Sugar is having everlasting negative effects on people all around the world, but is yet to acquire the attention necessary to stop them. Health experts have debated the use and consumption of sugar but have not taken the initiatives needed to end these traumatic effects. Sugar is nearly included in all foods and drinks to enhances the taste and flavor, but people do not realize the tolls it takes on their bodies in the background. Specifically, in the US, Americans consume an average of one hundred pounds of sugar in a single year. This gross amount of sugar is said to be creating a rapidly growing addiction epidemic among people worldwide. Although there is a difference between good sugars and bad sugars, exposure to vast amounts of either can affect the health of individuals for their life. Sugar is the main source of sweetness and flavor and there is no substitute that offers as good of taste and energy, causing a tricky debate on the use of sugar in the years to come. Due to growing effects on individuals’ health, increasing rates of obesity, and the dependence that sugar can create, the food industry needs to cut down on the vast amount of sugar that is included in all foods or use healthy substitutes that provide the same aspects as sugar.  

Humans are predisposed to like the taste of sugar, because our bodies and minds need it for energy. Carbohydrates that come in the form of glucose “is the energy source that feeds our brains, muscles and other vital functions” (Carr 2) and we receive this glucose from the sugar found naturally grown in plants. Food industries have been attempting to refine sugar to appeal to the taste buds of the people; these refined sugars have been around “for more than two thousand years” (Carr 2). Although it was around since then, it was merely only for the wealthy families that could afford it up until the slave trade era. In Wayne Rasmusssen’s Dictionary of American History, he states that sugar was introduced to new parts of the world, reaching new levels of popularity due to the important role it played in the triangle trade and during the civil rights era. The sugar industry skyrocketed every year up to the present leaving us with little room to expand. In the early 1900’s the world consumed “on average 11.2 pounds of sugar per capita per year” and today we consume on average “46.3 pounds per capita” (Carr 2) which is more than 400% from a little over 100 years ago. The Encyclopedia of Food and Culture stated the consumption of sugar reached almost 120 million metric tons in 2000. This rising epidemic needs to stop, or the consequences will continue to get worse. It is true, that pure sugar grown naturally from plants does not serve the same side effects as refined sugars do, but this is exactly the heart of the problem. The food industry has been using refined sugars such as “crystallized sugars from sugar cane and sugar beet… [and] other products such as high fructose corn syrup” (Carr 2) which is only making this problem worse. Allen Carr refers to the refining process very similar as to coca plants are refined to cocaine or even how poppy seeds are refined to heroin. He states that the they start with the “sugar cane plant, [then] the refining strips away its fibre, vitamins and minerals, leaving behind a white, crystalline substance that is very sweet and soluble” (Carr 2) and it added to foods deceiving us into likely foods that are not healthy. This trick the food industry has been guilty of for hundreds of years is causing and epidemic of health defects. 

The number one problem that sugar causing to the people that consume it, is presented in their every day health. Eating excessive consumptions of sugared beverages and foods is one of the main dietary factors that contribute to the development of obesity. Obesity now affects “more than 50 percent of adult Americans” and causes health risks such as “diabetes mellitus, hypertension heart disease, gallbladder disease, and some forms of cancer” (Bray) proving that there are no positive aspects to being overweight. Walter Willett, a doctor and professor for nutrition at Harvard Medical School, states that sugars enhance the flavor of foods and drinks. However, these addictive and tasty foods are exactly the way that companies get people hooked to their products, proving to be the leading role of increasing obesity rates. The association between sugar and poor health has contributed to “dental caries, [being] overweight, [and] diabetes” (Willett) trends and has been present for the past few decades. On his most recent double blinded, randomized study on children and sugar, the results showed that sugar “increases concentrations of insulin and triglycerides and reduces high density lipoprotein cholesterol” (Willett) increasing the risk in type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is when the body does not create enough insulin, or the cells don’t use the insulin properly causing blood sugar levels to sky rocket, which can lead to nerve damage or even heart disease. Oppositely, hypoglycemia is the result of “low blood sugar”, but it also “occurs frequently among diabetics” (Hypoglycemia). This usually occurs in response to the over consumption of sugar and the body generates too much insulin. Willett also states that efforts to reduce sugar intake are necessary, as well as improving the qualities of the sugars that are consumed.

