In his new book, Gary Taubes writes about the sugar industry and how the industry may be promoting diseases namely obesity, diabetes, heart diseases and even cancer. Americans consume around 126 grams of sugar per day which is much more than most countries. Sugar is found in most food commodities such as carbonated drinks, sports drinks, coffee and other sugared beverages. Sugar is also baked into bread, breakfast cereals, salad dressings and other common food items.
Thanks to increased awareness of how sugar causes obesity and diabetes, Americans had curbed their sugar-consuming habits by 15 percent in the last 20 years. According to the author, the world is now facing an obesity and diabetes epidemic. According to Taubes, the director general of the World Health Organization describe it as slow motion disasters. And in order to curb an epidemic, the cause must be identified first.
Taubes describes how sugar is at the heart of this obesity and diabetes epidemic. Increase in sugar consumption precedes the epidemic breakout. The author says that he believes that education will be key in making people understand that taking in sugar is not harmless according to an article by the Grist.
Insulin resistance associated with high sugar consumption can impair some brain functions. The brain's ability to clear plaques is hampered by high sugar intake and this may lead to Alzheimer's disease. Sugar is used in tobacco curing process. This allows the smoker to inhale the smoke more deeply thus making it more addicting.
Taubes believes that consuming sugar may lead to insulin resistance. The more resistant you are, the more insulin the body produces. Scientists now found that in order for the cancer cells to grow, they require insulin. Sugar is highly addictive. It stimulates a chemical reaction in the brain that triggers a happy response thus promoting a lifelong craving for sugar. According to Taubes, excess insulin is linked to eating too much sugar. Increased insulin in the body leads to high blood pressure and heart disease. It can also increase heart rate and narrows blood vessels as reported in the New York Post.
