Summary: Eliminating Added Sugars

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.

Excess consumption of high-calorie, low-nutrient foods and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are risk factors for obesity.1

One of the common disease in America caused by the excessive consumption of sugar is obesity. In America, the obesity rates had increased in the last decades and affects different on each person. The effects of sugar on people depends on the race, gender, and age of Americans. According to an

Many doctors and health experts have released articles and reports stating sugar and carbohydrates are the driving mechanism behind the current Australian obesity epidemic and are also responsible for the cause of diabetes (Prisk, 2015). However, sugar cannot take the whole blame for the cause obesity as Tim Gill stated in the 2014 Courier Mail magazine ‘Body and Soul’ because there are other contributing factors to the epidemic of obesity including an imbalance between energy consumptions of high calorie foods such as sugars, fat and proteins and the lack of physical activities to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Finally, genetic and environmental factors also play a major

Down the road, added sugar has increased health complications tenfold. According to Quanhe Yang, from the Center of Disease and Control, “ 'death resulting from cardiovascular disease increases exponentially from added sugar consumption.' ”(Hellmich) Atherosclerosis, the most common cause of cardiovascular disease, is caused by correctable problems such as

With more intake, a person is susceptible to gain weight, and with less intake, susceptible to lose weight over a given period of time. This is known as the Calorie-in Calorie-out effect. The source of the calorie, however, determines whether it is healthy for the body or not. The same amount of calorie coming from oats and chips are not comparable at all. In the USA, most people rely on processed and fast food, rich in artificial preservatives, Trans fat and sodium content. Fast foods, famous for their low price, large portion and taste are responsible for overeating and weight gain too (Food and Diet). With these foods, we get much more sodium, fat and cholesterol than required by our body, resulting in chronic heart disease, high cholesterol level in blood and gradual accumulation of fat leading to obesity. In addition to that, widespread use of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as an artificial sweetener in soft drinks, beverages and desserts is proved to have been related with high-calorie intake and increment in obesity, as mentioned by an article in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Bray).

Obesity and its subsequent ailments are regarded as the leading cause(s) of death in the United States and many other parts of the world. As such, much deserved attention and controversy has been brought worldwide. Many people place blame for this relatively recent epidemic on the shoulders of high-fructose corn syrup, an artificial sweetener whose use has increased for many years alongside the rates of childhood and adult obesity. While they are not entirely incorrect in assuming a widespread increase in added sugars would result in more calories per product, more calories consumed, and therefore more calories stored in bodily tissue, high-fructose corn syrup alone is not solely to blame for this phenomenon.

In the past 50 years the rate of obesity in the United States has tripled, while obesity has increased around sevenfold. Sugar, according to Taubes, is at the center of these worldwide problems. The sugary diet of the average American is often adopted by eastern countries. Once adopted, scientists have seen a dramatic increase in obesity rates. Taubes says this can be attributed sugar’s biological and mechanical properties, though this is apparently a minority opinion. Taubes states obesity is a hormonal disorder often caused by insulin, the primary driver of “our horizontal growth.”

Obesity is a condition caused in various ways. The number one cause of obesity is above average sugar consumption. According to the health documentary, “Fed Up”, the suggested amount of sugar intake per day is 4-6 tsp.; however, the average American consumes about 41 tsp. A common misconception is that obesity is caused by calories from fats; this is because when looking for a cause of obesity, researchers misconstrued fat caused by sugar to instead be caused by calories. This caused a “less fat” phenomenon and the food industry fooled consumers by putting the term less fat on their product. When that term is put on a food product, it typically means that in order to make the food have its delectable taste, the company adds more sugar. Sugar affects the body because once it gets ingested the sugar, or glucose, travels through the bloodstream until eventually the glucose reaches the pancreas. The human pancreas senses high blood sugar levels, causing it to secrete insulin, which will send the excess sugar back into other cells so that the other cells can use the glucose as energy, but the excess sugar after that process must be stored somewhere so it gets stored inside fat cells thus resulting in weight gain. A main issue with above average sugar consumption is the addictive factor to it. According to Fed Up, sugar is 8x more addictive than cocaine. Extremely large amounts of added sugar are found in carbonated soda beverages and while drinking soda in moderation is all right, drinking these sugary beverages can put one at risk of many health issues. Another cause of obesity is unhealthy lunch options in schools. In World War II potential military recruits had to be turned down for the army because they were malnourished. In response to this issue President Truman

Heart disease is the number one leading cause of death in America according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart disease is usually caused by long-term history of an unhealthy eating lifestyle, lack of exercise and being overweight. We begin in the search on what causes us to gain a significant amount of weight at a dangerous rate over time. Nutrition plays a significant amount in our health since it’s what keeps our bodies alive, doing certain activities throughout the day. Fueling our bodies with healthy foods is what keeps are bodies happy, but to the average American, today we tend to feed our bodies excess amount of sodium, sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and trans-fat which our diabetics

According to the FDA there is a new nutrition fact label about the added sugars. It gives the consumer better information on the labels and to be better informed. The FDA can only do so much with the labeling, it is up to the individual to read the labels and make a suitable decision when choosing their foods. I know reading labels is something that we just don’t take the time out to do, but it is very important that we read the labels on all of our foods. However, the added sugars should be reduced in one diet to aid in obesity and other health

Metabolic syndrome represents a collage of health problems created from insulin resistance diseases such as diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure (Darwin, 2015). Further, metabolic syndrome constitutes numerous health risks catapulting obesity and addiction. The food industry continues to make money on this health crisis, metabolic syndrome. Consequently, individuals can halt metabolic syndrome by avoiding processed foods. However, society has a real addiction to sugar, which continues to be ready available for the masses, while exercise and real food becomes more elite.

As we hear of more studies exclaiming alarming findings of negative health concerns related to obesity and our continuously growing percentage of obesity in our country, particularly childhood obesity, sugar is in the spotlight. We often hear of dieticians and weight loss experts warning us that we

Sugar-sweetened beverages have high caloric values and low nutritional value. The positive association between SSB consumption and cases of increased weights and risks for diabetes has certainly drawn public attention. Other medical problems that are correlated include “metabolic syndrome, hypocalcemia, kidney stones, increased blood pressure, hypertension, and coronary heart disease” (DeSantis). According to a study commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO), 20% of weight gain over thirty years in the US was caused by SSB consumption in children and adults. An additional serving of one SSB per day is equated to an additional 0.06-unit increase in body-mass-index per year and one-half pound of