Essay Don't Listen to Mary Poppins: Avoid That Sugar

The past fifty years has seen a spike in the consumption of sugar, that number totaling a tripling increase. However, sugar is not the only risk factor here, alcohol and tobacco can also be attributed with the spike, albeit not as prevalent as sugar. The biggest question that Lustig et al. poses to its’ readers is this: “What aspects of the Western diet should be the focus of intervention”? (par. 3) The current USDA has been deemed “boogeymen” of diets, as well as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Lustig et al. all believe that our attention should be turned towards “added sugar”, which is a sweetener that has fructose in it. Perhaps the biggest controversy from the past fifty years has been none other than a severe culprit that experts know as high fructose corn syrup or HFCS.

Sugary beverages suggest a poor dietary quality; they are loaded with added sugars and attribute to the body’s energy density. “A 20-year study on 120,000 men and women found that people who increased their sugary drink consumption by one 12-ounce serving per day gained more weight over time—about 4 pounds per year” (19). Through increasing the daily intake in trivial increments, the body substantially results in an increased BMI (body mass index) and an increased body fat percentage score. Another study conducted at Harvard found that a 60 percent increase occurs in children for each 12-ounce they additionally drink daily. (________) The growing correlation between obesity and sugar has led to further studies, and statistical data. Researchers have revealed that in total, “half the people in the U.S. consume sugary drinks; 1 in 4 get at least 200 calories from such drinks; and 5% get at least 567 calories.” It was additionally found that one-fourth of Americans are consuming more than 135 grams of sugar per day from soda and other sweetened beverages, which compares to people of the past who only had 10 grams of fructose a day (_____). Such a high daily intake of sugar and calories illustrates the risk that arises when people consume too much sugar; that is, sugary drinks result in weight issues and medical consequences.

Sugar is everywhere in our lives. When you eat, sugar is in the food such as hamburger, sandwiches, pizza, bread, etc. When you drink, sugar is in the beverage like soda, juice, coffee and even milk. Furthermore, sugar exists in snacks such as cookies, cupcakes, biscuits and so on. I cannot list everything with sugar here. Actually, when we eat, we eat sugar. Unfortunately, sugar is now considering a toxic to our bodies. It causes diseases like obesity, diabetes, heart attack and cancer, etc. As sugar threatens the public health, government is considering curb sugar consumption by taxes on sugar; restrictions placed on food production and even age requirements on purchasing sugary foods. For this research project, I decided to pursue the question, Should sugar be regulated? This question deserves to be examined because we need to make some change for life to reduce sugar intake but at the same time it’s controversial that whether the government should intervene and regulate sugar. I wonder how the government will take appropriate measures to regulate sugar as well as improve public health.

The American diet is based mostly in processed food which contains enormous amount of sugar. The excessive consumption of sugar can cause diseases such as obesity, heart diseases, alzheimer, liver diseases, diabetes and others. One of the problems with the consumption of sugar is that people get sick progressively without the knowledge that it is caused by sugar. In addition, sugar is an addictive food and life without it is almost impossible. As a result, processed foods are cheaper than healthy food. It is hard to avoid processed food when Americans do not have time to cook because of their life style. Americans need to know the way to change their diet and improve their lifestyles. Americans sometimes forget about the amount of sugar that a soda or flavored drink contains. These drinks are tasty, but it will not satisfy thirst. Sugar is equally dangerous and has the same health effects than smoke cigarettes. Consume sugar in excessive amounts per day have a significant effect in Americans ' daily life. Americans should be aware of the diseases caused by their eating habits, therefore; they should be more conscious of what they eat and change their diet.

Soda consumption can lead to numerous, serious health issues. It can decrease calcium absorption in the intestines. Calcium is necessary not only for keeping our bones strong, but also to help our nerves send messages to our brain and muscles contract. Less calcium can lead low bone density and fractured bones. Soda consumption can lead to health issues such as obesity and diabetes. The more soda consumed the higher insulin level. High insulin levels can result in visceral fat gain, leading to America’s major problem; obesity. 24.1% of Californians are obese and 18.4% are obese in Cupertino. Although our body needs cholesterol to function like anything, too much can be harmful. High cholesterol can clog the coronary arteries, which surround and supply the heart. The outcome of high cholesterol is heart disease. Another health issue which can occur if consumption of soda is very high is diabetes. Diabetes occurs when the body can’t produce enough insulin or can’t use the insulin the body produces properly. The higher the consumption of SSB(Sugar sweetened beverages) the higher chance of getting diabetes. Barry Popkin, a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina, says that "the people getting diabetes are people who consume very high levels of SSBs and have only slightly reduced in these very high levels of their soda consumption."

