Science Weighs In On Common Sugar Myth (NAPSA)—Wouldn’t it be great if sugar—that marvelous all-natural sweetener that makes Grandma’s apple pie the best in the world—didn’t make people fat? It wouldn’t be just great, it would be true. And science provesit. Sugar consumption and obesity have been the subject of intense scrutiny for years. The results of study after study are surprisingly consistent. Every major review of the body of scientific literature exonerates sugar as the explicit cause of any disease, including obesity. In 2002, The National Academy of Sciences completed a three-year analysis of the science on diet and health including Body Mass Index (BMI). The conclusion: “There is no clear and consistent association between increased intakes of added sugars and BMI.” The FDA Sugars Task Force, in a review of 1000 scientific papers, reported that “scientific evidence clears sugars of links with other diseases including diabetes, hypertension, behavior and obesity.” Scapegoats are the rage these days. The need to blame something for society’s problems has become more important than the truth. Rather than endorse positive changes in lifestyle to manage weight, it’s easier to point a finger at sugar as the reason for obesity. Science, however, doesn’t support that view. Sugar is a basic carbohydrate that every healthy body needs for energy. Put another way, sugar is an essential fuel for muscles, internal organs and first-rate brain function. The natural sugar you buy at the grocery store has only 15 calories a teaspoon. People gain weight by taking in morecalories Sweet NEwS—Sugar does not cause obesity. than they burn over the course of a day. Obesity is the result of eating too muchfood, especially foods with a high-caloric content. Here’s why: A gram of sugar,like that of any other carbohydrate, provides 4 calories in a person’s daily diet. One gram offat, on the other hand,delivers 9 calories. But here’s the real difference. Sugar is converted immediately into the fuels a body needs. Fats are stored for later use. Energy from fat-cell reserves is released only when other sources aren't available. Science also confirms another amazing fact: Sugar helps shut off the body’s hunger switch. Maybe that’s why a little sliver of Grandma’s applepieis so satisfying. The simple fact is if you’re concerned about your weight, eat reasonable amounts, drink plenty of water and maintain an appropriate level of physical activity. With pure all-natural sugar as part of your active lifestyle, you’ll have the energy you need to get going in a healthy direction. For more information on the real facts about sugar, visit www.sugar.org.
