This weekend the news program 60 Minutes included a report on sugar, labeling it a “toxin.”
The story’s reporter and physician Sanjay Gupta says of sugar, “It is hard to get your arms around, but scientific studies are beginning to back this up.”
The medical literature is indeed, with various studies finding that sugar consumption may cause hypertension, increase triglycerides and insulin resistance through synthesis of fat in the liver, promote diabetes and perhaps even accelerate aging.
For these reasons, as I’ve reported, some health officials have urged the federal government to tax and regulate sugar as they do tobacco.
That’s a pretty strong stand, considering we’re not talking about Lucky Strikes and the Marlboro Man here, but M&Ms and Willy Wonka.
The real problem is not consumption of natural sugars, such as those found in fruit, health officials say, because along with sugar in fruit you’re getting fiber and micronutrients — this is the ways humans were designed to digest sugar. It’s artificial candy.
But is sugar really a toxin? I asked Dr. Roberta Anding, a nutritionist at Baylor College of Medicine. Pretty much, she said:
Sugar intake in the United States is on a steady climb over the past 20 years. So is sugar toxic or does the dose determine the poison?
The American Heart Association recommends 5-8 teaspoons for teens and less for children. This is added sugar and not the natural sugars found in milk for example. Excessive sugar intake can elevate triglycerides and lower HDL and therefore contribute to dyslipidemia.
It is not uncommon for me to see children in my practice who drink three to five soft drinks per day with each being ~ 10 teaspoons of sugar. America certainly has a sweet tooth and the children pay the price.
The bottom line for parents — and for adults like me who crave a candy bar during the afternoon hours — is we need to recognize that popping candy in our mouths can be as unhealthy as a fatty cheeseburger and fries.
As is almost always the case, moderation is the answer here. A candy bar every now and then is OK. But one or two a day is not. But my oh my, those cravings are so difficult to curb.