25 September 2015

The trouble with sugar

It seems that sugar, not fat, is now considered to be public health enemy number one. After years of reducing the amount of dairy products and other sources of saturated fats from our diets, scientists now tell us that sugar is a major contributor to the rising obesity epidemic. And while obesity in children is a major cause of concern, obesity in old age can seriously affect people’s physical and mental health.

Age UK’s most recent Later Life UK Factsheet reports that around one in three men and women aged 65+ are classified as obese, so we need to help our older parents to watch their diets.

Obesity figures

The NHS Choices website points out that, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, one in four British adults is obese and that the UK has the highest level of obesity in Western Europe, costing the NHS around £5.1billion every year. Over the past 30 years obesity levels in the UK have more than trebled and it is estimated that more than half the population could be obese by 2050.

Image credit: publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk

Why is sugar such a problem?

We now have a much better understanding of the role of fat in our diet, but in an effort to make ‘low-fat’ and other processed food options more palatable, the food industry has been adding more and more sugar.

Any sugars added to food or drinks, or found naturally in honey, syrups and unsweetened fruit juices, are known as ‘free sugars’ and it’s these sugars which are causing health problems. Added sugars have little nutritional benefit, but are very high in energy. These extra calories can easily lead to weight gain and obesity, as well as dental problems.

Carrying excess weight, especially around the waist, is linked with health risks such as heart disease, breast and bowel cancer, stroke, and reduced life expectancy, as well as serious chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis and hypertension.

American endocrinologist and obesity expert Robert Lustig, has been warning of the dangers of too much sugar in the diet since 2009. His book Fat Chance: The Bitter Truth About Sugar describes how sugar interferes with the body’s normal hormonal balance, and can be addictive, so the more you eat, the more you crave. He has called for sugar to be regulated like tobacco.

Campaign to tax sugary drinks

There have been many public campaigns in recent years trying to raise awareness of the dangers of consuming too much sugar. Now, celebrity chef, restaurateur and food campaigner Jamie Oliver is behind a campaign asking for a levy on sugary drinks. Supported by many public health experts, the Sugar Rush campaign is calling for a 20% tax on fizzy drinks and says such a tax could raise £1 billion, which could be used to prevent obesity and diet-related disease.

The campaign created an online petition , which has already garnered more than the 100,000 signatures required to gain a parliamentary debate. However, the government has no current plans to introduce a tax on sugary beverages. Instead, the government says it is considering ‘a range of options for tackling childhood obesity’.

How much sugar is OK?

The latest (July 2015) government advice on sugar consumption was prompted by new recommendations by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) in the first major investigation into the relationship between sugar consumption and health outcomes in the UK since the 1990s.

The advice was to halve the recommended intake of free sugars to no more than 5% of our daily energy (calories) intake. That translates to maximum of 30g of added sugar a day for adults – around seven sugar cubes. The problem is that in the UK we consume an average of 15 cubes a day!

‘Free sugars’ added to sweets, cakes, biscuits, chocolate, processed foods, juice drinks, and especially fizzy drinks, are the ones we all need to cut down on. Sugars also occur naturally in fresh fruit and milk but it’s not necessary to reduce your intake of these foods. It’s shocking to realise that a single can of cola contains around 9 cubes of added sugar.

How to combat your older parent’s sweet tooth

Older people may not drink as much fizzy, sugary drinks as younger people, but it is still important to keep an eye on sugar consumption, especially as older people tend to have a sweet tooth.

Your older parent might take a couple of sugars in their tea and coffee, may have a liking for biscuits and cakes and would probably eat ice-cream every day if they could! As we age we begin to lose our taste buds and we prefer more salty and sweet foods. Biscuits and cakes are easy to eat (even with dentures) and deliver a fast energy boost, yet this can take the edge of their appetite for more nutritional meals.

If you want to help your older parent cut down on the amount of free sugars they’re consuming and develop a more balanced diet, here some good tips:

Gradually reduce the amount of sugar you take in hot drinks or add to breakfast cereal until you can cut it out completely.
Try a currant bun or scone with butter instead of cakes and biscuits.

With toast, try swapping jam, marmalade and honey for sliced banana, or low-fat cottage or cream cheese.
Buy tins of fruit in natural juice rather than syrup.
Read the nutritional labels on soups, sauces, and ready meals. You’ll be surprised how much added sugar these foods contain

Jamie Oliver’s website also has a section on tips and recipe ideas to reduce sugar intake.

Other useful websites

Public Health Matters: New SCAN sugar recommendations, July 2015

NHS : How to cut down on sugar in your diet

Jamie Oliver: Sugar Rush campaign