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Over the last five decades, sugar consumption in India has risen from 5 per cent of the global production to 13 per cent at present. India has become the world's biggest sugar consumer today, consuming one-third more sugar than the entire EU and 60 per cent more than China. At around 20 kg, our per capita sugar consumption is still below the global average of 25 kg but is growing at a fast and alarming rate. As Western food habits become popular; the proportion of processed and non-essential food items containing added sugar is going up in our diet. This is one of the main reasons driving the rise in our daily sugar intake. Lack of physical activity and sedentary lifestyles are making it worse, leading to overweight and obesity and related disorders. White sugar consists of merely empty calories with no vitamins or minerals. It does provide energy — about 16 calories per tea spoon — but offers no nutrition. As a result, sugar addicts begin to suffer from hidden hunger. Though they eat food in enough quantity, their bodies become deficient in essential nutrients, which over time can lead to serious health disorders. In the US alone, health conditions triggered by excessive consumption of sugar have been linked to 35 million deaths every year. Many scientists are now demanding that sugar be regulated in the same manner as tobacco and alcohol. Sugar is as toxic to liver as alcohol. Sugar is responsible for many diseases associated with the "metabolic syndrome" such as high blood pressure, diabetes, insulin resistance, excessive body fat and high cholesterol levels, and may also speed up the ageing process.
Experts say that while it is inadvisable to avoid sugar totally, its consumption should be kept below the threshold where it turns toxic for our bodies. The National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, recommends a sugar intake of not more than 20 to 25 gm per day for normal adults. One needs to avoid processed foods rich in sugar like soft drinks, sugary beverages like coffee and excessive over-the-table use of sugar. Sugar is cheap, addictive and tastes great. It is in everything, from fruit juices and yogurt to breakfast cereals, soups, snacks, soft drinks, confectionery, sweets and alcoholic drinks. Most people unknowingly consume more sugar because it is disguised in processed foods. While obesity and related disorders are increasing in India, data shows a decline in the total per capita calorie intake of Indians over the past few years. This is a clear indication that the cause of obesity is not merely an imbalance of nutrients but also a sedentary lifestyle. Our goal should be complete lifestyle management with healthy dietary concepts along with regular physical activity. — The writer is president, Indian Dietetic Association and former chief dietician, AIIMS, New Delhi
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A diet rich in white
sugar and other refined carbohydrates forces the body to produce more
insulin. Eventually, the body cells, receiving too much insulin daily
to absorb the extra carbohydrates, develop insulin resistance and
blood sugar levels shoot up. Many such people develop type II
diabetes. Chronically high blood sugar levels put an enormous strain
on the vascular system and damage the lining of arteries, making them
thick and hard. The extra calories provided by refined carbohydrates
like sugar and starchy foods that the body doesn't immediately need
are converted into fat cells. This is a significant contributing
factor to the epidemic of obesity. Obesity has been linked to diseases
such as diabetes, cancer, fatty liver disease, dementia and heart
problems.