• Little lumps of sugar can have dangerous health consequences.sugar-basin and lump-sugar image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
  
  Sugar can have damaging effects on the human body over time. It is not as harmless as it seems. Commonly used white sugar is bleached with chlorine bleach. This is a dangerous substance to ingest. The American Heart Association (AHA) provides a set of sugar consumption guidelines. It recommends no more than 6 tsp. a day for women and 9 for men. The average American diet consists of 22 tsp. or more a day.
  
  

Inflamation

• Sugar causes free radicals to form that cause inflammation in the body at the cellular level. This leads to changes in skin tone and appearance. Common effects include deep wrinkles, saggy skin, dark circles under the eyes, puffiness and exacerbation of acne, which is essentially an inflammatory disease.
  
  

Impairs Immunity

• Immune functions are diminished after eating sugary foods. This makes the body more susceptible to infections. Sugar consumption lowers the white blood cell count, which in turn weakens your immune system.
  
  

Yeast Infection

• Candida, or yeast infections, are fed by sugar. Symptoms of a yeast infection include cramps, joint pain, severe itching and burning sensations. These infections trigger strong cravings for sugar even when there are adverse side effects on the body and produce withdrawal symptoms if sugar is stopped abruptly.
  
  

Emotional Issues

• Anxiety, increase in PMS symptoms and extreme highs and lows in emotions are possible side effects of sugar consumption. Depression is also common in people with a strong sugar addiction. Sugar can trigger chronic fatigue, binge eating and irritability.
  
  

Risk for Diabetes

• When there is a constant source of sugar in the body, the pancreas is required to work harder. This overuse can cause it to wear out and make it ineffective in clearing out sugar from the blood. Diabetes can be the result.
  
  

Obesity

• Processed carbs commonly contain added sugar. This combination encourages fat storage in the body. The addictive properties of sugar can cause you to eat more than is appropriate or required for the body.