Limiting sugar intake is a must. However, that shouldn’t be enough because scientists at University of California believe that it shouldn’t only be the consumers to restrict sugar intake but the manufacturers too and that sugar should be treated just like tobacco and alcohol.
Amount of Sugar Consumed
In America, almost 20 percent of the diet consists of added sugars, including high fructose corn syrup and refined sugar. The estimated overall consumption of sugary items has tripled in the last 50 years. Sugar is a common ingredient in many food products. Thus, in order to fight the damage it causes to health, controlling its consumption like alcohol and tobacco is recommended.
Tobacco and Sugar, Both are Addictive
Both sugar and tobacco contain addictive qualities. The negative effects of sugar are infinite and can include health issues like obesity. Therefore, companies that sell food products with high sugar content are expected to self regulate themselves. This means that they must have drinks or eatables that contain only natural sweeteners with zero or very negligible calorie content.
Type 2 Diabetes and Sugar
Though there is a link between type 2 diabetes and sugar, it isn’t the same in the case of tobacco. There have been medical researches that show that tobacco usage can be the cause of lung cancer. On the other hand, though consumption of sugar does cause occurrence of diabetes, particularly type 2, there is no means by which it can be proven to be the main cause. This is because it is impossible to measure the amount of sugar a person consumes.
The consumption of sugar is anticipated to remain the same. Although there are people who want to limit their sugar intake, there are also a large number of companies that will never stop producing and selling their sugar-laden products.
Image courtesy: Getty Images
Read more on Diabetes Causes and Risks.