It’s candy season, but what does all that added sugar mean for our health?
Oct 29, 2024, 7:00 PM
(iStock photos) Some of America’s affluent aren’t so keen on handing out candy to kids from poorer neighborhoods this Halloween.
(iStock photos)
SALT LAKE CITY — Halloween is this week and candy is everywhere you look. However, a local dietician warns that consuming too much added sugar can increase the risk of chronic disease.
An average American consumes almost 80 pounds of sugar a year, according to a new survey. Jenna Dyckman, a dietician and assistant professor at Utah State University Extension, told Dave & Dujanovic she wasn’t surprised to see a report about Americans consuming sugar.
However, she noted that the survey didn’t specify whether respondents were asked about general sugar intake or added sugar intake.
Why does the distinction matter?
“They might have surveyed everyone and said just their sugar intake in general, which, sugar is an important part of our diet if it’s from natural food sources. But, added sugar, that’s where the concern comes into play,” Dyckman said.
Sugar is sugar, regardless of whether it’s from a natural or added source, Dyckman said. Sugar in general gives our bodies energy to function.
But food that contains added sugar usually doesn’t have a lot of nutritional value.
“The foods that we eat that contain added sugar don’t really have a lot of other nutrients. So it’s mainly just more calories and more added sugar. Whereas with natural foods, if we take fruit, for example, it’s got fiber, it’s got other health-benefiting nutrients.”
Dyckman said when we consume too much sugar, it can increase the risk of health problems like class II obesity, diabetes and heart disease.
“That extra sugar will be stored in our body and could increase our weight… increase our risk for chronic disease.”
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