There is Nothing Sweet About Sugar

Did you know sugar is added to 74% of packaged foods you find at grocery stores? Yet when you go to look at the labels you often don’t see the word “sugar” printed on the back. What gives? Since there are 61 different names for sugar out there (list here), sometimes it’s easier to find Waldo than the sugar hiding in your next “all natural” granola bar.

There is plenty of research about sugar, though parsing through the complex studies can be quite challenging. Luckily, health scientists from the University of California, San Francisco, along with help from UC Davis and Emory University, developed sugarscience.org as an authoritative source for information on sugar and it’s impact on your health.

The site is intended to provide unbiased results to the public and offer reliable information. For instance, this report published in PLOS Medicine shows financial conflicts of interest may have altered studies on sugar-sweetened beverages.

The site’s easy-to-read, accessible graphs, videos, and images show just how must damage sugar can do to someone’s health. You can also see recommended sugar intake for men, women, and children; what products have the most added sugar; and how large amounts of sugar affect our health.

You can even ask the “SugarScientists” questions regarding sugar in all its iterations or even see how long it takes to see the benefits of reducing sugar intake. Overall the site is a great tool for those looking to change their health or help others do the same.