I once had severe pitting edema—pressing my ankle left a deep dent. I was young, healthy, and on no meds, so the swelling and my puffy face were alarming. The cause? A blood sugar imbalance affecting my body’s sodium-potassium pumps. These pumps regulate fluid in and out of cells.

A high-sugar diet can impair them, causing fluid to leak into tissues and leading to swelling. You don’t need to be diabetic—refined carbs alone can trigger this through a process called glycation, which damages circulation and nerves.