Ban on sugar for healthy lives
To get all the nutrients needed for the body, we must eat a balanced diet while at the same time, avoid some food products that may be harmful to our bodies (Ivey, 2016). One of such harmful food products is added sugar. Harvard School of Public health hasdeclayed that fruit punches, sodas, sports drinks, and sweetened drinks are the sinlge largest source of added sugar and calories in the American diet. We can reduce sugar consumption if people are well educated and can make informed decisions. The other option would be to impose taxes on sugary products.
Claim
The government should impose high taxes or ban on sugar to ensure that people lead healthy lives (keener & Robert, 2014).
Ground
According to a Harvard professor of nutrition and epidemiology, Frank Hu, sugary beverages, increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, fatty liver disease, heart disease, and tooth decay.
High sugar consumption poses many health risks and ailments in our bodies. One of the known risks is obesity and weight gain (Thomas, 2019). These two conditions expose one to the risk of getting Diabetes type 2. Prolonged consumption of sugar causes resistance to insulin, a hormone responsible for sugar regulation in the body.
High consumption of sugar has also been attributed to aging fast and acne. This is because the excess sugar attaches itself to proteins, which later form molecules responsible for the sagging and the wrinkles on the skin. Sugary foods and drinks increase blood sugar, and eventually, the insulin level. This leads to an increase in androgen secretion, oil production, and inflammation. All these are known to contribute to the development of acne. Additionally, high consumption of sugar causes tooth decay, which may later result in loss of teeth.
Some researchers have shown an increase in cancer cases for populations that consume a lot of sugar. A diet with a lot of sugar causes body inflammation and obesity. These two have been seen to increase the chances of cancer infection.
Furthermore, sugar causes mood swings and cravings. When sugar gets into the brain through the bloodstream, it causes a release of a feel-good chemical known as Dopamine in large quantities. This chemical affects the moods of an individual whenever there is a shortage or excess of sugar in the blood.
Another challenge posed by high sugar is that it drains one’s energy. Sugary foods and drinks lead to a short energy boost but this is quickly followed by a sharp drop of the sugar in the blood. This is, however, different when such foods are taken together with proteins and foods that have fiber.
High sugar intake has been associated with fatty liver. Excess sugar is stored as fats, and they can cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition occassioned by a buildup of fats in the liver. Excess sugar intake also increases the risks of cancer disease. This is because the blood vessels in the kidneys are likely to be damaged. Sugar taken in high quantities increases the risk of developing gout. Added sugars are known to raise uric acid levels in the bloodstream, increasing the chances of inflammation.
Backing
In 2015, The British Medical Association called on Mr. Cameron’s government to put a 20 percent tax on sugar. They said that such taxation had the potential to improve the health of the people (www.hsph.harvard.edu). In November 2015, The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) added their backing in the tax debate on sugar to all world leaders.
Mexico has registered a reduction in the sale of sugary drinks by 6 percent after a 10 percent tax was introduced in January 2014.
Additionally, workers at the University of California showed metabolic benefits and lost belly with the sugary drink ban in the medical center.
The sugar ban should apply to all drinks with more than sixteen ounces, including milk-based, fruit, and alcoholic beverages. Additionally, the ban should apply to all outlets, including restaurants, convenience stores, and other selling points (https://london.ac.uk/health).
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Rebuttal
Although sugar has some effects on our health, it is hard to point out a sugar-dose relationship between sugar and obesity. This is because this relationship differs among different people (Francis et al.,2017). Acording to William Dermody, a spokesman for the American Beverage Association, points out that sugar reduction had not necessarily seen a drop in obesity rates in the last 16 years. He notes that despite some large companies offering many more drinks that are low in calories, the obesity epidemic is still persistent in America.
Additionally, the imposition of high taxes on sugar could lead low-income families to turn to other options, which could be expensive, unhealthy, or sometimes inconvenient.
It is also good to know that as much as sugar ban might be useful for some time, a more permanent and reliable mode should be adopted as the government works towards the reduction of sugar intake in our drinks. This is by educational campaigns that would educate and encourage people to make informed choices regarding sugar consumption
Another strategy that could be adopted would be to a crackdown on advertising on sugar and other sugary products and promotional deals of sweet drinks and food.
According to Dr. Laura Cornelsen, a professor at a London school in public health economics, it is hard to change behavior, especially if people say they like a product which they have used for a long time. She says that in such a situation, a change of price may not affect the consumption of a product at a high rate.
Qualifier
It might be presumed that a ban on sugar will automatically help people live healthy lives. This is not entirely true because high sugar consumption is not the only contributor to unhealthy food in our diets. Intake of salt, saturated fats, and high-calorie dairy products have also greatly affected peoples’ health (Voon, 2014). Ban on sugar only might, therefore, send a wrong message to the public that sugar was the only unhealthy product. Additionally, the government should work on measures like subsidizing healthy foods, so that to make them attractive to the people. Regular exercise is also another good habit that should be encouraged.