Sugar is just as harmful as cigarettes!

Doctors and academics say that global sugar consumption needs to be reduced by 30% to prevent a wave of illness and death from this food item. Even fat-free yogurt can contain 5 teaspoons of sugar.

Photo: Doctors say sugar intake needs to be reduced by 30% to prevent a global wave of illness and death.

Simon Capewell, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Liverpool, said: “Sugar could be considered the ‘new tobacco.’ Everywhere you look, soft drinks and junk food are leaving parents and children with no doubt about a food industry that prioritizes profit over consumer health.”

Obesity has created a huge burden of disease and death. Obesity and diabetes cost the UK over £5 billion annually. Without regulations, this figure could exceed £50 billion by 2050.

The British consume 12 teaspoons of sugar a day, and some adults consume even more, with statistics showing that the British consume the most sugar in the world. The maximum recommended sugar intake by the World Health Organization (WHO) is 10 teaspoons, although this number can be halved.

UN agencies say there will be compelling evidence regarding sugary drinks and the link between sugar consumption and obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

A study on sugar has caused great surprise because sugar is found in so many foods, including products that are generally considered delicious and healthy.

Scientists say food companies could reduce the amount of sugar they add to their products by 20-30% within 3-5 years. This would cut 100 calories from the average person's daily diet. From there, we could prevent or even reverse the rapid increase in obesity and sugar-related diseases.

Professor Graham MacGregor of the Wolfson Institute for Preventive Medicine in London said: “It’s time we tackled the obesity epidemic in the UK and around the world. We must begin a rigorous and logical plan to gradually reduce the calorie intake of consumers by slowly curbing added sugar in food and beverages. This is a simple plan that brings equality to the food industry, and must be adopted by Health to reduce the enormous and completely unnecessary amount of added sugar in food for consumers by the Food and Beverage Industry.”

Dr. Aseem, the research team's scientific director, said: “Increasing sugar in food provides no nutritional value and does not create a feeling of fullness. Besides being a major cause of obesity, there is also evidence showing that increased sugar intake increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and fatty liver disease. We especially need to protect children from these diseases, and the food industry needs to immediately reduce the amount of sugar they are adding, especially to children's foods, and stop advertising fast food and soft drinks to children.”

However, sugar manufacturers have rejected the claims of health experts and disagreed with the scientific evidence. The manufacturers countered that numerous studies conducted by experts from the British Nutrition Society, the European Food Safety Authority, and the Institute of Medicine to investigate the potential link between sugar and diabetes have also confirmed that diabetes is not caused by eating sugar.

Barbara Gallani, from a food company, also denied responsibility for obesity. They stated that the food industry provides clear information about sugar content to consumers using data and color-coded labels. Sugar, or any other nutrient considered problematic, is not the sole cause of obesity, and therefore there cannot be a simple or single solution.

Professor Shrinath Reddy, a cardiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health, said there will be compelling evidence regarding sugary drinks and the link between sugar consumption and obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

According to dantri.com