash. This sugar spike-and-crash sets you up to want more sugar—a vicious cycle.

These swings can be detrimental to mental health, and lead to an increased risk of depression. People who are keen on getting that energy ‘high’ back also end up ingesting more and more sugar.

Research on human subjects is scant, but animal studies have shown that sugar suppresses immune responses. More research is needed to understand the exact mechanisms; however, we do know that bacteria and yeast feed on sugar and that, when these organisms get out of balance in the body, infections and illness are more likely.

READ MORE: 10 Ways To Boost Immunity So You Don’t Fall Sick Easily

Acne, rashes, and various skin disorders come from consuming too much sugar, because your body will excrete the excess sugar through the skin. Basically, sugary foods quickly spike blood sugar and insulin levels, causing increased androgen secretion, oil production and inflammation, all of which play a role in acne development.

The above list, as mentioned, is just a few complications that occur when you regularly consume too much sugar for your body to handle. Of course, it doesn’t mean that you can’t treat yourself every now and again. But the main word to focus on is moderation.

If you think you consume a lot of sugar on a daily basis, why not start making small changes now, to lessen your intake? Whether it is dropping sugar from your coffee and tea, cutting down on your sodas or buying less cakes or cookies during the week, if you start making changes now, your body is sure to thank you for it later.

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Text: Atika Lim and Nicola Watson