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

A Tax to Combat America’s Sugary Diet

In the last 50 years, average American sugar consumption has increased by 24 pounds a year. Some studies trace this to sugary drinks, such as soda, which are the leading source of added sugar in American diets. New York, among other states, is contemplating taxing these sugary beverages. The American Beverage Association has supposedly had ads opposing these taxes. People who drink soda have an increased risk of heart disease and metabolic syndrome, regardless of weight. Fructose, which accounts for half of the sugar in sugary drinks, raises blood levels of triglycerides after meals, promotes a gain in abdominal fat, and may promote overeating by affecting the hormone leptin. According to Kelly D. Brownell, "For each extra can or glass of sugared beverage consumed per day, the likelihood of a child’s becoming obese increases by 60 percent.” A study at Yale indicates that soda consumption will drop by almost 8% for every 10 percent increase in price. This could cause an increase in diet drinks and bottled water, so it "would be unlikely to affect employment or commercial revenue." 72 percent of New York residents supported the "soda tax" as long as the revenue went to obesity prevention.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/06/health/06brod.html?ref=sugar

Sugar Should Be Regulated As Toxin, Researchers Say

Researchers feel that all food and drinks that include sugar should be regulated, in ways such as taxation, banning sales near schools, or placing age limits on purchase. In the United States, more than two thirds of the population is overweight and half of them are obese. "About 75 percent of U.S. health care dollars are spent on diet-related diseases." Americans consume an average of 40 teaspoons of added sugar each day, and this causes a plethora of problems. Economists debate whether consumer taxes are the best way to curb sugar consumption, because it should be taxed at its manufacturer level. This would give companies incentive to use less sugar in their products. Some researches do not believe that sugar is really problem, but that either saturated fats, highly processed products with simple carbohydrates, or a lack of physical exercise are the root cause of obesity and chronic disease.

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/02/01/sugar-should-be-regulated-as-toxin-researchers-say/

Toxic Sugar: Should We Regulate It Like Alcohol?

Three leading obesity researchers claim that "added sugar in all forms... is as perilous to public health as a controlled substance like alcohol." They advocate for a way to reduce sugar consumption worldwide. A 2010 United Nations report stated that more people are dieing from "lifestyle diseases" than from infectious diseases. Dr. Lustic claims that sugar is a toxicant that contributes to many major fatal conditions, like cardie-vascular disease and cancer. He also says that sugar is not a "poison" because of the calories, but because of its other properties.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/02/sugar-toxic-regulation_n_1248397.html

Sugar should be regulated like alcohol, tobacco, commentary says

This CBS article notes on whether the government should regulate sugar like alcohol and tobacco. It is claimed that sugar is as toxic to your body as alcohol and tobacco, so the government should act towards it in a similar way. Over the past 50 years, sugar consumption has tripled and this has contributed to the "obesity epidemic" that our world is experiencing. Sugar is considered "toxic" because it increases disease risk from factors other than calories and that it is unavoidable, has the potential for abuse, and acts on the same areas of the brain as alcohol and tobacco to "encourage subsequent intake." Lustig claims that "we cannot do it on our own because sugar is addictive." The Sugar Association disputes some of the statistics presented and the American Beverage Association adds that to attribute the huge rise in obesity to a single ingredient is an oversimplification. 

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57369857-10391704/sugar-should-be-regulated-like-alcohol-tobacco-commentary-says/

No way to sugar-coat it: Obesity is a health risk

There is no denying that we have an obesity problem in the United States that has been growing. In the last two decades, obesity rates have doubled in adults and has tripled in adolescents. Americans eat or drink around 22 teaspoons of sugar every day, which is three times as much as 30 years ago. About 112,000 deaths occur in the U.S. alone, that are associated with obesity. A group of scientists in California believes that sugar is so addictive that it must be heavily taxed and regulated, with an age requirement for purchasing. The author of this article believes that this extreme, and that promoting healthy diets and exercise should be enough to help this problem.
It is old news that there is an obesity problem, but the idea of heavy taxation and regulation is new. It would be interesting to research what happened alcohol and tobacco use when they first became taxed/regulated. Also, it would be interesting to research the "addictiveness" of sugar and how directly it affects obesity.

http://www.suntimes.com/opinions/10468602-474/editorial-no-way-to-sugar-coat-it-obesity-is-a-health-risk.html

Raising school dropout age is not shown to help

It was conventional to think that if the dropout age is raised, then there will be fewer dropouts and more students will continue their education. Massachusetts raised the dropout age to 18, and research has concluded that this has not lowered dropout rates. In today's economy, it seems unimaginable that anyone would be able to survive with a decent living without at least a high school diploma. So it may make sense that any student that is going to drop out at age 17 would do the same at age 18. Any reason that would lead someone to likely live a "lifetime of underachievement" must be a strong reason. It is hard to say what would actually lower the dropout rates.
Whatever the solution may be, this article stresses how much value we have in our education system today. Without formal education it is difficult, some may say impossible, to live a successful life. However, some students may have different ideas of what being "successful" means. It would be interesting to research what makes students drop out of school and what their lives consist of after dropping out.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/cepeda/10411605-452/raising-school-dropout-age-is-not-shown-to-help.html