Should Sugar Be Regulated?

This article includes for detail from the side suggesting regulation and taxation of sugar. Laura Schmidt said that they are "talking about gentle ways to make sugar consumption slightly less convenient, thereby moving people away from concentrated dose." She also said that she wanted to make other, healthier foods, easier and cheaper to get in comparison. France, Greece, and Denmark all have taxes on soda, and 20 cities in the United States are looking to follow their lead. Some conclude that "the regulation of sugar is difficult [because] many consider it a necessary vice." There are "cultural and celebratory aspects of sugar," and "changing these patterns is very complicated" said Clair Brindis.

http://marcussamuelsson.com/news/should-sugar-be-regulated

Should We Regulate Sugar Like Alcohol or Tobacco?

Art Carden, an economist, is against regulating the sugar in the same way that we regulate alcohol and tobacco. He feels that the declaration that "chronic non-communicable diseases... pose a greater health burden... than do infectious diseases" is misleading because it is actually a "testimony to our ability to treat infectious diseases" and that we are not living long enough to get these diseases. This can be applied to rising cancer rates as well because a larger percentage of the population is now living long enough to get cancer, making it more of an issue. Carden also feels that instead of the government being able to spend less money to care for people with metabolic syndrome (from eating too much sugar) if there was a regulation, people should instead take responsibility for their eating habits, and in turn, any health-related illness that this creates. If the government does not pay to treat these people, the hope is that people will have more incentive to be healthy. Another point that is brought up is the expense that it takes to regulate alcohol and tobacco. To try to enforce any kind of similar regulations on sugar would cost a ton of money and would be unrealistic. Lastly, Carden feels that people will simply "find ways around restrictions on sugar," and it is therefore not worth the time and money.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/artcarden/2012/02/02/should-we-regulate-sugar-like-alcohol-or-tobacco/

Helth Effects of Sugar on Your Body - The Bitter Truth

According to Dietary Trends from 1970-2005, we eat about 140 pounds of sugar a year per person. "Sugar is a threat to every aspect of good health." It is a "drug that has no nutritional value and is an addictive chemical." Sugar has been compared to cocaine in its effects on the brain. Depression and suicide are "debilitating health problems in our modern, Western world," and this is supposedly connected to sugar. Sugar raises serotonin levels in our brain, which is the "feel-good" chemical. Over a long time of eating large amounts of "white" sugar, the body will cut back on serotonin production which can lead to depression. Sugar can also serves as food for bacteria that cause damage to our teeth. "Sugar is the leading cause of dental deterioration, cavities in teeth, bleeding gums, and loss of teeth." Eating large amounts of sugar can cause insulin resistance and other problems, which can lead to type 3 diabetes, because it causes a large amount of insulin to be released, in turn overworking the pancreas. "When sugar is digested it has an acidic effect on our body," so our body uses calcium, an alkaline substance, to neutralize it. It must be removed from the bones, which weakens them and eventually can cause osteoporosis. "Sugar causes artery damage, inflammation of the arteries and hence weaker arteries," especially if the pancreas is having trouble releasing insulin. This can lead to strokes and heart attacks. In order to digest sugar, the body must sue many vitamins, minerals, and enzymes, taking them away from healthy cells that need to use them. On average, "40% of sugar ingested is stored as fat." This leads to weight problems and obesity. Sugar has a very negative impact on the immune system, causing white blood cells to be almost "paralyzed" (these cells fight disease) " for up to around 5 hours and reduces their ability to work properly by up to 40%." In addition, sugar increases cortisol levels, leading to more stress which causes a plethora of other problems. This article also claims that "the higher the sugar consumption, the greater the risk of cancers." 

http://evolvingwellness.com/posts/1595/health-effects-of-sugar-on-your-body-the-bitter-truth/

