By: Kelleigh Eastman, Baltimore Corps Fellow

Almost half way through 2016 and it is not looking good for that sweet substance we call sugar; especially the liquid form found in soft drinks, sweetened teas and coffees, fruit juices, flavored waters, sports drinks, and energy drinks. If you do a quick Google News search for sugary drinks, you will see recent headlines like “Here’s how Sugary Drinks Bring you Closer to Death”, “New Study Links Sugary Drinks to ‘Deep’ Fat”, and “Here’s How Sugar Might Fuel the Growth of Cancer.” Really?…Death? Cancer? We all know that sugary drinks are not a health food, but are they THAT bad for us? Let’s find out by taking a closer look into some of the latest research on sugar and sugary drinks.

We know that consuming sugary drinks contributes to tooth decay, obesity, and diabetes  – no matter what they try to tell you. Repeat after me, “Sugary drinks are a major contributor to the obesity epidemic”. So, you may ask, if I drink soda I will get diabetes and become obese? Not necessarily, but you are increasing your risk. Studies show that people who regularly consume sugary drinks (at least one can per day) have 20% greater risk of having a heart attack, a 27% greater risk of being overweight or obese, and a 26% greater risk of developing type II diabetes. For children, the odds of becoming obese increase by 60% for each sugary beverage drank per day.

So drinking one sugary drink per day is putting you at greater risk for obesity, diabetes, and heart disease just for starters. At this point, you may be wondering, “how much sugar can I safely consume”? The truth is you are better off without any, any added sugar that is. There is a difference between naturally occurring sugars, like those found in foods including fruits and milk, and added sugars like sucrose and high fructose corn syrup that are added during processing to products like soft drinks, fruit juices, and even breads (click here for an article onfoods surprisingly high in sugar and a printable list of the many names of hidden sugars).

Some of the most exciting sugar news so far this year is about how much added sugar we should consume and is brought to us by the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Previously these guidelines recommended that people “limit their intake” of added sugars…whatever that means. The new guidelines actually give us a number to work with. They recommend that people get less than 10% of their daily calories from added sugars (remember that does not include those in fruits and milk!). So if you look at the average 2,000 calories diet, that is no more than 200 calories, or 50 grams, from added sugar per day; the equivalent of 4 tablespoons. In food terms, you can get more than a day’s worth of sugar in a single meal with items like Applebee’s honey BBQ sauce boneless wings with ranch dressing (50 grams), the Caribbean Salad from Chili’s (66 grams), or the banana-bread French toast from IHOP (102 grams!). That’s not to mention drinks like sodas which contain 52 grams of sugar in a single 16-ounce bottle.

When we really think about how much we go out to eat and our love for sweet drinks and sauces (the author is a recovering BBQ sauce addict), most of us are consuming well over the recommended amount of added sugar every day. It’s not surprising then that over 35% of Americans are obese, almost 70% are overweight or obese, and 29.1 million Americans, nearly 10% of the population, have Type II diabetes. Yes, obesity is a complex issue involving many lifestyle, socioeconomic, psychosocial, and environmental factors. But, the truth is that added sugars are being widely overconsumed by Americans and sugary drinks are one of the main culprits (hello breakfast cereal, you’re next). Sugary drinks increase your visceral fat (fat stored deep in the belly around the organs – the most dangerous kind) and visceral fat is linked toheart disease and diabetes. Furthermore, sugar consumption leads to increased risk of cancer, particularly breast cancer. Heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are the #1, #2, and #7 cause of death in America, respectively. So yes Virginia, that soda could kill you.

Does this make you nervous? Get yourself together because it’s going to be okay. There are many policy and individual-level changes that we can make to reverse these health issues in our families and ourselves. As an individual, you can start to cut down on sugar by being aware of how much added sugar from food and drinks you are consuming. Start reading labels (remember you want to aim for 0-50 grams of added sugar per day), think about sugar that you are adding to foods like coffee and tea and try to cut back on that, and switch to plain yogurt instead of flavored. Check out some more tips from the American Heart Association for cutting down on sugar. You can even check out the Baltimore City Health Department’s website for a downloadable calendar and take our 30-day sugary drink-free challenge!

Those are a few things we as individuals can do, in addition to being more active, to reduce our risk of chronic disease and early death. But what can we do to make it easier for us, to help us in our struggle to resist sugar? A recent study showed that if beverage companies were to cut the amount of sugar in sweetened drinks by 40% over five years, we could see 300,000 fewer cases of Type II diabetes, 500,000 fewer cases of being overweight, and 1 million fewer cases of obesity over 20 years. That sounds like an element of a good long-term plan, but many people will die from diabetes in that time, so what can we do now? A couple of policy changes are being implemented to widely educate and deter the purchase and consumption of sugary drinks. In 2014, Mexico instituted a small tax on all sugary drinks, which seems to be working. Sales from sugary drinks have decreased by 6% across the nation. Also of note here is that not only did sugary drink purchases decrease, but the sales of untaxed beverages, like water, increased by 4%!

In Baltimore, we are trying another approach. We are taking the route of public health education to combat obesity. Legislation has been introduced to City Council that would require warning labels to be displayed wherever sugary drinks are sold. Warning labels are an effective way to get across important public health messages and allows consumers to make the most informed choices for their health and the health of their families. In fact, a recent study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that parents who saw a sugary drink warning label were significantly less likely to purchase these drinks for their children. These labels may also be an important way to educate parents about the risk that comes from drinking sugary beverages. If you would like to join the many parents, medical professionals, and advocates who have already signed on in support of this bill please sign and share our petition:bit.ly/Rethink-Your-Drink.

While it may not be the year for sugar, make it the year for your health! Join us in our quest for healthier, happier sugar-free lifestyles for all!