Here are all of the harmful effects sugar has on your body and brain
In the late 1960s, a food industry group called the Sugar Research Foundation paid three Harvard researchers $6,500 (about $50,000 today) to discount research that increasingly showed links between sugar and heart disease and to point the blame at fat instead, according to an analysis of historical food industry documents that was published the fall of 2016.
The report those Harvard scientists published transformed the American diet, causing people to steer clear of fatty foods, which led many to sugar-packed snacks instead. But as a significant body of research now shows, excessive sugar consumption can be devastating for our health.
Even though we're now more aware of the risks of too many sweets, there are still plenty of myths about sugar and what it actually does to us. After all, sugar is just the name for a simple carbohydrate, and there's always been some sugar in our diets. The problem is that today the average American consumes more than twice what the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - and four times what the World Health Organization (WHO) - recommend as safe. And that's dangerous.
Here's how eating sugar, especially too much of the added sugar that's not naturally found in foods, affects your body:
Samantha Lee/Skye Gould/Business Insider
- I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
- Saudi Arabia wants China to help fund its struggling $500 billion Neom megaproject. Investors may not be too excited.
- One of the world's only 5-star airlines seems to be considering asking business-class passengers to bring their own cutlery
- From terrace to table: 8 Edible plants you can grow in your home
- India fourth largest military spender globally in 2023: SIPRI report
- New study forecasts high chance of record-breaking heat and humidity in India in the coming months
- Gold plunges ₹1,450 to ₹72,200, silver prices dive by ₹2,300
- Strong domestic demand supporting India's growth: Morgan Stanley