Sugar industry threatens to scupper WHO
"The sugar industry in the US is threatening to bring the World Health Organisation to its knees by demanding that Congress end its funding unless the WHO scraps guidelines on healthy eating, due to be published on Wednesday."

I work at a gym, so for me it's common sense that excessive consumption of sugar isn't healthy. The World Health Organization (WHO) has said a healthy diet should be no more than 10% sugar. Naturally, the sugar industry, including Coca-Cola and Pepsico, isn't terribly pleased with this.

Do you agree with the sugar industry's tactics?
Perhaps some people will agree with the sugar companies that more research needs to be done. But there also seems to be an argument that developing countries will be hurt by "healthy" recommendations of reduced sugar intake. Presumably, big business will be hurt if people cut back, while people will face increasing health problems if they persist with the 25% or more sought by the sugar industry.
In these "developing" nations, should profit come in front of health?

Sorry to anyone who posts otherwise, but there is no more research needed on this, that is just a delaying tactic. A Diet high in processed sugar can lead directly to problems like Diabetes, amongst other problems.

I would argue that in a democratic nation (and please, none of this "republic" stuff, everyone knows what I mean), these industries have the right to plead their case; I just wish that succeeding wasn't so easy!

I have to run, I'll give more on this a bit later.

in your diet you can have lots of problems and lack of communication, like the idea of choelesterol, their is no good or bad version of it, the lipoproetiens that carry it in your bloodstream are the problem, foods you eat help in the production of such things and when the foods you eat do not allow dense formations of them the cholesterol they carry breaks apart in your bloodstream and collects on the walls rather then it being carried where it should go. many of the processed foods america eats are rather not good for you either, the bread people eat today has a rather large surface space and when the einzimes in your stomach go to brake it down they in a sense get destroyed by doing this, that can help lead to adult stage diebetes. a diet is not universal and can change, denying yourself sugur is wrong but in to much of an amount it is wrong also.

The sugar industry is wrong on this one and the WHO is right. Too much sugar is bad for you, and the WHO guidelines are correct. Sure, the sugar industry can lobby Congress but so can all the rest of us, and there're a lot more of us than there are of them.

I hate strong arm tactics.

The WHO is free to release whatever kind of report they want. The sugar industry is free to sell sugary products. The consumer buys what they want. Can't we all just get along?

--cheers

I'll be somewhat of a devil's advocate here. Hasn't obesity, diabetes, and heart disease been on the rise with the advent of artificial sweeteners? I remember when fat was considered the culprit (still is, for a lot of people) and then it was discovered that fat, in moderate amounts, actually works to decrease weight and keep you healthy.

I prefer the European approach (eat, drink, sleep, be Italian ) It is difficult to find an artificial sweetner there, and there's no fat free eating. Yet, everyone enjoys everything in moderation, and the population is very healthy compared to Americans.

I must admit that 10 percent sugar in the diet doesn't seem ridiculously low, and 25 percent (which the sugar industry says is okay) seems high. Otherwise, I say we eat sugar (in moderation) and throw out the artificial alternatives.

MrsP, lest my first post be taken as supporting artificial sweeteners in any way, allow me to divest you of that opinion. Aspartame and saccharin can be OK if you need to avoid sugar for medical reasons, but as a diet food they are generally bad news.. The whole idea of substituting chemicals for real food in an attempt to lose weight is generally a plan sure to fail, although I should say that becoming a heroin junkie might slim one down .

In spite of the prevelance of artificial sweeteners in this country, we do still consume way more processed sugar than is healthy. Remember how big those really old Coca-cola bottles were? Yeah, they were like 7 ounces. Now we go to 7-11 and get 64 oz cokes. It's frightening.

DP, you have a point in the open market, but reports like this affect groups without much choice - for example, school lunch programs and the like.

If these kind of thing are interesting to anyone, the book Fast Food Nation is an excellent read and covers this same ground.

Anybody remember the sugar shortage in the 1970s, where the price of a candy bar doubled or tripled? Then the coffee shortage, beef shortage, and ultimately the oil shortage?

Inflation was going wildly out of control. They blamed unions for this. Along came Reagan and union busting. Hey, no more shortages! Cheaper gas! Stable prices!

So, now industries have to dream up something other than fake shortages to gain more profit. Well, how about increasing demand rather than limiting supply?

So that's been our economics for the last twenty or so years. Increase demand. Eat more chicken, eat more beef, eat more and more and more and more . . .

Consume. Need to consume. Can't consume--no income. Dang. Recession! DANG!

Methinks another change cometh.

