The problem that will be the focus of this single system design (SSD) is how sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) intake, contributes to various health issues of persons (adults and youths) who are obese and moderately overweight. SSBs are a great source of added sugar in the diets of many American adults and youth. Even though the consumption among U.S. citizens is prevalent it differs between various geographical regions, and that consumption has increased five-fold in this and many other western countries since the 1950s. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture (2015) dietary guidelines for Americans daily intake of added sugar was not to exceed 10% of total daily calorie, but mine at one time reached 3x’s the norm. According to the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (2016), even when a person consumes at least one SSB daily, it can be associated with adverse health issues over time. Among these health issues are obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Reiterating the statement about consumption vary among geographical areas, according to the 2009–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 50.6% of U.S. adults and youths consumed at least one SSB on a given day. The prevalence of daily SSB intake was higher among U.S. citizens living in the Northeast (68.4%) and South (66.7%) than among persons living in the Midwest (58.8%). Believe it or no, of these percentages younger and middle aged adults consumed
I grew up playing the game “Candyland”, and I dreamed of finding the golden ticket and living in Willie Wonka’s factory. I was also given a Gatorade after every sporting event I ever played in so what could be so bad about sugar? Sugar, real and artificial, can be found in almost every product we consume and although sugar is a simple carbohydrate that the body uses for energy, its impact on our body is far from simple. The consumption of sugar has been linked to a host of chronic health problems, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The addictive nature of sugar is also a significant problem that leads to the other detrimental effects listed above. Sugar has also been useful to help preserve goods, fuel fermentation, balance acidity, and add flavor to other foods. Whether it’s cereal, spaghetti sauce, or yogurt, sugar is everywhere and has become unavoidable in our daily diets. As Americans, we have become accustomed to the sweet addictive taste of sugar, and our dependence on excessive amounts of sugar in its different forms has become alarming to many health experts. In analyzing preference and dependency with sugar, I will trace the addictive nature and major risks sugar has placed on society.
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.
In our daily life, we all have tasted sugar probably more than you think. Sugar is something we enjoy without having much concern, in fact this can be problematic. With the amount of sugar we take in, it can affect our health in the future. Therefore, the US government should create strict sugar regulations, in order to prevent future health problems of its citizens. The regulation can hopefully help prevent the increasing rate of diabetes, more risk of liver issues, and reduce people’s sugar addiction. Most people are unaware of these problems and it’s up to the US to make a change in people's health with a strict sugar regulation.
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is an inexpensive syrup created by changing about half of the particles comprising corn starch into fructose. Due to the cheapness of HFCS it has replaced natural sugars in most of the food consumed in America. Resulting in HFCS being found in just about all processed foods made today. Consuming any kind of sweetener has shown to greatly increase the chances of obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol and metabolic syndrome (Zeratsky, 2015). Since the invention of HFCS American obesity rates went from fifteen percent of the population to around one third of the population suggesting a strong
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.
According to the WHO (World Health Organization) the health of the people in the United States has not always been the greatest. With an obesity rate of 33.9 percent, which translates into over 106 million obese Americans, this has caused many problems to arise and impact the daily lives of Americans. Many have tried to help in regards to this issue by improving school foods or attempting to encourage more physical activity. Unfortunately, these may have helped but only in a small scale. However, a fellow at the Union of Concerned Scientists, Mark Bittman believes that he may have a definitive solution. On May 25, 2016, in “Taxing Sugar to Fund a City” New York Times food journalist, Mark Bittman, by using the taxing of sugary beverages in Philadelphia - America’s poorest big city - earnestly
1999). Sugar plays a huge role in the growing obesity levels. The largest source of added sugar in the US diet is sugary drinks. A recent study found that body weight significantly lowered when sugar intake was decreased. While an increased sugar intake led to a similar weight gain. This study also found that children whom consumed sugary drinks had a 55% higher risk of obesity (Hu, 2013). The progression of obesity, added sugar being a main cause, and the billions of US dollars being spent on obesity related healthcare; I believe this act will be supported by the public.
