Health Awareness Talk at Concord University

According to the American Heart Association, those who got 17 to 21 percent of calories from added sugar had a 38 percent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to those who consumed 8 percent of their calories from added sugar. Unfortunately, added sugar is in nearly every single product shelved in American stores.

    On March 3, Ashli Twitty, a health promotion graduate student studying here at Concord University, offered a talk on added sugar and its effects. “I am interested in health because I’d like to help empower others to take control of their health,” states Twitty.

    In her talk, Twitty stressed the difference between naturally occurring sugars in what we consume and added sugar for taste, first asking the question ‘where is it found?’ Some sugar, cites Twitty, is naturally found in fruit, honey, nectar, sugar cane, sugar beets, and even milk. However, manmade sugar does exist and is constantly added to our foods, but it requires complex processing techniques. “High fructose corn syrup is a favorite because it’s cheap,” Twitty says.

    “80% of foods in grocery stores contain added sugar,” cites Twitty. “White bread, yogurt, low fat foods, fruit juice, and even ‘nutritional’ water” all contain added sugars.

    But how much sugar should we consume? According to the American Heart Association, “Americans should limit intake of added sugar to 6 teaspoons per day for women and 9 teaspoons per day for men.” To put this in perspective, one teaspoon is equal to four grams. Therefore, the guidelines given here for women only allow for 24 grams of sugar per day. A 20 ounce soda can have as many as 69 grams of sugar.

    Only the added sugar poses any sort of significant health risk, however. Most foods with naturally occurring sugars have enough of a balance with other nutrients and fiber, which, Twitty states, aids in the processing of the sugar and its breakdown. This is when sugar can be beneficial, especially as a source of energy.

    However, the World Health Organization suggests that less than 10 percent of daily energy comes from sugar, and, for “optimum health benefits,” less than 5 percent. According to Twitty, organizations originally listed 5 percent, but most likely increased that number to 10  percent after facing pressure.

    “The amount of added sugar we consume matters greatly,” says Twitty. “Sugar is addictive. Added sugar has zero nutritional value. In fact, it has the same effect on the brain as drugs. The sweet taste triggers the reward system in your brain.” Sugar has been known to affect several areas of health, including oral health. “Sugar is a catalyst for periodontal disease as bacteria thrive on sugar,” Twitty states.

    In addition, sugar is directly directed to obesity. A staggering 35 percent of the U.S. population is obese, reports Twitty. “Even those that may not appear to be fat may still be unhealthy as their body composition can say otherwise.” Other more extreme effects include Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

    At the time of the presentation, Twitty was on day 11 of a self-prescribed challenge to wean herself off of as much added sugars as she possibly could. “Here are some of the side effects of a sugar detox. Days one through three were not too bad. Days four through five, I had a constant headache, and some nausea. On day six I had a migraine and neck tension. On days seven through eight, I was extremely irritable, and I had upper back and neck tension. But on days nine through 10, my appetite had changed and I had no constant hunger. I was actually satisfied by food and noticed no cravings.”

    Twitty did not close without giving some tips on how students could decrease their added sugar intake, which included the following: “Decrease or eliminate soda consumption, decrease sugary sweets, read labels, especially on processed foods, make food exchanges, cook your own meals whenever possible, and above all, write down any goals you want to reach and stick to them as much as possible.”