A study reveals that eating too much “free sugar” has 45 harmful impacts on one’s health

A new study says that there are at least 45 good reasons to cut back on added sugar.

Extensive exploration has shown the pessimistic impacts of unreasonable sugar admission on wellbeing, which has educated proposals to restrict utilization regarding “free” or added sugar to under 10% of an individual’s everyday caloric admission.

According to a study that was published on Wednesday in the journal The BMJ, researchers from China and the United States were of the opinion that the “quality of existing evidence needs to be comprehensively evaluated” before developing specific policies to restrict sugar consumption.

High consumption of added sugar was linked to significantly higher risks of 45 adverse health outcomes, including diabetes, gout, obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, cancer, asthma, tooth decay, depression, and early death, according to a large review of 73 meta-analyses that included 8,601 studies.

The authors focused on free sugars, which are the type of sugar added during food processing; packaged as other sweeteners and table sugar; according to the US Food and Drug Administration, and naturally occurring in syrups, honey, fruit juice, vegetable juice, purees, pastes, and other products in which the food’s cellular structure has been broken down. Natural sugars found in dairy products and structurally whole fruits and vegetables are not included in this category.

According to study “confirms that eating too much sugar is likely to cause problems” and “provides a useful overview of the current state of the science on sugar consumption and our health.” Adam was not a part of the study.

“Studies like this are helpful in advising patients that seemingly small changes, such as cutting out excess sugar like sugar-sweetened beverages, can have a marked and positive improvement to health,” said CNN Clinical Expert Dr. Leana Wen, a crisis doctor and general wellbeing teacher at George Washington College, who wasn’t associated with the review.

There was evidence of moderate quality that participants who consumed the most sugar-sweetened beverages had higher body weights than those who consumed the least amount.

“As a nutrition researcher who served on both the 2010 and 2020 US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committees, I can confirm that intake of dietary sugar in the US is more than twice the recommended amount (less than 10% of total daily caloric intake) and while the direct impact of sugar itself offers minimal, if any, nutritional benefits, it further replaces foods that do,” said Linda Van Horn, professor emeritus of preventive medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, via email. Van Horn wasn’t involved in the study.

The association among sugar and illness

Proof of a connection between free sugar and malignant growth has been restricted and questionable, and needs more exploration, the review’s creators said. However, the study suggests that the result could be attributed to the well-established effects of sugar on weight: Obesity, a strong risk factor for a variety of cancers, has been linked to a high sugar intake. Cardiovascular disease is the same.

In February, behavioral scientist says, “Added sugar intake can promote inflammation in the body, and this can cause stress on the heart and blood vessels, which can lead to increased blood pressure.” The study did not involve Aggarwal, an assistant professor of medical sciences at Columbia University Irving Medical Center who works in the cardiology division.

It has been discovered that highly processed foods, which may contain a lot of free sugar, increase inflammation, which is a risk factor for depression.

Adam says in February, “Whole food carbohydrates take longer to break down into simple sugars, and a part of them — the fiber — can’t be broken down at all.” “This means that whole, intact grains don’t cause the same spikes in blood sugar that we experience when we eat simple sugars. Blood sugar spikes trigger insulin spikes, which can destabilize our blood glucose and … be the underlying cause of health problems in the long run.”

Reducing your intake

The findings, in conjunction with the existing recommendations made by the World Health Organization, the World Cancer Research Fund, and the American Institute for Cancer Research, suggest that people should keep their daily intake of free sugar to no more than 25 grams, which is about 6 teaspoons. That much sugar can be found in 16 ounces of fruit punch, 2 1/2 chocolate chip cookies, and about 12 tablespoons of honey. According to the Cleveland Clinic, between 15 and 30 grams of sugar are contained in a doughnut.

The creators likewise suggest decreasing utilization of sugar-improved drinks to short of what one serving (around 200 to 355 milliliters) each week. Aggarwal stated via email that this is the equivalent of a 12-ounce soda.

To change sugar consumption patterns, the authors think “a combination of widespread public health education and policies worldwide is urgently needed.”

In any case, there are a few changes you can start making all alone.

When you shop, read the nutrition labels—even those on foods you might not think of as sweet like bread, breakfast cereals, yogurt, or condiments—to be aware of what you are putting into your body. Adam stated that these foods typically contain a lot of added sugar, which adds up.

Instead of drinking sugary drinks or cakes, cookies, or ice cream for dessert, choose water sweetened with fruit slices. According to Aggarwal, one of the best ways to reduce sugar intake is to cook and bake at home more frequently.

According to report, getting enough quality sleep on a regular basis would also be beneficial “as we tend to choose foods higher in sugar when we’re tired.” You can train your taste buds to crave less sugar by gradually cutting back on sugar.

“Our lives will probably end up being sweeter with less sugar in our diets,” Adam said.