Recently, people have become worried about the health issues associated with consuming sugary drinks, especially soda. The rate of people being diagnosed with type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease has been going up primarily because of beverages with added sugar (Cited in Crawford, 2016). Several studies have found that soda is linked to over 180,000 deaths per year (Cited in Crawford, 2016). An article by the Huffington Post (2011) said that an average American drinks about 44.7 gallons of carbonated beverages a year, which adds up to over 350 pounds of soda. Comparatively, in 2005 an average American drank only 0.5 gallons, making soft drinks the most consumed beverage in America (n/a, 2011). The way the government is trying to fix
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.
There are plenty of reasons and research studies that show how destructive sugar can be for your health if not managed properly, “and unfortunately our standard American Diet is anything but balanced.”(Konie 1) Americans don’t manage their sugar levels, let alone manage their sugar intake. The exponential growth of obesity in underway and the main cause. Sugar. Many people don’t understand this but sugar is perfectly fine as long as you can control it, many also don’t realize just, “how dangerous the extremes can be.”(Konie 1)
Obesity has many causes and contributions, not just what people drink, and if sugared beverages are being targeted, why not take stronger measurements against other sources of sugar, such as candy and sweets (Park)? Now the Health Department is mainly using New York as an example, but this applies to the whole U.S. children and adults. Pointing out that the average New Yorker goes to the movies just four times a year and buys concessions only twice (Sun Dee Larson), spokeswoman for the AMC Theaters chain told the AP, “We firmly believe the choices made during the other 363 days have a much greater impact on public health (Park). Health board members remain convinced that banning mega sized drinks would be an important step toward helping consumers only to drink fewer calories, but also hopefully to make healthier changes to their diet more broadly
Here are just a few items that might seem harmless, but contain quite a bit of added sugars, these items include the following: breakfast cereals, granola bars, barbecue sauce, pasta sauces, flavored yogurts, protein shakes, peanut butter, and juice. Also the extremely popular energy drinks are another culprit of over sugared substances. This one beverage alone contains a staggering amount of 83 grams, which is ¼ of a cup of sugar. Ordinarily,this would be the same amount of sugar that people should consume over the time period of a week, and they 're having it in one drink! Furthermore,people are wondering why they act so funny after consuming something like this, it 's not the caffeine, it’s the sugar. 70% of the pre-made and packaged foods sold in grocery stores come laced with sugars, even the foods labels that read sugar free! The world wants to move in the direction of healthier lifestyles and fitness with the inspirational messages coming from health care, promoting “health is wealth”, yet we 're working with contaminated sources of fuel. With all the “extras” they pump into our pantry staples, meats, dairies and produce we’re left with minimal options of pure unadulterated food and drink. For decades America’s predominant strategy implemented educate about health with, nutrition labels, public service announcements and essentially school based health education(the food pyramids.) Surprisingly, enough years
It is no secret that one of America’s biggest health concerns is obesity. Sugar has been linked as one of the greatest causes of obesity. The amount of daily sugar intake has increased over the past years and with it so has it’s health risks. The food industry is now adding additional sugar to their products. Many of the big named companies are great contributors to the obesity rate in the United States. Those with the greatest impact are soda companies. These sugary drinks are a major contributor to this epidemic. Sadly, many people are unaware of the consequences that excessive sugar can cause. Therefore, soda companies should add to the beverages that contain
The purpose of this study was to investigate ethical issues associated with the prevention of obesity in America through eliminating Sugar-Sweetneed Beverages (SSB) in America. There were a total of 3 prevention stragies that were taken into consideration with this study: (1) "restricting the sale of SSBs in K-12 public schools", (2) implementing a significant tax" of $0.01 per an ounce or a 20% sale tax increase, (3) "prohibiting the use of Supplemental Nutrition Associated Program (SNAP; formerly food stamp programs) benefits for the purchase of SSBs." (Nancy Kass, Kenneth Hecht, Amy Paul, and Kenny Bimbach, 2014).