A recent Public Library of Science study revealed that increased sugar in a populations food supply was linked to higher diabetes rates independent of rates of obesity.
The study looked at sugar availability and medical data from 175 countries over the past ten years. They found that high sugar levels can cause diabetes, irrespective of diabetes. Obesity is also a leading cause of diabetes, but excess sugars can just as easily trigger the disease.
The study linked sugar consumption and diabetes in the same way that researchers linked smoking to an increased likelihood of cancer in the 1960’s. The study took many factors into consideration, and they controlled for poverty, urbanization, aging, obesity and physical activity.
“You could not enact a real-world study that would be more conclusive than this one,” said Rob Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist who authored the study.
The study also satisfied the “Bradford Hill” criteria, which accounts for other factors including dosage, duration, directionality, and precedence.
In their findings, researchers concluded “each 150 kilocalories/person/day increase in total calorie availability related to a 0.1 percent rise in diabetes prevalence (not significant), whereas a 150 kilocalories/person/day rise in sugar availability (one 12-ounce can of soft drink) was associated with a 1.1 percent rise in diabetes prevalence.” This means that for every 12 ounces of soda introduced per person into a country’s food supply, diabetes rates increase one percent.
“This study is proof enough that sugar is toxic,” said Lustig. “Now it’s time to do something about it.”
But what will be done about it is still up in the air. As we’ve discussed in previous posts, most companies are fueled by their bottom line, not by providing Americans with healthier options. The Food and Drug Administration can call for clearer warnings, but companies may then switch to artificial sweeteners, which can be just as harmful to a person’s health.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest has asked the FDA to set safe limits for sugar intake, and requested that products that have an excess amount of sugar be labeled “unsafe”. The CSPI and other public interest groups want people to understand that while overeating can lead to obesity, overeating sugars can greatly increase a person’s likelihood of developing diabetes.
Dr. Silverman comments
The findings of this study are earth-shattering.
It is important to understand the history of the sugar industry. As it has grown in power over the last several 100 years, the sugar industry has taken a foothold within our political system. As the world changed in the 50’s and 60’s, the sugar industry began to realize a potential threat. That threat was science.
Science could kill the sugar industry because it could prove that sugar was bad for you. At that point, just like the tobacco companies, the industry began to support scientific research designed to address problems cause by its products.
Regardless of history, this new study shows the correlation between sugar and the growth of the scourge of Western stabilization, diabetes.
I expect the sugar ‘mafia’, and by that I mean sugar producers, to do the same thing that the tobacco companies did for several years. They will deny, confuse, and obscure the truth. There is so much money at risk in this situation, and anyone who believes otherwise is foolish. Money will be pouring in to protect their products. Watch for commercials on TV that show sugar as a natural substance. I expect that we’ll see commercials with tag lines like “How can something natural be bad for you?”
It’s even more depressing when you consider how much dependency our government has on the taxation proceeds from sugar throughout all levels of our economy. Hopefully, the public will see the absolute tsunami of pressure that will be exerted back upon those who try to quell the amount of sugar being fed to the public.
And here is where it gets really bad. Sugar, just like tobacco, is an addictive substance. If levels are dropped within soda, people will just drink more soda. Don’t expect the companies that grow sugar, the companies that put sugar in their products, the government that regulates these companies, or the people who are eating the products made by these companies to ever do something against their self-interest.
To summarize, sugar is bad for you; try as hard as you can to avoid it.
Related source: NY Times
