How Does Sugar Affect Society

Obesity, diabetes, heart problems, and many more health hazards have all been linked to the added sugars in processed foods. Sugar is a sweetener that can be derived from several different sources. When consumed in large amounts, sugar can lead to many ongoing health problems. Although sugars can be found naturally in fruits, vegetables, and milk, the majority of sugar being consumed in found in processed foods and beverages. The name for sugar can be hidden in food labels and can vary from high fructose corn syrup, glucose, dextrose, sucrose, and much more. These variations of sugar can be found in the majority of processed foods that are being consumed by Americans every day. As many children begin to consume added sugars at a very young …show more content…
The use of alcohol and drugs are regulated by the government but yet sugar is not. Sugar can be just as toxic as alcohol and drugs but is being consumed is large amounts by almost all Americans. Sugar meets the same criteria for regulation as alcohol because it's unavoidable; there's potential for abuse; it's toxic; and it negatively impacts society. Sugar is added to so many processed foods that is it inescapable and people eat up to 500 calories per day in added sugar alone. Sugar affects the brain in the same way as alcohol and tobacco to encourage subsequent intake. (Jaslow). If alcohol and drugs are being regulated by the government in order to help Americans, then sugar should be regulated the same …show more content…
Filmmaker Stephanie Soechtig and journalist Katie Couric created the documentary, Fed Up, to make people more aware of the role that the food industry plays in their lives. Childhood obesity rates have grown exponentially in the past 30 years. At a very young age, children begin to eat unhealthy foods loaded with added sugar which leads to an addiction to sugar in their adult years which can cause severe and life threatening health problems. The film starred several overweight children who are trying - and failing - to lose weight. They all grew up oblivious to the fact that the food they were consuming everyday had hazardous effects on their body and were slowly killing them. Every character suffered from childhood obesity and wanted to make a change in their lives, but what these children did not understand was why they were seeing no change in weight despite their new efforts. They tried to eat the foods saying “Low in Fat!” and “50% Reduced Calories” but they still weighed the same. It was all because of the food industries - no matter how much of the fat and calories they took out or reduced, they were just replacing it with