According to a recently issued scientific statement by the American Heart Association, on Dietary Sugars Intake and Cardiovascular Health, it is the country’s sweet tooth that is responsible for the obesity epidemic. Consider these facts:
- Between the years 1970 and 2005 there has been a sharp 20% increase in the amount of sugar consumed by Americans.
- Americans consume between 22 and 30 teaspoons of sugar a day.
- This translates to consuming between 350 and 475 empty calories per day.
- Sugar, sweetened drinks and other foods with added sugar are responsible for increasing the risk of many diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease as well as obesity.
- Just one sweetened drink a day, over one year, translates to 30 pounds of sugar a year. And if typically there is a soft drink along with a meal, perhaps a ‘sports drink’ after a workout and perhaps another sweet drink while watching TV and you realize what a lot of sugar that translates to!
- These sweet drinks are a major culprit that contributes to childhood obesity as well.
- They have no nutritional value and are a source of calories that the body neither needs nor can afford to consume.
