A HUGE Step in the Right Direction!
August 25th, 2009
The Wall Street Journal has reported that, “The American Heart Association is taking aim at the nation’s sweet tooth, urging consumers to significantly cut back on the amount of sugar they get from such foods as soft drinks, cookies and ice cream.”
I never thought I’d live to see the day! Finally, a major association has addressed our nation’s sugar addiction and taken the first step in indicting the biggest contributor to our obesity problem.
“In a scientific statement issued Monday, the organization says most women should limit their sugar intake to 100 calories, or about six teaspoons, a day; for men, the recommendation is 150 calories, or nine teaspoons.”
While they are still off the mark by focusing on calories, it is extremely encouraging to at least see them telling people to limit their sugar intake. Even more exciting is the fact that the recommendations are rather stringent. One can of Coke alone contains over nine teaspoons of sugar, so they are calling for a serious slow down in consumption.
How they reached these conclusions is, however, rather entertaining, “Under the (U.S. Department of Agriculture’s) Mypyramid guidelines, people on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet have 267 discretionary calories. Active young people on a 3,000-calorie-a-day-diet have 512 discretionary calories…For a moderately active middle-aged woman on a 1,800 calorie-a-day diet, the recommendations translate to about 100 calories for added sugar. For a sedentary middle-aged man consuming 2,200 calories a day, the allotment is about 150 calories.”
Please allow me to translate, “Stop having sweet rolls for breakfast and then drinking soda and eating candy, cake, and ice cream all day.”
Ok, now that we’ve cleared that up, here’s another rather laughable statement, “While many studies associate increased consumption of soft drinks with higher calorie intake, weight gain and obesity, others have failed to support the connection. Similarly, research investigating added sugar’s impact on blood pressure, heightened inflammation and on changes in blood fats called triglycerides is inconclusive.”
Here’s a quick fact; in 1966, the average American consumed about 122 pounds of caloric sweeteners (sugar, HFCS, etc.) per year and the average American male weighed 166 lbs. Today, we consume at least 170 lbs. of caloric sweeteners per year and the average American male weighs over 190 lbs. As sugar consumption rises, so do obesity rates; it’s that simple.
Regardless, it’s awesome to see the American Heart Association taking this baby step. Let’s just hope that over time their recommendations get much easier to understand as they advise people to stop eating and drinking entire foods, instead of just the calories they contain.
Posted in Public Policy, Sugar Addiction | No Comments »
