As a nation, we’ve got a problem with sugar. Our damaging relationship with the sweet stuff is the impetus behind the creation of SugarScience,
a new Web site from researchers at University of California San
Francisco. Thanks to their extensive analysis of more than 8,000 papers
about the health-wrecking properties of too much sugar, they’ve gathered
compelling evidence about just how harmful sugar can actually be. Read
on for the jaw-dropping facts.
Liquid Sugar Is Wreaking Havoc on Americans' Diets
Desserts aren't the only
culprit! Sugar in a liquid form via beverages like sodas, energy drinks,
and sports drinks is the largest single source of added sugar in
Americans’ diets, according to the USDA.
It comprises 36 percent of the added sugar Americans take in. Think
about how much easier it is to overdo it with an energy drink than it is
to do the same with a bowl of ice cream, and you’ll start to realize
how this works. Science even says so: It's hard to feel as full from a
high-calorie drink as it is from chowing down on the same amount of
calories, according to research in Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics.
Soda Is Straight-Up Terrible
Time to kick that cola habit
to the curb: Chugging one can of soda per day can increase your risk of
dying from heart disease by almost one-third, according to a study in JAMA Internal Medicine. Even worse, a study in Current Diabetes Reports
showed that, compared to drinking sugary beverages like soda less than
once a month, indulging one to two times per day results in a 26 percent
higher chance of struggling with type 2 Diabetes.
Your Liver Might Suffer
Fructose, an increasingly popular type of sugar, can harm the liver much like alcohol, according to research in Journal of Hepatology and Nature.
Fructose is what makes fruit taste so delicious, and as you know, sugar
in fruit is a-okay since it’s naturally occurring. The problem is when
fructose is manipulated: manufacturers take it from corn, beets, and
sugarcane. Much like grain when it undergoes the refining process,
fructose loses fiber and nutrients that help your body handle it
properly—so it taxes the liver. Specifically, scientists are starting to
link fructose consumption to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (too
much fat build-up) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (liver scarring,
inflammation, and fat build-up).
There Are At Least 61 Different Names for Sugar
From sucrose, which is table sugar, to high-fructose corn syrup, which is liquid sugar, food producers have
come up with a plethora of ways to list this nutrient on labels. This
makes it even easier to skim over a long ingredient name in a shopping
hurry and inadvertently take in more sugar than you meant to. Check out
an extensive list of 56 names for sugar.
Sugar Belly' May Lead to Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is an
umbrella term for chronic issues like heart disease, diabetes, and liver
disease. High blood sugar is one of the five risk factors, according
to research in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
That's because it can affect organs like the pancreas and liver,
leading to screwed-up blood-sugar regulation. One of the biggest signs
of metabolic syndrome, according to SugarScience, is the apple body
shape known as "sugar belly." If you or a family member have a waist
measurement that's larger than that of your hips, that can be a sign you
should monitor your health more closely so as to ward off problems in
the future.
Women Consume Triple the Recommended Limit Per Day
The American Heart Association suggests
no more than six teaspoons (25 grams) of added sugar per day for women.
That backs up the World Health Organization's recommendation that
adults get less than 10 percent of their daily calories from added sugar
or natural sugar present in honey, syrup, or fruit juice. Ideally, they
say less than five percent of your diet should come from the sweet
stuff—and that comes out to 25 grams for a 2,000 calorie diet. At the
same time, the average American takes in a whopping 19.5 teaspoons (82
grams) every single day, according to research from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention.
It Can Cause Major Cravings
Eating sugar might lead to
just wanting more of it down the line. Sugar can affect the brain much
like cocaine and alcohol, according to a brain-scan study from
the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse. Those changes, in turn, can
lead to more cravings for sugar. There's the good kind of cycle that
follows the word "Soul," then there's the bad kind that turns into an
endless loop of sugar cravings. Thankfully, there are ways to wean your
brain off and train it to go gaga for the healthy stuff.
Added Sugar Is Hiding in Plain Sight
You'd think you can reduce
your sugar intake by just saying no to cookies and ice cream, right?
Wrong. Added sugar is present in 74 percent of packaged foods in
supermarkets, says a report in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
It's an ingredient in things that don’t seem sweet, like bread and
pasta sauce. Since you don't expect them to have sugar, you might miss
out on the sky-high levels on the labels.
Too Much Sugar Is Potentially Linked to Tons of Diseases
New studies are showing
possible links between too much added sugar and various diseases beyond
the ones covered in metabolic syndrome. Although none of them are
confirmed, the research is mounting.
Overconsumption of sugars and refined carbs might raise the risk of
certain cancers and bring about higher rates of recurrence and lower
rates of survival after therapy, according to research in the New England Journal of Medicine, Clinical Advances in Hematology & Oncology, and The Journal of Physiology. It’'s also potentially connected to Alzheimer's disease, per a study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
If that isn't enough to convince you, there might be an association
between how much sugar you eat and how quickly your skin ages (think:
wrinkles!), says research in The Journal of Physiology, Clinics in Dermatology, and Physiological Research / Academia Scientiarum Bohemoslovaca.
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