Sugar’s Hidden Dangers

DW (English)

The World Health Organization recommends eating a maximum of 25 grams of sugar a day—the same as eight sugar cubes. That’s not so much when you consider how much sugar is concealed in processed foods. So what should you watch out for?

Transcript

00:00 Gumdrops, licorice or chocolate.

00:04 Somehow we just can't keep our hands off them.

00:07 Sweet temptation.

00:10 Relaxation, happiness.

00:14 Because it's like a little reward sometimes.

00:19 For a moment you forget the world.

00:25 It makes you happy.

00:27 Yes, really. And the science bears it out.

00:31 Nutritionist Martin Smolik explains what sweeteners do to us.

00:35 Sugar and also fat have positive effects on the brain.

00:40 When the two come together it's particularly critical.

00:43 So when there's sugar and fat in one food,

00:46 that triggers dopamine release all the more and creates this happiness effect.

00:51 That might sound good, but actually it's bad.

00:54 Sugar is unhealthy. It provides pure energy without vitamins or nutrients.

00:59 And that can make you ill.

01:01 When sugar enters the body, insulin is released

01:06 and we consume energy in the form of calories.

01:09 And both together, a lot of insulin and a lot of calories,

01:13 are at the root of all diseases of civilization.

01:17 Among them, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease,

01:22 lipid metabolism disorder, cardiovascular diseases,

01:25 obesity, diabetes and cancer.

01:28 The World Health Organization recommends a maximum of 8 cubes of sugar per day.

01:33 That's 25 grams.

01:35 But most of us eat 2 to 3 times this amount.

01:38 It looks very straightforward. Very little versus a lot.

01:43 But none of us eat sugar cubes.

01:45 We have this discrepancy because this here is hidden in so many foods.

01:49 For example, in fruit yogurts, ready-to-eat meals and snacks.

01:54 We find sugar everywhere in the list of ingredients,

01:57 often listed as glucose, dextrose, invert sugar syrup or fructose.

02:02 Hold on, fructose?

02:05 Fructose sounds very healthy,

02:08 better than industrially produced conventional sugar at least.

02:11 But the problem is, is that fructose is particularly toxic for the liver.

02:16 Incidentally, this also applies to natural and supposedly healthier sweetener alternatives,

02:22 including agave syrup, maple syrup or honey.

02:25 All sugar.

02:27 In honey there are traces of other substances, vitamins, minerals,

02:34 but in very small amounts.

02:36 You can't eat enough kilos of honey to have any relevant vitamin intake.

02:40 That's just marketing and nonsense ultimately.

02:44 Fruit contains many vitamins as well.

02:47 So despite the fructose, you can eat up to two portions a day.

02:51 And if you exercise a lot, you can also consume a little more sugar.

02:56 Half an hour's jogging earns you a chocolate bar, at least a small one.

Category

Transcript

Recommended