Impaired Cardiovascular Function
A 2007 study conducted at the University of Calgary and published in the American Society for Nutrition found that eating just one high-fat meal increased blood pressure and made participants’ hearts work harder.
Memory Loss
People with Type 2 diabetes must be especially careful when eating cake because of all the sugar, but one study indicates that the butter and oil in the cake might be problematic, too. At the Baycare Centre for Geriatric Care in 2008, researchers tested the memory recall of volunteers with this disease after feeding them fat-filled meals, low-fat meals, or water. Those who ate the heavier meals showed more memory loss afterward than everyone else.
Hurts So Good
Even if we don’t understand the chemical processes taking place inside our bodies after a piece of cake, we do recognize how it makes us feel afterward—not good. Cake is a convenient scapegoat, but most of the processed, packaged foods on the market are loaded with way too much sugar. Our society has one giant sweet tooth that craves supersized soda, king-sized candy bars, and corn syrup by the barrelful. Manufacturers make products like these because there’s a big enough demand for them, though few people would report feeling great after consuming any of them.
Since we know the negative outcomes of eating sugary foods, I wonder what makes us come back for more. Is it that we have selective memory when sugary foods are placed right in front of us? Or is David Kessler, the author of The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the American Appetite, right? He argues that eating junk food causes a surge of pleasure hormones like dopamine and serotonin, so eating poorly actually feels good … at least for a little while.
So our bodies reward and punish us for consuming junk food—no wonder eating right is so confusing! Pinpointing the effects of a sugar overload isn’t always enough to prevent one from happening. After all, knowledge doesn’t make sweets taste any less delicious. However, it might stop a junk food snack from becoming a full-on meal. A little sugar once in a while, especially on special occasions, won’t harm you. Too much at once is when the trouble starts, and clearly, your body will let you know when it’s had enough.
