How You Can Shed Pounds and Better Your Health When You Stop Eating Sugar

1. Eating less sugar can lower your calorie intake.

Sugar-filled snacks and beverages tend to be high in calories, making it easy to overeat, says Chris Mohr, PhD, RD, a fitness and nutrition advisor at Fortune Recommends Health.

"By reducing your intake of added sugar, you may be able to lose weight as you reduce your overall caloric intake," agrees Lindsay Delk, RD, RDN, the food and mood dietician.

By swapping sugary snacks for more nutrient-packed foods, you'll also take in more crucial vitamins and minerals, while ingesting fewer harmful ingredients found in processed foods.

2. It can reduce insulin spikes.

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that signals to your cells that glucose is available for use. However, having repeated insulin spikes can increase insulin resistance, which can lead to elevated blood sugar levels, higher risk of diabetes, and weight gain.

“Consistently high insulin levels from constant sugar consumption, particularly without exercise to help utilize this sugar and insulin, can ultimately be a precursor to weight gain,” explains Mohr.

3. It can decrease appetite and cravings.

Reducing your sugar intake can also help you manage your appetite and reduce sudden food cravings.

“Eating lots of sugar can mess with your body’s satiety signals for feeling full because often higher sugar food choices are lower in protein and/or fiber,” explains Mohr. “This can all lead to more hunger and overeating.”

4. It can recalibrate your taste buds.

Lindsay Malone, MS, RDN, LD, a registered dietitian and adjunct professor of nutrition at Case Western Reserve University, says one perk of curbing your sugar consumption is that your taste buds will become more sensitive to sweet flavors, making it easier to satisfy your sweet tooth without overeating.

"If you are constantly drinking and eating foods sweeter than nature intended, your taste buds will become accustomed to that level of sweetness. One thing I always say to my patients is if an in-season piece of fruit doesn't taste sweet to you, there is work to be done with your tastebuds," she tells Best Life.

Catherine Gervacio, RDN, a registered dietitian and nutritionist working with E-Health Project, agrees that this can have a profound effect on your weight and broader health.

"Over time, your body adapts to your no-sugar habits and it will begin to be more sensitive to other flavors," she explains. "This reduces the chances of sweet cravings and provides more room for healthy foods. With this, there's a higher chance of getting into healthy eating habits which would benefit your health in general."

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5. Eating less sugar can improve your gut health.

When your digestive system is working optimally, it’s better able to metabolize foods and help you maintain a healthy weight. In fact, research has shown that obesity is linked to having a less diverse gut microbiota, and certain bacteria in particular are frequently associated with weight gain.

Eating too much sugar is known to worsen gut health by reducing beneficial bacteria and causing dysbiosis, or an imbalance of gut bacteria.

It can also increasing the risk of leaky gut syndrome, suggests Daryl Gioffre, DC, a chiropractor, celebrity nutritionist for Alkamind, and author of the book Get Off Your Sugar: Burn the Fat, Crush Your Cravings, and Go From Stress Eating to Strength Eating.

"Sugar also damages the gut's lining, impacting its ability to absorb the nutrients we need properly," he tells Best Life.

6. It can make you feel more satiated between meals.

There's another key way that cutting out sugar can lead to weight loss: It can help you feel more satiated between meals, Gioffre says.

"Sugar alters the hormone function of two hunger hormones, leptin and ghrelin," the nutrition expert explains. "When insulin levels spike from eating sugar, the effects of these two hormones are negated, so you continue to feel hungry and you never feel satisfied."

7. It can give you more energy.

Another way that eating less sugar can help you shed pounds is by increasing your energy levels.

“Sugar may give you initial energy, but it’s often short-lived and when it gets used, it could leave you feeling tired,” explains Mohr. “Less added sugar in your diet may lead to steadier energy levels throughout the day, which could help you be more active."

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8. It can lower your risk of heart disease.

According to Delk, diets that are high in added sugar can cause increased levels of inflammation in the body, and this can strain the cardiovascular system.

"By reducing or eliminating added sugars in your diet, you may see a decrease in overall inflammation levels," she tells Best Life. "Lowering chronic inflammation in your body can reduce your risk of heart disease and high blood pressure."

