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Home › Articles › Nutrition and Your Health › Bitter Sweet

Bitter Sweet

Is Sugar Such a Bad Thing?

By Carma Haley Shoemaker

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Obesity
According to the USDA, approximately 68 percent of Americans are considered overweight, with 3 percent of these considered to be morbidly obese. But is sugar the reason that the United States leads the world in overweight population?

"Sugar is not the real problem," says Dr. Mabray. "The real problem is the obscene amount of sugar consumed. One of the leading causes of obesity – especially in the United States – is the consumption of excess sugar."

Dr. Anderson says that yet another misconception related to the intake of sugar is its responsibility or role in the presence of obesity. "The intake of added sugars in the diet is not associated with being overweight," Dr. Anderson says. "Sugars, as well as other carbohydrates, are recognized by the body's appetite regulatory system and help produce satiety. Carbohydrates, such as sugar, are preferentially metabolized by the body for energy and, therefore, are converted to body fat less efficiently than dietary fat. Added sugar can also help increase consumption of fiber and other nutrients by enhancing the taste of starchy foods. Many people who avoid sugary foods compensate by eating foods high in fat."

Hyperactivity
Many adults may be getting the message that sugar can be viewed as a positive component of a healthful, balanced diet. Nevertheless, one myth that remains hard to destroy is the notion that sugar causes "hyperactivity" in children.

"Many parents continued to argue that a single serving of sugar causes adverse behavior in their children," says Dr. Anderson. "The overwhelming conclusion of the scientific evaluation is that sugar does not cause hyperactivity. Indeed, it may have a calming effect on children if external circumstances allow the internal effects of sugar to be expressed. Of course, if children are at a birthday party or out 'trick or treating,' the external cues will override the internal cues in influencing behavior. It is perhaps circumstances such as these that have led to sugar's guilt by association."


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