Beside that, sugar-sweetened beverages are contains less natural sweet foods such as fruits. Furthermore most of the fruit that we eat have the higher sugar contain that are not healthy and can bring harm to our body because most of the food are adding which chemical preservative which also can bring negative effect to our body.

Sugar can turn your liver into scar tissue if you have too much. Sugar can also lead to obesity. You can put yourself at risk of a heart disease, diabetes and mood swings and so much more. Dr. Robert Lusting (2014) claims sugar is ''poison'' for the human body. California students eat 160 fewer calories a day than other students in other states because we have labels on fast food menus (Brownnell, 2011). "The California Senate recently passed a bill designed to do just that, and it may soon become a law (Lloyd, 2014, p. 18). Americans deserve the right to know what can make them

When most people think about sugar, their first thoughts are not: heart disease, addiction, or slow and painful death; yet, unfortunately, these conditions are very real consequences of the unregulated and excessive consumption of sugar. In Nature’s article, “The Toxic Truth About Sugar” (2012), Robert Lustig, pediatric endocrinologist; Laura Schmidt, Professor of Health Policy at UCSF; and Claire Brindis, Professor of Pediatrics and Health Policy at UCSF, evaluate the world’s ever-increasing and toxic struggle with the substance sugar – also discussing counter measures to promote healthier diets amongst American’s and other societies. Lustig and his colleagues develop their argument using statistical evidence as they address the global impact of sugar, refuting minor oppositions, before dissecting each harmful aspect of the substance – even comparing it to substances more known for their toxicity. Eventually, presenting readers with possible routes of regulation, the authors firmly suggest government intervention in the production and sale of sugary foods. Although the argument is well executed, I remain unconvinced that government intervention is actually necessary.

Generally, tooth become weakened when you lack the minerals that are needed. The higher the acidic level is within your consumption can be very brutal, it can make your tooth 's enamel softer and weaken your tooth strength. You end up lacking calcium, which is supposed to make your bones stay strong. Soft drinks have highest sugar and acid, yet lower pH level compared to water. “It takes 32 glasses of water to neutralize a glass of cola” (Radomski, 40). Citric acid in cola makes a weakness of dental, changing the neutralization of saliva and destroys enamel surface as Ph.D. Manny explained the article Soft drinks and dental erosion, “Citric acid is the predominant acid in non- cola drinks and is especially erosive to teeth because it collates calcium effectively” (Radomski, 41). If a kid drink a can of soda every day, his enamel will be declining, stained teeth and cavities and plaque will start to build their teeth.

After reading the article “The Toxic Truth about Sugar” my thinking and reactions are identical to the description of the results in the article. Keeping the overall view of sugar and its danger to human health and mankind, I consider the authors are completely realistic and fair about ways of controlling and limiting the amount of sugar which processed-food industry adds to its products.

There are many disadvantages of eating or drinking things with sugar in it. Consuming too much can sometimes lead to Type 2 Diabetes or sometimes help cancer form in organs. It also makes teeth weak. Now a days there are drinks such as Gatorade, Propel, Soda that contain added sugar in them. Also there is too much food that have added sugar in today 's world. Many people don 't see the down side of sugar. This paper will inform more people about how harmful sugar can be.

The body requires sugar (Espat, 2015). However, there is recent speculation that sugar can cause cancer. “More than one million people in the United States (US) get cancer each year” (American Cancer Society, 2016). Most Americans eat more than double the recommended daily intake of sugar each day (Espat, 2015). According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020, individuals should not consume more than 10% of their calories from sugar (US Department of Agriculture, 2016). While increased sugar intake can lead to other issues, such as obesity, which is associated with cancer, “diabetes and cancer occur together more often than would be expected by chance alone” (Oncology Nutrition, 2016).

As dental professsionals,we need to educate our patients about the consequences of soft drink consumption and provide suggestions to minimize the risk.We also need to be active in educating school administrators on the negative impact soft drinks have on students’teeth.The place where children spend agre at portion of their day and where they are influenced greatly by their surroundingsis their school. Schools are therefore the most suitable environment to provide health information tochildren in order to achieve the goal ofhealth promotion programs. It isquite a contradiction to teach principlesof good nutrition in health education,then adjourn the class to thereality that the children have highaccessibility to soft drinks right outsidethe

Mary Poppins is about a nanny who comes to the Banks family to take care of two young children, Jane and Michael. Mr. Banks does not like her in the beginning, however as she teaches the children manners and to have respect for others in fun ways, he starts enjoying having her around. The children and the family are soon happy with everything Mary Poppins has done for them.

Thesis: Studies have shown a link between the regular intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages and major health issues including obesity in adolescents.