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Here's why you should reduce your daily sugar intake. Despite previous studies that failed to find a link between the daily sugar intake and heart disease, there is now evidence that excess sugar causes not only tooth decay, but that obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, liver disease and even some cancers, are all linked to excessive sugar intake, primarily in the form of soft drinks, sports drinks, fruit drinks and juices. This form of sugar is fructose. A team of researchers at the University of California, San Francisco found that fructose tricks the brain into thinking it's still hungry. When consumed in large quantities, fructose is actually a liver poison (hepatotoxin), similar to alcohol. Robert Lustig, MD, a UCSF pediatric neuroendocrinologist presented his case against fructose at a University of California, San Francisco Mini Medical School course on diet and nutrition. Lustig believes that fructose generates greater insulin resistance than other foods, and that fructose calories fail to blunt the appetite in the same way as other foods. Sugar and obesity
Refined sugar was not a significant component of the human diet until the arrival of modern food-processing methods in the 20th century. Since then, the daily sugar intake has risen steadily and dramatically. Over the past century, people in the US have increased their fructose consumption from 15 grams per day to 75 grams per day or more (a 500% increase), Lustig says. The trend accelerated about thirty years ago, when cheap, high-fructose corn syrup became widely available. According to the American Heart Association, shorter-term studies show consistent adverse effects of sugar consumption on HDL and triglyceride levels, which could accelerate atherosclerosis. Sugar has no nutritional value other than to provide calories. Unlike conventional calorie counters, Lustig does not believe all food calories have the same impact on fat storage and energy expenditure, regardless of whether they come from fat, protein or carbohydrate. Fructose, a type of carbohydrate, is not metabolized like other foodstuffs, and not even like glucose, the other major carbohydrate, Lustig says. Beware - read food labelsAccording to the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada, sugar is the number one food additive. It's found in a wide variety of packaged foods, from yogurts and cereals to salad dressings, pop, and ketchup - not just deserts. If sugar shows up as the first or second item on an ingredient list, you can be confident the product is likely very high in sugar. Sugar may be listed in the ingredients as: glucose, dextrose, fructose, maltose or sucrose. It's all sugar. Whatever you call it, too much sugar can be unhealthy. How to limit your daily sugar intake? Avoid processed foods, soft drinks (soda pop), sports drinks, fruit beverages, deserts, and candy. Limit your consumption of fruit juices - eat a piece of fruit instead. The fiber will help your body feel full and it will reduce the amount of carbohydrates you absorb. Return from Daily Sugar Intake to Smart Heart Eating
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Because obesity has emerged as a major epidemic in the world today and as a definite cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, it is important to consider the potential impact of your daily sugar intake on your body weight.
