Sugar: the next big killer?
THE HEALTHY TRUTH: It has been described as being as addictive as cocaine and heroin, as “sweet tobacco" and even poison, yet on average we consume 53 kilograms of sugar per year, most of the time without even realising.
New research about the damage sugar causes to our bodies led the World Health Organisation to halve its recommendations on our daily sugar intake and has spawned a multimillion-dollar industry about how to avoid it.
So, is sugar really the next big killer?
For the past 30 years, Obesity specialist Dr Brian Sproule has been advising patients who are struggling with their weight to cut down their sugar intake.
“Sugar is the number one problem, as I see it,” Dr Sproule said.
“It's like a poison. I tell people cyanide is not bad for weight loss, [but] it's got a few other problems. Sugar is in the same category as cyanide.”
Sugar is in many of our daily foods, and not just the obvious ones
There is no evidence that sugar is poisonous, but there are concerns it is doing our bodies harm.
“I don't like to put [an] extreme tone to things. [But] yes, I do think it's toxic,” I Quit Sugar author and dietician Sarah Wilson said.
Sugar blocks the body's ability to tell when you are full, so we often eat more than we need to.
We know it increases our risk of heart disease and causes type 2 diabetes.
But there is also considerable evidence to show that excessive sugar consumption contributes to Alzheimer’s disease.
Some studies suggest sugar’s harmful effects on the body’s metabolism can also contribute to cancer.
"We do need to make an active and very conscious effort to cut as much [sugar] as we can out of our systems,” Sarah Wilson said.
If we continue to knowingly and unknowingly consume such huge amounts of sugar, the obesity and diabetes epidemics will continue to grow.
Because of that, I believe saying sugar is 'the next big killer' is not unreasonable.
My verdict? There are enough health and medical reasons for all of us to actively reduce the amount of sugar in our diets.
The Australian Sugar Industry Alliance responded to this story, saying ‘the ASA recommends that the overall kilojoule intake throughout the day should be the focus, as well as limiting intake of foods and drinks with added saturated fat, salt and added sugars.’
