Short and sweet may have a new meaning if you have a tendency to indulge your sweet tooth a little too often. University of Utah researchers found that female mice fed a diet containing 25 percent extra sugar — the equivalent to what a quarter of Americans eat plus three cans of soda daily — died at twice the normal rate, while male mice on the same diet were found to be a quarter less likely to reproduce.
Too much sugar can also cause premature wrinkles and sagging skin. "A healthy diet leads to healthy skin," said Jeffrey Benabio, MD, a dermatologist at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego. "Conversely, a diet high in simple sugars — cookies, chips, soda, candy — causes glucose spikes that in turn cause inflammation. Chronic inflammation leads to premature aging."
