Excess sugar intake is linked to many health problems. Recent research has shown that high sugar intake can greatly increase heart disease risk, and a new MRI technique even confirmed that cancer cells feed on sugar.
New research shows how much benefits 10 days without sugar really can provide. Let’s take a look at what happens when you kick sugar for 10 days.
It is a common belief that diets take months, or more, to make an impact. However, new research from Dr. Robert Lustig and his research team at the University of California, San Francisco shows that just 10 days of getting rid of sugar can start to make an impact.
In the 10 day study, the participants, who were children showed a 33 point average reduction in triglycerides. Cholesterol dropped by an average 5 points, and so did blood pressure.
The children had a significant reduced risk of diabetes, and blood sugar and insulin levels were stabilized to normal levels.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Chief Medical Correspondent for the United States believes that this study confirms all calories are not created equally.
“As much as we love the simple accounting principles of calorie counting, there are some calories that are simply worse than others, and for most people, sugar is at the top of the list,” Gupta told CNN. “The table sugar most people know is sucrose, made up of equal parts glucose and fructose. But it is the fructose that is such a bad actor, Lustig told me. The reason why is really fascinating.”
By now it is a fairly well known fact that added sugars are harmful to health. However, Americans are still consuming way too much.
The American Heart Association and the World Health Organization recommend no more than 9 teaspoons of sugars per day and 6 teaspoons for women – the less the better.
The average American consumes about 20 teaspoons of added sugar a day.
The study showing what happens when you kick sugar for 10 days was published in the journal Obesity.
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REFERENCES:
1. “Study: Cutting Sugar Improves Kids’ Health in 10 Days.” CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.
2. “Isocaloric Fructose Restriction and Metabolic Improvement in Children with Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome.” Obesity. Obesity, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.
