{"id":20158,"date":"2023-01-23T14:28:22","date_gmt":"2023-01-23T19:28:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/?p=20158"},"modified":"2023-03-17T14:17:49","modified_gmt":"2023-03-17T19:17:49","slug":"can-americans-escape-sugar-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/healthcare-trends\/can-americans-escape-sugar-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Americans Escape Sugar Culture?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s no secret that Americans have a sweet tooth.\u00a0<\/span>Each day in the US, the average kid and adult consumes about <\/span>17 teaspoons of \u201cadded\u201d sugar<\/span><\/a>, which includes sucrose, dextrose, syrups and any other sugars put into food and drinks during processing and preparation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s way beyond the World Health Organization\u2019s guidance to restrict daily sugar intake to less than 10 percent of calories. That comes to around 12.5 teaspoons, or 50 grams, for adults.<\/span><\/p>\n

While excess sugar intake is a <\/span>global problem<\/span><\/a>, Americans\u2019 love affair may run especially deep. By some estimates, the United States is the<\/span> most sugar-loving country in the world<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>This intimate relationship with sugar likely isn\u2019t an accident. Dating back decades, the sugar industry has lobbied to downplay its products\u2019 health risks and to vilify fat.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Those efforts have had lasting negative impacts on our health.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The origins of American sugar culture<\/h2>\n

Early warning signs of sugar\u2019s link to coronary heart disease emerged in the 1950s. The sugar industry, in turn, paid scientists during the 1960s to downplay those risks and push saturated fat as the offender instead. The rest of the world didn\u2019t learn about these efforts for <\/span>more than five decades<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In 1965, a trade group called the Sugar Research Foundation (known today as the Sugar Association) paid three Harvard University scientists thousands of dollars to publish a review of research on sugar, fat and heart disease. In 1967, those researchers singled out fat and cholesterol as the dietary causes of heart disease and downplayed evidence that sugar was also a risk factor.<\/span><\/p>\n

The claim that fat consumption is the biggest risk factor for heart disease has been debunked, yet the food industry <\/span>continues to play a role<\/span><\/a> in nutrition science. <\/span>The New York Times<\/span><\/i> has reported<\/span><\/a> that Coca-Cola gave millions in funding to scientists who minimized the link between sugary drinks and obesity. The Associated Press found that <\/span>candy makers have funded research<\/span><\/a> claiming that children who eat candy tend to weigh less than those who do not.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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How does sugar affect our health?<\/h2>\n

While naturally occurring sugars, like those in milk or fruit, can be a good source of carbohydrates, research has consistently linked refined and added fructose to serious health conditions. Added sugars like fructose and corn syrup are commonly found in cereals, oatmeal, fruit juices, pasta sauce and many other popular grocery staples.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sugar can affect the entire body and how it functions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n