Just heard a sugar story today on the radio. If I remember correctly, the report said Americans should limit processed sugar intake to the equivalent of no more than 9 teaspoons a day. Right now, we average 28! And sugar is hell on immune function .
The radio report centered on a new commentary in Nature, the science journal. You have to have a subscription to read it so I’ve posted a video below in which the authors discuss the piece. Here’s some additional analysis of the commentary as well .
The thrust of the commentary: Is sugar such a huge public health problem that is must be regulated through taxation on sugary foods? That issue has been batted back and forth by states and cities for years. One of the commentary’s authors, Robert Lustig, M.D., of the University of California-San Francisco, says that sugar-fueled obesity is the biggest public health crisis we’ve ever seen. Wow. No understatement there. I cannot see how any government body could come up with an equitable tax on sugared foods. Sugar is like salt. It is everywhere. There are mega grams of processed sugar in everything from pasta sauce to honey-glazed hams.
I think an all-out educational effort is the key. And the effort starts as soon as kids learn how to speak. Vegetables are yummy. Whole grains are yummy. Have pediatric nutrition as part of the birthing class curricula that expectant mothers go through. Put the hammer down on school junk vending machines once and for all.
Just heard a sugar story today on the radio. If I remember correctly, the report said Americans should limit processed sugar intake to the equivalent of no more than 9 teaspoons a day. Right now, we average 28! And sugar is hell on immune function .
The radio report centered on a new commentary in Nature, the science journal. You have to have a subscription to read it so I’ve posted a video below in which the authors discuss the piece. Here’s some additional analysis of the commentary as well .
The thrust of the commentary: Is sugar such a huge public health problem that is must be regulated through taxation on sugary foods? That issue has been batted back and forth by states and cities for years. One of the commentary’s authors, Robert Lustig, M.D., of the University of California-San Francisco, says that sugar-fueled obesity is the biggest public health crisis we’ve ever seen. Wow. No understatement there. I cannot see how any government body could come up with an equitable tax on sugared foods. Sugar is like salt. It is everywhere. There are mega grams of processed sugar in everything from pasta sauce to honey-glazed hams.
I think an all-out educational effort is the key. And the effort starts as soon as kids learn how to speak. Vegetables are yummy. Whole grains are yummy. Have pediatric nutrition as part of the birthing class curricula that expectant mothers go through. Put the hammer down on school junk vending machines once and for all.