Sugar – the silent killer?
Sugar has increasingly come under the spotlight over the last number of years. Numerous recent studies have shown a direct link between the typical Western diet that is loaded with carbohydrates and added sugars, and a whole plethora of life-threatening ailments. It has been linked to accelerated aging, cancer, obesity, cardiovascular disease and interfering with proper immune functioning, to name but a few. The body of research with negative findings around sugar has increased to such an extent, that some health experts are going as far as to recommend not only a reduction in our sugar intake, but an almost total elimination of added sugar from our diets. This is anathema to a culture that embraces the convenience of processed, pre-packaged and fast foods with open arms.
The negative publicity generated by these studies has led to the WHO (World Health Organization) recently drafting a proposal wherein it promotes halving the recommended daily intake of sugar from 10% of “free” sugars, which includes naturally occurring sugars, as well as sugar added by manufacturers, to 5%. This leaves the consumer with a dilemma, as sugar is so prevalent in almost every product that is purchased for daily consumption, that exceeding this level is almost guaranteed. Even if you do not add sugar to any of your meals or beverages, avoid candy and sweetened drinks and abstain from fast foods, the sugar added into food by manufacturers in various guises, will still lead to you exceeding these recommendations.
Why do manufacturers add sugars to almost every imaginable product? Quite simply, sugar is a cheap and effective way to ensure that consumers buy more of their product, more often. Studies have proven that a high-sugar diet creates symptoms of craving, bingeing and withdrawal when doses are reduced. It stimulates the addiction and reward pathways of the brain in very much the same way that many illegal narcotics do. Despite the questionable ethics of this practice, it is extremely effective, and nearly all producers use the sugar hook wherever possible. This is even so in products that are not patently sweet to the taste. For instance, cereal bars and other health snacks often contain large quantities of sugar, along with the bulk of instant hot cereals, barbeque sauces, yoghurt, bottled fruit juice and even bottled tea. One could be forgiven for thinking that sugar is a legal, socially acceptable,recreational drug, with unfortunately, potentially lethal consequences.
Does sugar thus still deserve a place in any balanced diet? Glucose assists athletesin recovering from a heavy training session, naturally occurring fructose in fruit (not fruit juice) maintains energy levels between meals. The problem lies with refined sugar. In this form it has no nutrients, no protein, no healthy fats and no enzymes. It is an empty calorie that is quickly digested and that drains essential minerals from your body in the process. It creates a high due to the hormones released after consumption, and creates a craving for more when the inevitable crash comes a few hours later. This was a helpful mechanism during mankind’s early evolution, when large quantities of energy needed to be stored during summer in order to survive winter, but not so much in a society where sugar-laden foodstuffs are plentifully available all year round.
↑ Top