The Harmful Effects of Sugar and Choosing Healthy Alternatives

 Sugar comes in many different forms, such as glucose, fructose (fruit sugar), lactose (milk), sucrose (table sugar), maltose (rice malt and honey), jams, syrups, and others, which all are a part of the "major [culprits] in the case against obesity." This presents the problem with taxing, regulating, and setting legal age limits to buying sugar, because it comes in so many different forms, which may not all be completely bad, but will be used if table sugar is regulated. Sugar contributes to a multitude of problems, and, more specifically, is changed " into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than... starch." Part of the reason why we crave sugar has "nothing to do with fullness of the stomach," but has more to do with the bio-chemical information sent to the brain when the sweet taste buds are stimulated. To try to completely avoid sweetness would be "unnatural and unnecessary" because it would lead to chemical imbalances and cravings. There are many alternatives that can replace sugar, such as stevia and xylitol: two completely natural sweeteners. Stevia has no effect on the body's production of insulin and is 300 times sweeter than sugar, so only small amounts are needed. There have been no toxicity reports to date. Xylitol can be used in combination for "ideal sugar replacement." 15 grams of xylitol is produced by our own bodies daily, and much less insulin is released into the blood when ingested. It is a five-carbon sugar, making it anti-mocrobial (prevents growth of bacteria), rather than a six-carbon sugar. It has no known toxic levels in quantities below 90 grams per day.

http://www.naturalnews.com/022692.html

Sweet Freedom! Standing Up to Sugar…

"Sugar that isn't utilized immediately to create energy is stored." Sugar, when not eaten with fiber, minerals, and other nutrients, causes a rapid rise of glucose levels in the blood, leading to a rapid release of insulin. This also causes the body to release stress hormones, specifically cortisol. Cells begin to lose insulin receptors and begin experiencing "insulin resistance," leading later on to diabetes and obesity, and also raises triglyceride levels in the blood, "making it difficult to lose weight." High sugar in the blood stream also leads to a loss of calcium in the body which can contribute to osteoporosis. Sugar that is ingested and is not absorbed causes an increase in "harmful bacteria, Candida and other fungi in the intestinal tract." In addition, "high sugar intake is associated with increased cancer risk." If we limit sugar consumption to a small portion after eating a nutritious meal, we will not experience as many problems. Also, "most cavities in teeth are directly related to sugar intake."  Many people see the cons of eating sugar, so they move to artificial sweeteners, but "studies consistently show that people on artificial sweeteners gain more weight than do people who avoid sweeteners entirely." Many people associate fewer calories with less obesity and more weight loss, but "weight loss isn’t just related to calories. The sweeteners have adverse affects on the body as well, many of them worse than the effects sugar has." Many of these sweeteners are supposedly cancer-causing, but "Stevia," an all-natural sweetener, "provides the best transition alternative to getting off sweets altogether."

http://www.prepareforfreedom.com/2011/06/27/sweet-freedom-sugar-health-effects-pros-cons/

Sugar's Effect on Your Health

This source claims that the average American consumes 2-3 lbs. of sugar each week, and in the last 20 years, sugar consumption per year has gone from 26 lbs. to 135 lbs. Sugar has negative affects on the immune system because it causes a rise of insulin levels, which promotes the storage of fat, and inhibits the release of growth hormones. "Major health organizations... agree that sugar consumption in America is one of the 3 major causes of degenerative disease." This source has a list of ways that sugar affects one's health and has information about the more scientific reasons behind these effects. It also talks about the connection between sugar and cancer.


http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/sugar.htm

Sugar, on a Slippery Slope

David Katz argues that the statistics about sugar being "toxic"  are "something of a distortion." He makes the case that oxygen in high doses can be lethal, but it is not considered poison because it is the dosage that makes the poison. Excess sugar intake is, without question, a cause of obesity and other diseases partially due to its influence on hormones, such as insulin, which lead to inflammation. Finding effective ways to reduce sugar intake is urgent, and Katz supports the taxation of soda and restriction on certain food sales in schools . He notes on the difficulty, however on putting an age limit on buying "sugary" foods and of regulating ingredients because it is not easy to determine where the "regulations should begin and end." This also bring about questions of regulating trans fats or high-sodium foods, and then what about limiting the quantity of food that people intake? And would a regulation of sugar just cause companies to use more artificial sweeteners? There is also a problem focusing all of unhealthy eating on sugar because it relies on a combination of many different nutrients. Katz sees the problem, but recognizing that we may not find a solution in heavy regulation of sugar.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/sugar-regulation_b_1255695.html