Leadership and Executive Development for women of all races, cultures and backgrounds
Issue link: https://diversitywoman.epubxp.com/i/632328
DW Life > d i v e r s i t y w o m a n . c o m W i n t e r 2 0 1 6 D I V E R S I T Y W O M A N 49 Sugar has been implicated as the primary culprit in a slew of chronic health ailments, from diabetes to obesity. But do we really have to give up that morning muffn? 27 million Americans now have heart disease, and another 29 million have dia- betes, with half of all African American women and half of all Hispanic women and men expected to develop the condi- tion in their lifetime. Even many children are being diagnosed with type 2 diabe- tes, something that was unheard-of just two decades ago. And nearly one-third of adults have nonalcoholic fatty liver dis- ease, which can lead to liver failure. Most experts point to diet as a ma- jor factor in all of these conditions, and probably no one has been sounding the alarm about sugar more than Robert Lustig, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist at University of California at San Francisco Medical Center. His YouTube video, Sug- ar: Te Bitter Truth, with more than 6 mil- lion views, has prompted many to rethink By Kimberly Olson E xperts once believed that pro- cessed sugar wasn't all that harm- ful. Its worst ofenses seemed to be its "empty calories" and its contribution to tooth decay. Fast-forward to 2015, when the sweet stuf has become our latest food villain. It's been called toxic, a poison. If you haven't tried to cut down on sugar yourself, you likely know some- one who has. But are wafes and cup- cakes the real enemies? Te topic has generated plenty of con- troversy, with some saying the fears are overblown. But a growing body of research To Your Health DW Life > Is Sugar Evil? THINKSTOCKPHOTOS shows that our increasingly sugar-laden diets could be setting us up for a host of chronic health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and liver disorders. Some evidence even links overconsumption of sugar to cancers, Al- zheimer's disease, and depression. While the discussion heats up, we're learning more about how sugar afects the body— and are seeing some alarming health trends. Sugar: one piece of the puzzle In recent decades, several chronic health conditions have been on the rise. Nearly