(NAPSA)-Wouldn't it
be great if sugar-that marvelous all-natural sweetener that makes
Grandma's apple pie the best in the world-didn't make people fat? It
wouldn't be just great, it would be true. And science proves it.
Sugar consumption
and obesity have been the subject of intense scrutiny for years. The
results of study after study are surprisingly consistent. Every major
review of the body of scientific literature exonerates sugar as the
explicit cause of any disease, including obesity.
In 2002, The
National Academy of Sciences completed a three-year analysis of the
science on diet and health including Body Mass Index (BMI). The
conclusion: "There is no clear and consistent association between
increased intakes of added sugars and BMI."
The FDA Sugars Task
Force, in a review of 1000 scientific papers, reported that "scientific
evidence clears sugars of links with other diseases including diabetes,
hypertension, behavior and obesity."
Scapegoats are the
rage these days. The need to blame something for society's problems has
become more important than the truth. Rather than endorse positive
changes in lifestyle to manage weight, it's easier to point a finger at
sugar as the reason for obesity. Science, however, doesn't support that
view.
Sugar is a basic
carbohydrate that every healthy body needs for energy. Put another way,
sugar is an essential fuel for muscles, internal organs and first-rate
brain function.
The natural sugar
you buy at the grocery store has only 15 calories a teaspoon. People
gain weight by taking in more calories than they burn over the course of
a day. Obesity is the result of eating too much food, especially foods
with a high-caloric content.
Here's why: A gram
of sugar, like that of any other carbohydrate, provides 4 calories in a
person's daily diet. One gram of fat, on the other hand, delivers 9
calories. But here's the real difference. Sugar is converted immediately
into the fuels a body needs. Fats are stored for later use. Energy from
fat-cell reserves is released only when other sources aren't available.
Science also
confirms another amazing fact: Sugar helps shut off the body's hunger
switch. Maybe that's why a little sliver of Grandma's apple pie is so
satisfying.
The simple fact is
if you're concerned about your weight, eat reasonable amounts, drink
plenty of water and maintain an appropriate level of physical activity.
With pure all-natural sugar as part of your active lifestyle, you'll
have the energy you need to get going in a healthy direction.
For more
information on the real facts about sugar, visit
www.sugar.org.
