How Damaging is #Sugar, really?

In the battle against obesity, and our stance on fat, have we gotten it all wrong?

If we look at our global health we are currently overweight, suffering from diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancers.

In 2012, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, our adult population between the ages of 18-24 years was roughly 40% overweight or obese. A staggering 75% of us in the age bracket of 45-70 years old are deemed obese!

Obesity is costing us a fortune, an estimated $58 billion a year to be exact.

All the major health bodies have been recommending we eat less fat and more grain based carbohydrates for the last 30 years.                                                                       Shopping isles are filled almost top to bottom with low fat everything, from milk to bread to bacon.

Yet it’s during this time our obesity rates have been soaring through the roof, so did we get it wrong? Has the cause of the global obesity and chronic disease crisis actually been grain based carbohydrates and sugar all along?

Associate Professor Tim Crowe from Deakin University states: “The simple ‘eat less fat’ message hasn’t worked very well… people ate less fat but replaced it with a lot of processed carbohydrates, particularly sugar.”

Sugar and carbohydrates are packed full of calories and turns to fat once ingested very easily, when compared with fats and oils. Fats and oils within food has been discovered to make us feel full and satiated, so we stop eating, whereas carbs and sugars do not have this ability.

This new science is changing how we view treats, meaning a full-fat ice cream is potentially healthier and less likely to put on weight than a can of soft drink.

Another new study coming out of UNSW has also spoken about the changes to the brain volume and structure in infants or children consuming high amounts of sugar. Their brains mimic those of children that have been through extreme abuse or trauma and whose brains have adapted to now function in a constant state of anxiety.

Next weeks article will be on how healthy is your breast milk?

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