Sweets and candies have long been a part of the American landscape. They have tempted customers from the penny candy shops of the early 20th century to the impulse buy section of today's grocery and convenience stores. A mainstay of the candy market is the candy bar. While it may not be harmful with the occasional indulgence, eating too many of these sweets can contribute to potentially serious health problems.
Calorie Levels
One of the primary problems with candy bars is the high level of calories per serving. Candy bars typically contain large amounts of sugar, providing a lot of calories without a lot of nutritional value. While one candy bar is not going to wreck your diet, eating multiple candy bars or a daily candy bar quickly adds up. Even if your candy bar contains only 200 calories, a candy bar a day increases your yearly calorie intake by 73,000 calories or a potential 20 pounds of gained body weight over the course of the year.
Disease Risks
As your body weight increases through overindulging in candy bars, you also increase your risk for obesity. Obesity is related to a wide range of diseases including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and even some forms of cancer. By removing candy bars from your diet, you have a better chance of losing excess weight if you are overweight and maintaining your weight once you reach a healthy weight. Accompanying a reduction in sugar with regular exercise and a healthier diet based on fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains, is important to gain even more positive results.
Blood Glucose
Candy bars, packed full of sugars that qualify as simple carbohydrates, typically are high on the glycemic index. The glycemic index is a tool that measures how much a specific food affects your blood glucose level. Sugar from the candy bar can increase your blood glucose level quickly. A period of high glucose often is followed by a glucose crash, or a "sugar crash," which can affect your energy levels and result in food cravings. Also, too high of glucose levels can damage your cardiovascular system. This makes candy bars especially dangerous for those with an insulin intolerance, such as diabetics, as insulin is needed to keep your blood glucose at a healthy level.
Dental Risks
The sugar in candy bars also poses a problem for your dental health. Too much sugar from candy bars and other sweets can contribute to the development of cavities. Sugar is a form of energy for the bacteria that cause plaque to develop on the surface of your teeth. This harmful plaque eats away at your teeth by producing acid that slowly wears down the hard enamel, causing cavities to form.
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