The "Sugar Scandal"

I have been saying for years that in order to protect yourself and your loved ones, you have to be your own healthcare advocate. Big business and our government officials may not always have the health, safety and welfare of the public as their primary agenda. Read on to see a prime example.

In 1971 the National Institute of Dental Research created a National Caries (cavities) Program. They downplayed any significant link between sugar consumption and dental cavities. Why would they claim this when even back then, they should have known that this is far from the truth?

In 2012, Taubes and Kearns co-wrote Big Sugar's Sweet Little Lies, an exposé featured in Mother Jones. They wrote:

For 40 years, the sugar industry's priority has been to shed doubt on studies suggesting its product makes people sick. On federal panels, industry-funded scientists cited industry-funded studies to dismiss sugar as a culprit.

To combat the flow of industry-funded misinformation, dozens of scientists at three American universities, banded together to create an educational website called Sugar Science. Their goal was to make non-bias and totally independent sugar research available to the general public.

Recent media reports have also revealed that a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) executive aided a Coca-Cola representative in efforts to influence World Health Organization (WHO) officials to relax recommendations on sugar limits. This in my opinion is criminal.

The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting the amount of sugar you eat to 10% of total daily calories. For a 2,000 calorie diet this amounts to 10-12 teaspoons, or just over the amount found in one 12-ounce can of regular Coke. I think that 3-4 teaspoons is more in line with reality, but this is a huge step in the right direction.

The average American consumes close to half a pound of sugar a day! This leads to obesity, type 2 diabetes and premature death.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) now recommends that children between the ages of 4-8 limit their added sugar to a maximum of 3 teaspoons a day (12 grams). Children 9 and older should stay below 8 teaspoons.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends limiting daily added sugar intake to:

• 9 teaspoons (38 grams) for men
• 6 teaspoons (25 grams) for women
• 6 teaspoons (25 grams) for toddlers and teens between the ages of 2 and 18
• Zero added sugars for kids under the age of 2

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