Quarkhead:


Not true. Diabetes is not caused by sugar intake. However, sugar intake greatly influences a diabetic's health (I should know, I am a type I diabetic and very well read on the subject). The root cause of diabetes is unknown, but seems to be a genetic immuno-respnse defect.

Sugar, however, DOES greatly contribute to the obesity problem in this country (and others).

As far as how much sugar should be in your diet, or how industry should respond to a WHO report? Who can say?

Ontario is complaining about the WHO travel advisory. The WHO tends to be VERY conservative in its health guidelines, preferring to err on the safe side.

If the sugar industry can back its claim of contra-evidence, I say they have that right.

Amlord, you're right, and what I ought to have said was that a diet high in processed sugars (and other processed foods) can indirectly lead to type II diabetes, through obesity. Some people, and many Native American groups are included in this, have a greater genetic predisposition toward what used to be called "adult-onset diabetes," but whether or not they do get it does seem to depend on environmental factors, and of those, obesity is one of the most prominent.

Let me make this short and simple. If it tastes good it is bad for you. If you can put it in your dog's bowl and the dog rejects it you can eat all you want.

LOL! I think there's a Nobel in there somewhere.

The Mediterranian diet is known to promote health. The use of olive oil reduces cholesterol. Beans, salads, vegetables, some meats, wine and happy meal times all induce health. BUT! Most Europeans walk the block, every night. After dinner they walk, to the Plaza or the park, talk with neighbors and friends, to a cafe, have a little expresso, maybe a cognac, discuss politics, current events, their kids, and gossip. They dont sit in front of a television after a big meal, they take walks. If you consider the diet, which in itself is great, the lifestyle is also relevant. I love 'eat, sleep, drink, be Italian'. And dont forget to have an attitude of loving life. Ciao.

Of course sugar, and processed carbs are bad for you! There is no way to skirt the issue if we know how sugars and processed carbs are converted in the body.

Sugars and carbs are the first burned, reduced to quik energy, but processed carbs and sugars stress the system by converting very quickly, inducing an over supply of insulin which allows the uptake of sugar , sometimes too much, into red blood cells.(sugar high) This is important, in that processed sugars and carbs have little nutritional value.
Proteins are burned second, and if not used are eliminated through the kidneys for the most part, but may also be stored as fat. Fats are last, and if not used for calorie burn off are stored as fat on the body.

Basically, if you are taking empty sugar in enough quantities to supply your calorie intake for the day, your body takes up almost nothing else and stores what it cannot burn or eliminate as fat. This leads to a run down system, weak immune system, ultimately to fatigue and disease. The body needs nutrients/vitamins that come from complex foods IE: vegetables, fruits and grains as energy, proteins and fats which are processed slowly , allowing nutrients to be derived through digestion uptake.

We should never believe the sugar, diary, fast food or meat industrtries. At some point one has to rely on common sense.

One coca cola has 7 teaspoons of sugar. Artificial sweeteners cause cancer and a myriad of other health problems, information supressed by the industries that make them. ( but may be the only thing for diabetics who cannot live without sweetener) Diet drinks are terrible. They cause dehydration and you drink toxins. The best think is get a good water source, and learn to love water. Filter your home water. Sparkling, with lemon, with a bit of sugar, green tea, anything that gets you off coke or diet drinks.

Some say, everything kills you these days so who cares. Its not really that. Theres nothing like a bowl of berries, with some honey, or even a little cream, real cream. A lean steak, a baked potato with everything on it, a few cookies, butter on toast, cream of lobster bisque. Thats all good.

Natural foods certainly serve better than processed ones, keep you full and healthy, happy is also a part of health. If we learn to live, eat less and better, we dont have to go through all the ups and downs of the newest craze or fad, or the goddam sugar, whatever industries.


Ive tried not to preach but maybe I didnt do so good at it, I cant help it its my passion and budding career.

Isnt diabetes a desease that if your parents had it chances are good you are going to have to watch what kinds of foods you eat?
I think what we all need to realize here is moderation. Everything eaten in moderation should be good for us right? And what about exercise? Eating moderate amounts of food containing sugar and exercise will still be considered healthy and a person can still maintain his or her desired weight.
Some countries in Europe swear that by drinking wine before and after eating will help you control weight and reduce stress on your heart. So should we start telling the world to start getting drunk on wine every night?

All things in moderation, Fisherman, including moderation.

Wine does appear to have some health benefits in moderation, but getting drunk on it every night certainly wouldn't be moderate, and in fact would run afoul of the sugar guideline: the body converts alcohol to sugar, so a habitual drunk likely will be getting too high a percentage of calories from sugar, aside from other health risks.

It's Junk Science since the recommendation is based upon opinions, rather than facts. That is as a whole, not just the sugar guidelines.

The actual report is available in PDF format here:

Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases