The sugar industry is responding to evidence implicating sweeteners in the obesity epidemic. According to studies, 91 percent of adults and 69 percent of children in the United States are overfat, which has been defined as having excessive body fat that impairs health. This condition can occur even in individuals who are normal-weight and non-obese, especially due to excess abdominal fat. You can determine if you’re overfat if your waist circumference is more than half your height.
A century ago, sugar was considered a cheap form of calories in the diet. However, it’s now believed that added sugars may be a primary cause of the obesity epidemic. The excess bodyweight of the U.S. population corresponds to a daily 350- to 500-calorie excess, and the majority of Americans who fail to meet the Dietary Guidelines’ sugar limit are consuming about 400 calories in added sugars every day.
Randomized controlled trials show that increasing sugars intake leads to body weight gain in adults, while reducing sugar intake results in body weight loss in children. Despite findings from observational studies being more ambiguous, measurements of trace sucrose levels in the urine show a tangible association between sugar intake and obesity.
