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Kicking a sugar habit is challenging — even for the most strong-willed among us. Research has found that sugar tricks your brain into wanting more and more of it.

But there’s good news: A little sweetness is OK. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar a day for women. Also OK: the sugar found in whole foods like fruits and veggies.

So, what are the benefits from reducing your sugar intake?

1. Younger-looking skin

The sugar in your diet affects the amount of sugar in your bloodstream, and studies suggest that high blood sugar levels can hinder the repair of your skin’s collagen — the protein that keeps it looking plump.

A diet full of treats can also reduce elasticity and cause premature wrinkles. Thankfully, research suggests that slashing your sugar intake can help lessen sagging and other visible signs of aging.

2. Lasting energy

Added sugars are simple carbohydrates. This means they’re digested fast and enter your bloodstream quickly, providing that familiar rush. But once that shot of sugar is metabolized, you’re in for a crash.

You may be riding this energy roller coaster all day, since added sugar is hiding in countless sneaky places — even salad dressing and barbecue sauce.

For a snack, try foods high in protein and healthy fat instead, such as a handful of almonds.

3. Bye-bye to abdominal fat

Everyone knows that a daily sugary soda habit can pack on the pounds. Sugary fare spikes your blood sugar, triggering a flood of insulin through your body, which over time encourages fat to accumulate around your middle.

These fat cells are the riskiest because they lead to inflammation that can contribute to conditions like heart disease and cancer. So, when you cut back on pop and desserts, you’ll start reducing belly fat and the dangerous conditions that come with it.

4. Drop extra pounds

Increased insulin levels don’t just add pounds to your stomach; they put fat cells all over your body into calorie-storage overdrive, according to endocrinologist David Ludwig, M.D., a professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and co-author of Always Delicious.

Replacing refined carbs and sugary foods in your diet with healthy fats helps keep your insulin stable, he said, so fewer calories get stored as fat.

5. Reduce your diabetes risk

Since having fewer sweets helps you keep off excess pounds, you’ll also be more protected against Type 2 diabetes.

But eating less sugar also lowers your risk of the disease in another way: “A diet with lots of fast-digesting carbohydrates, like sugar, requires the pancreas to release lots of insulin, meal after meal, day after day,” Ludwig explained.

“That excessive demand may overtax insulin-producing cells, causing them to malfunction, eventually leading to diabetes.”

6. Set your ticker up for success

Good heart health helps you power through everything from intense spin classes to late-night work deadlines.

Research suggests that added sugar can take a real toll on the cardiovascular system. A 2014 study revealed that people who consumed 17% to 21% of their daily calories from the sweet stuff had a 38% higher risk of dying from heart disease compared with those who kept their added sugar intake to 8% of their daily calories.

The bottom line: Cutting back now will pay off big-time later.

Health delivers relevant information in clear,  jargon-free language that puts health into context in people’s lives. Online at health.com.

© 2023 Dotdash Meredith. All rights reserved. Used with permission. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.