The Downside of Having a Sweet Tooth

The Downside of Having a Sweet Tooth

Regular(ˈreg(ə)lər,ˈregyələr) consumption(kənˈsəm(p)SHən) of sugary(ˈSHo͝ogərē) drinks heightens(ˈhītn) the risk(risk) not only of tooth decay(dəˈkā), obesity(ōˈbēsədē), fatty(ˈfadē) liver(ˈlivər) disease and Type 2 diabetes(ˌdīəˈbēdēz, ˌdīəˈbēdis), but also of heart(härt) disease(dəˈzēz) and premature(-ˈt(y)o͝or,ˌprēməˈCHo͝or) death.

By Jane(jān) E. Brody(rō)

Sweet dreams, sweet spot(spät), sweet as pie(pī), sweet young thing: All have a positive connotation(ˌkänəˈtāSHən). But what about sweet tooth, which Americans seem to have cultivated(ˈkəltəˌvādəd) to great excess(ikˈses,ˈekses)? The health effects(əˈfekt) of this obsession(əbˈseSHən) with everything sweet are anything but positive.

In fact, recent reports have found that regular consumption of sugary drinks heightens the risk not only of tooth decay, obesity, fatty liver disease and Type 2 diabetes, but also of heart disease and premature death, even in people free of other risk factors.

You may have encountered contrary(ˈkäntrerē) findings — reports that seemed to exonerate(igˈzänəˌrāt) sugar consumption as a health hazard(ˈhazərd). Companies that produce sugar-laden(ˈlādn) foods and drinks would like you to believe that ailments(ˈālmənt) linked to sugars result from excess calories(ˈkal(ə)rē), not sugars themselves. Don’t believe them; most reports holding sugar blameless(ˈblāmləs) are from sources(sôrs) tied directly or indirectly to financial(fī-,fəˈnanCHəl) support from the industries that depend on caloric(kəˈlôrik, kəˈlärik) sweeteners(ˈswētn-ər,ˈswētnər).

For example, one prominent(ˈprämənənt) contrarian(kän-,kənˈtre(ə)rēən), Dr. James(jāmz) M. Rippe, has received a monthly retainer(rəˈtānər) from the Corn(kôrn) Refiners(rəˈfīnər) Association(-SHē-,əˌsōsēˈāSHən), whose members produce high-fructose(-ˌtōz,ˈfro͝ok-,ˈfrəkˌtōs) corn syrup(ˈsirəp) and which provided $10 million for his lab’s studies that found fructose to be no more hazardous(ˈhazərdəs) than the natural blood sugar, glucose(ˈglo͞okōs). To a layperson(ˈlāˌpərsən) unfamiliar(ˌənfəˈmilyər) with subtle(ˈsədl) nutritional(n(y)o͞oˈtriSHənl, n(y)o͞oˈtriSHnəl) influences(ˈinflo͝oəns), these and similar findings may appear convincing(kənˈvinsiNG), but they rarely(ˈre(ə)rlē) survive independent scientific scrutiny(ˈskro͞otnē). More about this later.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/22/well/eat/the-downside-of-having-a-sweet-tooth.html