Stop the Sweetness!

      Stop the Sweetness!

          Modern humans, especially those in the United States, have developed an astonishing taste for sugar. On average, we consume 500 calories from sugar daily, despite suggestions that sugar will damage our health. 

       With the playful, colorful packaging of candies and cans of soda, who can blame the average consumer for believing that sugars, in moderation, are perfectly fine?  The problem is that most people have no idea what a moderate amount of sugar is. 

According to the World Health Organization, it is vastly less than many people might assume. 

       When you look at the information label on the back of a 20 oz bottle of Coke, you’ll see the gram amount of sugar, but no indication of its percent daily value. This number is available for fat, sodium, and carbs, but not sugar. 

      In March of this year, the World Health Organization released its updated recommendation for our daily intake of added sugars. They suggest that we consume 6 teaspoons, or 24 grams, of sugar per day for ideal health. The maximum suggested amount is 12 teaspoons, or 48 grams. 

         Remember that 20 oz bottle of Coke you had for lunch? It contained 65 grams of sugar. Over 200% of the World Health Organization's suggested amount for the day. This raises an important question: If you saw that percentage on your beverage, would you drink it? 

         In August of this year, the FDA passed regulations that will require all food and beverage producers to include the sugar percentage on nutrition labels. 

        Many studies have shown that the excessive consumption of sugar is linked to a multitude of health problems. Sugar is said to silence the “fullness” hormone, leading to weight gain and obesity. It has been tied to memory loss, heart disease, and dental decay. Sugar in excess is understood to affect the liver in the same ways as alcohol abuse. Some studies have even suggested that sugar may play a role in breast and colon cancers. 

         Arguments about sugar and the sugar industry abound. Health officials are always at odds with industries that rely on heavy sugar consumption. Contested issues include the severity of health affects, risk of addiction, and controversial marketing strategies that target children. 

          There are even a number of accusations that sugar-dependent industries behave like the tobacco industry. It has been suggested that certain soft drink producers fund their own scientific research, and donate massive sums of money to community health programs in exchange for the adjustment of their mantras. "Health isn't about what you eat or drink. It's about how active you are." I heard this one in a recent Coca-Cola commercial.  
          
         Unlike the sugars present in fruits, which enter your system accompanied by fiber and vitamins, you need to watch out for those that are added at the time of processing. These include fructose, glucose, sucrose, cane sugars, syrups, and dextrose. These sugars have no nutritional value, but are added to make food more appealing. 


Huffington Post, 2013:
Ten Things You Don't Know About Sugar

American Journal of Physiology, 2009: 
Fructose Inhibits the "Fullness Hormone."

Nature Journal, 2012: 
Fructose Can Cause the Same Health Effects as Alcohol

Georgia State University: 
Sugar Impairs Memory in Rats

Newsweek, 2014: 
Sugar Lobbies Threaten Organizations, Bury Science

Center for Science and Democracy, 2014:
Industry Obscures Science, Undermines Public Health Policy on Sugar