Is Sugar Toxic?

[pellegrino]

I only crave sugary snacks after my evening meal. Most nights it doesn't take much to satisfy it, just a few chocolate almonds (about 100 calories worth). I'm kind of blown away that sugar plays a part in 25% of most Americans' diets. I can't imagine eating that much sugar, but I guess when your diet is mainly processed foods then it wouldn't be difficult to hit 25% or even exceed it.

[ERCougar]

I only crave sugary snacks after my evening meal. Most nights it doesn't take much to satisfy it, just a few chocolate almonds (about 100 calories worth). I'm kind of blown away that sugar plays a part in 25% of most Americans' diets. I can't imagine eating that much sugar, but I guess when your diet is mainly processed foods then it wouldn't be difficult to hit 25% or even exceed it.

I think the podcast mentioned somewhere around 15% of Americans are at that level. It equated it to 3 cans of pop a day--a lot, but I know some people that are up in that range. I have a huge sweet tooth and while I don't drink, I eat more sweets than I should. Since I'm not overweight, I haven't really paid attention, but the fact that the unhealthy mice were also not overweight has gotten me thinking a little.

One other thing I forgot to mention--these researchers were not initially interested in sugar. I can't remember what field they were in, but they had discovered that studying reproductive rates of mice in real environments allowed them to observe effects much more sensitively than the traditional method of in-the-cage. So they turned to their toxicology friends to see what substance they were curious about at realistic levels (and not megadoses, which is the amount usually required to show an effect). Sugar was suggested and hence, the study. It's exciting because it will allow scientists to study a whole range of possible toxins, including artificial sweeteners, at realistic exposure levels.