If there are no initiations taken, the growing epidemic of sugar addiction will only expand even more. Some argue that the food addictions fall into the category of a habit, more so than an addition but studies have shown that it has the over-consumption of food is clearly defined as an addiction. A habit is defined “as a way of behaving that is repeated so often it no longer involves conscious thought”, whereas an addiction is “the state of needing to compulsively repeat a behavior.” (“Habits and Behaviors”) Addictions are easy to point out because the individual becomes dependence on the certain behavior. In this case, there is great debate on whether the consumption of sugar is considered fact or fallacy. Human minds are wired to obtain reward, it is driving factor for survival, which is exactly where the root of sugar addiction begins. Not being able to control what decisions to make is exactly “what happens with notice, morphine, cocaine, and alcohol-and it happens with food.” (Lustig 5.53) Many people argue that fast food addictions are not because of sugar, because the food is mostly made of sodium/anecdotal reports abound human ‘sugar addition’ 5.60, studies show otherwise. In study done with rodent models, the rats that were “exposed to intermittent sugar access binged. After taking the sugar away, the rats began to shows signs of withdrawal such as “teeth chattering, tremors, shakes, and anxiety” (Lustig 5.60) The sugar was then given back and the “seeking and craving phase [was] demonstrated where the animals consumed more sugar after [the] two-week imposed abstinence”. Some rats whose dopamine levels were elevated to more extreme levels demonstrated sugar addictions because they “readily switched to alcohol or amphetamine use” (Lustig 5.60), proving that sugar addiction is real. Sugar can be consumed in large amounts because it can satisfy the desire for sweetness, but the sweetness is far less intense than so, of other substances, causing people not to realize the large amounts they consume. This can only lead to greater issues in people’s health status, both in a physical manner and mentally.

Sugars and Sweeteners can not be just thrown away completely. For one, it would ruin the economy, as the food industry relies on it so heavily; secondly, sugar is the “most important sweetener… [and] tends to be one of the cheapest sources of dietary energy”. Some people argue that providing only 4 kilocalories per gram of energy is “merely ‘empty calories’” (Hagelberg) but it enhances the food and beverages that are consumed proving to play a vital dietary role. Although sugar does not provide tons of energy the consumption and “extraction by the body of the carbohydrate-based sugars, known as glucose” (“Carbohydrate Stores”) helps power the body. There have been attempts to find substitutes for sugar that are healthier and provide more nutritional benefits, but the substitutes usually only fall into one of the two categories. The Encyclopedia of Food and Culture states that some of the substitutes are either nutritive and caloric substances providing great amounts of energy or they are intense sweeteners that help with taste, but none of them can provide the benefits of both categories like sugar does. In Allen Carr’s book Good Sugar Bad Sugar, he shows that one main alternative is powdered fructose, but sometimes the nutrients leave an empty substance similar to refined sugar during the extracting process; however, another alternative are zero calorie sweeteners, but they can also have an adverse effect on the way people eat. Perhaps some people may think, if they are unable to find a substitute before the addiction begins they can find “an alternative that gives the sweetness of sugar without the calories… [but] this won’t cure the addition” (Carr 14.1) and will force them deeper into the trap. This goes without saying that, although there may seem to be alternatives that can substitute for sugar, no substitute offers the same positives without more risks. However, it is shown that sugar is not a safe substance, showing that changes must be implemented immediately. 

It is well-known of the risks involved with the overconsumption of sugar, but there is a misunderstanding of how intense the consequences are. No one will stand up for sugar and argue that it is good for you; however, the average person downplays sugar’s effect, thinking it can only cause “sugar rushes” and it isn’t the main reason for obesity. Those who are unaware think sugar can only rot in their teeth, but little do they know of the addiction developing within them every day. The roots of major health issues such as diabetes, obesity, and addictions stem from sugar itself. But, it is important to be aware that humans need a certain amount of sugar in their diet for energy, so sugar cannot be forgotten completely. The refining process that takes place on pure sugar adds processed carbohydrates and starchy carbohydrates making a clear difference between the two. The problem is that the sugar that is used in all most of foods is the refined sugar. If there are not immediate changes done within the food industry, by either cutting down the amount of sugar in all foods or finding healthy alternatives, the effects on individuals’ health, rates of obesity, and sugar dependence rates will only continue to increase.