According to Dr.Kumar, an Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism specialist from NewYork-Presbyterian says that 17 teaspoons of added sugars a day can turn into 57 pounds of added sugar in a year. But what is added sugar, and how can people consume enough to gain so much? There are natural sugars that we consume from fruits and milk, but added sugar is added into foods we consume that are processed without realizing it. These can be harder for our bodies to process and overtime it can take a toll on our bodies.
What can get affected?
There are many ways consuming too much sugar can affect us, from heart issues to gaining weight, the list is endless. Dr.Hu mentioned from the Harvard Publishing Group (2022) that the liver processes sugars the same way it processes alcohol which is how it can be so damaging. Added sugar in large amounts overtime can cause people to have a fatty liver, and gain an excess amount of weight as well. According to WebMD (2022) Teeth can rot with so much exposure from sugar that it creates bacteria that breaks down our teeth. Surprisingly enough people can also age faster since excess add-on sugar can create AGEs which are harmful molecules that take place in the bloodstream. Lastly, a very serious medical condition someone can contract would be diabetes, and that would require much attention and lifestyle change from that diagnosis. Dr.Kumar from NewYork-Presbyterian mentions that his research shows that people who consume too much added sugar, especially high fructose corn syrup can lead to insulin resistance that can lead to type 2 diabetes. Not only that, but the body can also experience inflammation which can be painful, especially towards the joints.
What can we do ?
The easiest way to prevent ourselves from getting consumed from the excess of added sugars would be to track, and be aware of where of all foods we eat that contain processed sugars. The American Heart Association (2022) suggests that “women consume no more than 100 calories and men no more than 150 calories”. With that being said, it is easy to see how fast someone could over consume sugar without even realizing it. The infographic below shows just how much and what common things people eat on the daily basis that have add-on sugars.
The Bottom Line
Taking the time now to look into and read the labels of all the foods you consume can make all the difference. Having cheat days and having fun eating is great, but when people are eating without knowing there is sugar in that food that is the problem. Like the Infograph shows above, store bought salad dressing, white bread, even granola can contain more sugar than one might think. If you add that up that is 15 grams of sugar which is more than half of the total amount a women should consume in a day and a little less than half for men. With the average amount of grams a person can consume daily sitting at 82 grams which turns into that 66 pounds mentioned earlier from NorthWestern Medicine.
References:
Harvard Publishing Group. Heart Health: The sweet danger of sugar. Harvard Medical School. . 2022
https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/the-sweet-danger-of-sugar
Northwestern Medicine. More Sugar, More Problems [Infographic].
https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/nutrition/more-sugar-more-problems
Hughes, Locke. How Does Too Much Sugar Affect Your Body. WebMD, 2022
https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/features/how-sugar-affects-your-body
Kumar, Rekha B. Sugar: How Much Is Too Much? NewYork-Presbyterian
https://healthmatters.nyp.org/how-much-sugar-is-too-much/
YouTube. (2018). Natural Sugar vs Added Sugar – What’s The Difference? YouTube. Retrieved August 31, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrvNvujKKW8.