When you eat sugar, the journey starts in your mouth where enzymes in saliva begin breaking it down.

Once swallowed, it travels to your stomach where digestive acids and enzymes further break it down into glucose. This glucose then enters the small intestine, where it’s absorbed into the bloodstream. The spike in blood sugar levels triggers the pancreas to release insulin. Insulin helps cells throughout your body absorb glucose for energy. If cells have enough energy, the excess glucose is stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen. When glycogen stores are full, any additional glucose gets converted to fat and stored, often as belly fat.

During this process, your brain releases dopamine, the ‘feel-good’ hormone, making you crave more sugar. Over time, consistently high sugar intake can lead to insulin resistance, meaning cells become less responsive to insulin. his results in higher blood sugar levels and more fat storage, increasing the risk of various health issues.