Sugar -- a seemingly harmless molecule of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen, yet this tiny combination of compounds can wreak havoc on the human body when consumed in excess. Sugar is a master of disguise, often posing under aliases such as glucose, fructose, dextrose, lactose, maltose, sucrose, cane juice and high fructose corn syrup. Unless you are a consummate label reader, you might not realize just how much added sugar you are consuming. A diet high in sugar can lead to obesity, high cholesterol, glucose intolerance and heart disease.
Recommendations
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans identify sugar as a major contributor in the obesity epidemic. On average, Americans consume 800 calories daily from sugar, 46 percent of that from beverages, replacing nutrient-rich food options and resulting in higher risks of chronic disease. Both natural sugars and added sugars contribute to health problems, such as tooth decay, excessive calorie consumption and lack of nutrition. The American Heart Association recommends limiting sugar intake to 100 calories, or 6 tsp. daily, for women, and 150 calories, or 9 tsp. daily, for men.
Reducing Sugar Intake
Because America's sugar problem lies chiefly with beverages, start by reducing your intake of sugar-laden sodas, sports drinks and blended coffees. Reduce consumption of processed, fast foods or packaged foods, which contain added sugars for taste and texture and as a preservative. Other products that might be high in sugar include alcohol, candy, gum, ice cream, yogurt, jelly and condiments. Read labels to watch for sugar "aliases."
Chronic Disease
Diets high in sugar increase your risk of chronic health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. In the July 2008 issue of the "Journal of Hypertension," researchers say lab studies suggest high sugar diets increase cardiac dysfunction and early mortality in people with high blood pressure compared with a high starch or high-fat/low carb diet. A December 2008 study in the "Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences" suggests that high sugar diets combined with chronic stress lead to obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and glucose intolerance. Researchers identified neuropathways that are altered to signal abdominal fat growth when stress and sugar intake is high. The neuropathway identified is the same one missing in Swedish populations that are known to be obesity-resistant.
Sweeteners
Artificial and low-calorie sweeteners might seem like an obvious solution, but these products have limitations as well. Sugar alcohols such as erythritol, lactitol and mannitol are reduced-calorie sugars that provide approximately half the calories of sugar. According to the American Diabetic Association, the effect on blood sugar levels is inconsistent, as some cause higher levels than others. Some foods that contain sugar alcohols are still high in carbs that also cause increased blood sugar levels. Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame (NutraSweet) and sucralose (Splenda) provide more than 100 times the sweetness of sugar. Stevia is a plant-derived sweetener that more than doubles the sweetness of artificial sweeteners. Many of the foods containing these sweeteners provide calories from carbohydrates, so those foods are not necessarily low-calorie. The sweeteners are recognized as safe by the FDA, but do not provide any nutritive value.
References
- Exploratorium: Science of Cooking
- MayoClinic.com: Don't Get Sabotaged by Sweeteners
- USDA: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010
- "Journal of Hypertension"; "High-sugar Diets Increase Cardiac Dysfunction and Mortality in Hypertension Compared to Low-Carbohydrate or High-starch Diets"; N. Sharma et al; July 2008
- "Annals of The New York Academy of Sciences"; Chronic Stress, Combined with a High-Fat/High-Sugar Diet, Shifts Sympathetic Signaling toward Neuropeptide Y and Leads to Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome"; Lydia Kuo et al; December 2008
- American Diabetic Association: Artificial Sweeteners
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