The Danger Of Too Much Added Sugar!

Who do not like desserts? Not too many can give a straight answer by saying “No, I don’t like dessert!” But before indulging in these yummy foods, one should be aware that they have a harmful ingredient called added sugar.

Added sugars are sugars and syrups that are added to foods or beverages when they are processed or prepared, excluding naturally occurring sugars such as those in milk, vegetables, fruits, and some grains.

While human body uses sugar as fuel, sugar is of no other nutritional value. Nevertheless, it does help food processing in many ways. It can serve as a preservative for jellies and jams, provide bulk to ice cream, assist in fermentation of breads and alcohol, maintain freshness of baked goods, and it really makes food and drinks taste more appealing.

Recently, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified a link between a diet full of added sugar from processed and prepared foods and a higher risk of dying of cardiovascular disease (heart disease and stroke). They cautioned that people might be unwillingly increasing their risk of dying from heart disease by drinking just one 12-ounce can of sugary soda (about 8 teaspoons of added sugar) every day.

The paper were published online February 3, 2014 in ‘JAMA Internal Medicine’, after examining data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and looking at trends on added sugar consumption from 1988 to 2010, combined with 14 years’ worth of analysis of cardiovascular disease mortality.

They also alarmed that there is a higher risk for cardiovascular disease if added sugar made up more than 15 percent of a person’s daily calories. This is equivalent to about 300 calories for the average person’s 2000-calories-a-day diet, which is about 75 grams or 18 teaspoons, a day.

As a matter of fact, 77 percent of all packaged foods have sugar added to them. For instance, sugar is added to breads, bagels, ketchup and even salad dressing. It is very easy for people to consume more sugar than they require without even realizing it. Recent figures showed that most Americans consume 22 teaspoons of sugar each day.

In order to limit the sugar intake, people should choose a food that is naturally sweet first, and then choose the added sugar wisely. According to nutritionists, people should only get something that they really enjoy. People would not crave sugar as much when they get their body used to eating less sugar. This just needs time and patience.