Americans Sweet on Sugar: Time to Regulate?

I am no cheerleader for the sick care or any other industry.

In this case, however, Big Sweet has it right.

Americans are eating unhealthy amounts of sugar, and excess sugar should be regulated like alcohol and tobacco, say researchers from the University of California, San Francisco.

"We are now seeing the toxic downside [of excess sugar intake]," Robert H. Lustig, MD, a professor of clinical pediatrics at the UCSF Center for Obesity Assessment, Study, and Treatment, tells WebMD. "There has to be some sort of societal intervention. We cannot do it on our own because sugar is addictive. Personal intervention is necessary, but not sufficient."

His views on regulating sugar are published as a commentary in the journal Nature.

Regulating Sugar: Industry Weigh-In

WebMD asked the Sugar Association, an industry group, to review the recommendations.

Charles Baker, PhD, the association's chief scientific officer, responded by email. "When the full body of science is evaluated during a major review, experts continue to conclude that sugar intake is not a causative factor in any disease, including obesity," he says.

And it will always be right.

The issue is too much.

The issue is not sugar.

The issue is that people are unable to fully experience the results of their gluttony.

If they did, e.g., higher sick care insurance premiums, they would think before eating sugar, or any other Calorie source, to excess.