What do diabetes, heart disease, obesity and cancer have in common? Well, the answer is simple: sugar!
Often regarded as ‘white poison’, sugar has attracted huge criticism from both scientists and health experts alike for its negative effects on health. There has been a growing consensus that sugar is the key reason behind the obesity epidemic, which, as per a WHO report, has doubled since 1980.
Understanding sugar and the controversy surrounding it
To begin with, sugar occurs in two forms: the natural form, which is found as lactose in milk, and ‘free sugars,’ which are usually added to food and beverages. Some examples of free sugars include table sugar, honey, and high fructose corn syrup. It is free sugar that is harmful to the human body and is linked to a number of preventable diseases. Having almost no nutritional value, free sugar is primarily used in the food processing industry to increase the shelf-life of baked products, for alcohol and bread fermentation, and for improving the color, texture and flavor of food and beverages.
According to health experts, high intake of free sugar increases blood sugar levels, which initially offers a quick “rush” experience, later resulting in a sluggish feeling as well as increased cravings. This vicious cycle either adds additional calories to the diet or screens out food products that are high in nutrition, making the body weak and more prone to diseases.
The controversy around sugar and sugar-based products can be traced back to the 1970s, when a British scientist claimed that it was sugar rather than fat that was the cause of major health problems. Fast forward to today, and nearly all of the top institutions and researchers around the world agree with the scientist’s claims. The element of controversy has also emerged as a result of the findings published in JAMA Internal Medicine, which claims that it was the research sponsored by the sugar industry that promoted fat, rather than sugar “as the dietary culprit” in heart disease, thereby overshadowing the research that claimed sugar was hazardous to health.
Misinformation on the nutritional value of products loaded with sugar is another component of the sugar controversy. There has been a serious grey-area when it comes to fats, trans-fats, and fat free food and beverages. It is this grey area that several companies have capitalized on in order to get away with having high sugar content in their products, i.e. by marketing products as “low fat” even though the sugar content is extremely high.
The way forward
Now that it is clear that sugar, rather than fat, is the central cause of a number of health issues, major brands are looking for ways in which they can improve their products without losing the loyalty of their customers, while still maintaining their sales targets and holding onto their market share. For example: Mars, Nestle, and Unilever have reduced the sugar content of some of their products in order to be seen as sensitive, aware, and customer-friendly brands.
