If you already have hormonal imbalances (PCOS etc) or going through menopause, sugar is not your friend. People still hate me in 2021 when I tell them that processed sugar has to go, even though there are decades of research on the multiple effects of sugar in the body, including disrupting your hormones.
Now in this research paper linked above, it clearly proves my personal experience with sugar and excess levels of both testosterone and estrogen. Once I cleaned up my diet, I was fully cured of my PCOS and every year after that, my endocrine blood work came out normal.
The sex hormone binding globulin regulates the levels of those hormones. And the more sugar you eat, the greater the reduction of this protein's levels in your blood.
The imbalances caused from the shut down of this gene can wreck havoc on one's health, especially for women, and it can range from infertility (another thing I had during my PCOS days) to heart disease.
The paper also clearly emphasizes that this is not about the insulin levels or resistance, but rather how sugar is metabolized by the liver. So your sugar intake puts you at risk for disease whether you're insulin resistant or not.
So next time you're craving for ice cream or donuts, ask yourself whether it is worth the risks involved.