In fact, a 2014 study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that high-sugar diets—those in which subjects consumed 17 to 21 percent of their total calories from sugar—were linked to a 38 percent increase in deaths from cardiovascular disease, compared with lower-sugar diets where less than 8 percent of the subjects' calories came from added sugar. The more sugar the subjects ate, the more their risk for heart disease increased.

9. It can also lower your risk of diabetes.

Delk adds that those who cut sugar from their diets are also at lower risk of diabetes and other metabolic diseases.

A report from the Mayo Clinic, which reviewed data from animal experiments and human studies, confirms that added sugars such as sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup have been implicated as one of the greatest driving forces behind the development of diabetes mellitus and related metabolic problems.

"Added fructose in particular (eg. as a constituent of added sucrose or as the main component of high-fructose sweeteners) may pose the greatest problem for incident diabetes, diabetes-related metabolic abnormalities," the report states.

However, whole foods that contain fructose such as fruits and vegetables "pose no problem for health and are likely protective against diabetes."

10. Eating less sugar can improve your liver health.

Your liver will also thank you for eating less sugar.

"Your liver metabolizes sugar the same way as alcohol and converts dietary carbohydrates to fat," writes Frank Hu, MD, a professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health who worked on the 2014 heart health study.

"Over time, this can lead to a greater accumulation of fat, which may turn into fatty liver disease," he warns.

It is currently estimated that 80 to 100 million Americans are living with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition that can raise your risk of both Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

However, changing your diet can greatly reduce your risk: A 2019 study on children living with fatty liver disease found that after eight weeks of consuming a low-sugar diet, subjects saw a 31 percent average reduction in liver fat compared to the control group.

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11. It can improve magnesium absorption.

Getting adequate levels of Magnesium is important to the function of several body parts, including the heart, bones, muscles, and nerves.

"It also gives you energy, helps you sleep better, and keeps digestion flowing," Gioffre says.

The gut health expert warns that sugar consumption causes massive depletions of magnesium, which he calls "one of the most important minerals for overall health."

He notes that research shows that 80 percent of Americans are lacking in this vital mineral, and excess sugar consumption is commonly to blame.

"Magnesium helps regulate glucose and insulin, so it's no wonder there's a strong correlation between sugar consumption, magnesium deficiency, and diabetes," he says.

12. It can also help improve your mood.

Eating a high-sugar diet has also been linked with mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. In fact, a 2017 study found that eating high levels of added sugars had an "adverse effect on long-term psychological health" due to unstable blood sugar regulation.

Of course, food and mood often go hand in hand, with depression triggering weight gain in many people. Though your doctor or mental health professional may additionally recommend medication, talk therapy, or other interventions, "cutting back on added sugars may help to ease stress, reduce irritability, and improve your mood," thereby helping you reduce weight, Delk says.

13. Consuming less sugar may help you sleep better.

If you stop eating sugar, you may also notice improvements in your quality of sleep.

"If you are on the blood sugar roller coaster during the day, it will continue through the night," explains Malone. "When you dip too low, your body releases cortisol (a stress hormone) to help bring your blood sugar back up. This can lead to interrupted sleep."

14. It can lead to healthier-looking skin.

Another thing you have to look forward to when quitting sugar is glowing skin and better dermatologic health.

"You'll get to see your health radiating from the inside out," Gervacio explains. "Avoiding sugar may lead to clearer skin as the body experiences lesser inflammation. In particular, sugar causes inflammation and exacerbates skin conditions such as acne. Therefore, a no-sugar diet avoids the chances of skin problems."

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You may also experience some (temporary) unpleasant side effects.

Though curbing your sugar intake is likely to benefit your health in the long-term, Delk notes that many people experience symptoms of sugar withdrawal in the short-term.

"If you stop eating added sugar all at once, you may experience headaches, the inability to concentrate, a lack of motivation, fatigue, irritability, and mood changes," she tells Best Life.

However, she notes that these unpleasant symptoms tend to pass quickly, and the benefits of reducing your sugar intake are likely to far outweigh any immediate discomfort.

Speak with your doctor or a nutritionist to learn more about how eating less sugar may improve your health—and how to change your diet sustainably for long-lasting benefits.