Sugar
| Sugar link (drug) | |
|---|---|
| Sugar is rarely considered a drug, but it is classified here as such due to its addictive nature and negative impact on health. |
Sugar is a label given to a range of white crystalline solids. They are naturally occurring, high in calories, and sweet tasting.
Occurrence in nature
Sugar is relatively rare in natural foods, but as a cheap and taste giving additive is has become almost ubiquitous in modern processed food.
Health effects
Sugar consumption has been long been suspected to be correlated with poor health outcomes, including obesity and diabetes. Research results to this effect have existed since at least the 1970s. However (as with Glyphosate) this information was however not widely disseminated, due to commercial pressure (in this case, from the sugar lobby).[1]
Exposure
In 1972 John Yudkin published Pure, White and Deadly, which gained an international reputation. The effects of chronic high consumption of sugar have gradually been recognised - in particular its correlation with obesity.Template:Cn Watchdog groups have observed how the sugar lobby does influence scientific expertise, favors weak voluntary sugar reduction schemes, outmaneuvers consumer groups by spending billions on aggressive lobbying and through that lobbying, exercises undue influence over EU regulatory bodies.[2]
21st Century
In 2019, Public Health England claimed that the average 10 year old in the UK had consumed as much sugar as was recommended for an 18 year old.[3]