Quote of the day, from "There's a war on sugar: is it justified?"
LUSTIG: ... the public health community has identified four separate criteria that are needed to be fulfilled before a substance can be considered for regulation. Number one: ubiquity, that is, can’t get away from it. Number two: toxicity, that it’s dangerous. Number three: abused, that increased consumption is inherent in the molecule itself. Finally, number four is externalities. That is, your consumption hurts me. Now alcohol, tobacco, morphine, and heroin clearly meet these four criteria. The question is, “Does sugar meet them?” And the answer is, yes, it does, absolutely.
1 comment:
Alcohol in moderation is ok - a glass of wine with dinner, for instance. Best never to start smoking. Heroin though is in a class of it's own - avoid like the plague. Same for morphine, though may be prescribed by doctor when medically necessary. Medical marijuana has gotta be bad for the lungs, though if someone has chronic severe pain...probably better than opioids. Overuse of any substance can be harmful, and this certainly goes for sugar.
Sugars are best consumed via fruits. Americans though consume way too much highly refined sugar - and it's difficult to escape it's hold - it is habit-forming - and a really difficult habit to break.
Food packaging labels should soon start labeling the amount of sugars naturally occurring in products (apple pie, for example), as well as the amount of sugar added to a product. The amount added can be quite substantial.
Obesity is a common American affliction, and sugar is a large part of the problem. A difficult habit to break. Gotta give credit to Michelle O. for promoting a healthy lifestyle.
Post a Comment