Get ready to put your sweet tooth into hibernation.
It’s hardly a secret that too much sugar can lead to health conditions like diabetes, obesity, tooth decay and heart disease. But the litany of illnesses it contributes to might astound you.
Chinese researchers in a recent study note the risk of 45 ailments is heightened by excessive sugar consumption. They recommend no more than six teaspoons of sugar a day and just one sugary drink weekly to boost health.
Their review of the scientific literature on sugar offers a list of problems not often associated with the addictive ingredient that is a staple of the American diet. Add gout to the list. And seven different kinds of cancer, including breast, prostate and pancreatic tumors. Also include asthma and depression.
Let’s look at gout, a painful form of inflammatory arthritis. One study showed that each additional serving of a sugar-ladened drink adds a 4% hike in the risk of gout.
Scientists note much more research is needed to investigate the association between sugar any one particular disease. But evidence suggest sugar should be dispensed in moderation.
Historians believe that the human domestication of sugar cane dates to 8,000 B.C., predating the invention of writing by a couple of thousand years. At first, the sugar cane stalk might have been chewed raw.
Other experts believe it was more often a fodder crop used to fatten pigs. Today, it represents 20% of the world’s coloric consumption. And it’s one big piece of the U.S. obesity epidemic.
Humanity took its sweet time recognizing the health dangers of sugar. Modern science is putting a spotlight on it.