(Part Two)
It is literally impossible to overstate the challenge we
confront when it comes to our health and the substances we consume. The forces at
war against our good health are in every way the enormous powers of our culture, our institutions and the very structure of our society.
We are talking here about trillions of dollars in commerce —
the food and agriculture industries, healthcare and nutrition industries, the
global advertising and public relations giants, our political systems, to name
only the most obvious — and, the most
ferocious Titan of them all, the most addictive substance on earth… sugar.
These are the powers we face.
Unless we work together to deal with our sugar addiction
challenge and the inevitable, catastrophic results of too much sugar
consumption – the eight chronic metabolic syndrome (insulin resistance)
diseases: heart disease, lipid (blood) problems, hypertension, type 2 diabetes,
cancer (especially breast and colon), polycystic ovarian syndrome, and dementia
– we will be responsible for passing on a horrendously flawed and fatal legacy
to our grandkids.
So what will our legacy be? On our watch will we look the
other way and continue to allow certain “powers of our society” to destroy our
health and more importantly (as a child of the Baby Boomer generation) the
health of our children and grandchildren? Or, will we rise to the challenge and
make Health a priority?
Dr. Robert H. Lustig, M.D., MSL Professor of Pediatrics in the
Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco, one
of the world’s most vocal anti-sugar advocates, characterizes the enormity of
our challenge: “the obesity epidemic itself is in large part a direct result of
“sugar addiction” similar to alcohol and cocaine brought about by the
ubiquitous use of fructose (sugar) in nearly 100% of processed foods sold to the
public. (1)
“No one chooses obesity. Obesity chooses them... How long do
you believe you can exert a cognitive inhibition (willpower) control over a
biochemical drive that goes on 24/7/365, getting worse every single day that
you don’t perform it? No one can exert that level of willpower over a
biochemical. It’s just not possible.” (2)
Nearly all of us in the U.S. unknowingly consume mega-amounts of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). And, after years of consumption we
are in serious trouble physically and our nation is near the healthcare
breaking point financially.
High Fructose Corn Syrup, and its cousin sucrose, are both
slow poisons. Consumption of mega-amounts of sugar is now proven to link directly
with at least eight of the most common diseases which affect 60% of U.S. population
and total 75% of global healthcare expenditures. (2)
“Further, Dr. Lustig, et al., clearly described our
challenge in the conclusion of Toward Evidence-Based Polices for Reduction of Dietary Sugars, Lessons from the Alcohol Experience (3.):
“Any successful regulatory approach to preventing the health
harms associated with the overconsumption of dietary sugars must not just
confront, but ideally balance, the complex and competing interests of
consumers, government, and commercial interests, including producers,
distributors, and retailers. The production and sale of alcohol, as with sugar,
is an important economic activity that generates profits, jobs, tax dollars,
and currency. Industrial producers and distributors face economic losses when
consumption is reduced, thus placing public health goals at loggerhead with
commercial interests. Meanwhile, government has its own competing interests. On
the one hand, it is charged with protecting the economy, encouraging commodity
exports, increasing its own tax base, and generating tariffs. On the other
hand, governments are responsible for protecting public health, as well as
financing the costs of chronic disease through pubic insurance programs like
Medicare and subsidizing the costs of food through federal assistance programs
for low-income populations. While these interests are not necessarily
irreconcilable, understanding and balancing these
personal–commercial–governmental alignments is essential for promoting
effective regulatory regimes.”
“The political and economic barriers inherent in applying
lessons learned from the alcohol experience to dietary sugar are significant,
but not insurmountable. One barrier to policy change is the food industry
itself. Virtually all food companies are now part of vast, publicly traded
conglomerates that have a fiduciary responsibility to shareholders and are
judged on 3-month profit cycles.”
Taken in the light of the gargantuan health challenge we
face, Philly’s Sugar Tax is obviously only a single step toward slaying enormous
giants to ensure the health of ourselves, our children and our grandchildren.
Still, it is a step which we must make in every city
throughout the world in order to mount our successful challenge to overcome the
powers of our society.
Sources
1. “Sugar the Bitter Truth”, Dr. Robert H. Lustig, M.D., MSL Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco, UCTV Series: UCSF Mini Medical School for the Public [7/2009]
[Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 16717]
2. “The Skinny on Obesity”, 7-part series, (Ep. 4): Sugar -
A Sweet Addiction, Dr. Robert H. Lustig, M.D.
3. Toward
Evidence-Based Policies for Reduction of Dietary Sugars, Lessons from the Alcohol Experience, Laura A. Schmidt, Anisha
I.
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