Like many countries, the U.S. has a love affair with sugar. Americans consume an average of 17 teaspoons of added sugar a day, or about 57 pounds of added sugar each year, per person. Health experts say that the amount of added sugar most people eat is far more than needed in order to provide the body energy. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) of added sugar per day for women and 9 teaspoons (38 grams) for men. The AHA limits for children vary depending on their age and caloric needs, but range between 3-6 teaspoons (12 – 25 grams) per day. With as many as 11 teaspoons (46.2 grams) of added sugar in one 12 oz. soda, a single serving is close to double most people’s daily sugar allowance.
The USDA has posted the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee’s final scientific report, a review of the latest available science on specific nutrition topics, according to a statement from USDA. The findings will inform the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as they develop the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.The U.S. dietary guideline recommendations call for a significant reduction in sugar consumption by adults and children.
Of high importance regarding children, the CDC issued an alert onTuesday about the expected increase in acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) cases over the next few months. This an uncommon neurologic condition that largely affects children and can result in permanent paralysis. The US has experienced increases in AFM cases every other year starting in 2014.
For this Weekend’s Reading, click on the news source name for each article to check out High Alert: AFM, for the CDC’s announcement and other information about AFM. Next, explore Sugar, Sugar, for articles on the dark history of sugar, our sugar love affair and its impact on our brains and more. Take time to check out Give Me the Facts – quick reads of less than 10 minutes!
I hope you enjoy the following:
1. High Alert: AFM
- CDC: CDC Expects 2020 Outbreak of Life-Threatening Acute Flaccid Myelitis
- TIME: AFM, a Biennial Polio-Like Viral Illness, Is Expected to Hit the U.S. in 2020
2. Sugar, Sugar
A Dark History
- BuzzFeed News: Here’s How A Colorado Dentist Became Big Sugar’s Worst Nightmare
- NPR: 50 Years Ago, Sugar Industry Quietly Paid Scientists To Point Blame At Fat
- New York Times Magazine: The sugar that saturates the American diet has a barbaric history as the ‘white gold’ that fueled slavery
Love that Lasts a Lifetime
- WAPO: New U.S. dietary guideline recommendations take aim at sugar for children and adults
- STAT News: Black lives depend on the U.S. dietary guidelines. Don’t water them down
Weighing-In
- Kaiser Health News: America’s Obesity Epidemic Threatens Effectiveness of Any COVID Vaccine
- University of California San Francisco: 1 in 3 Young Adults May Face Severe COVID-19, UCSF Study Shows
- MEDSCAPE: High BMI in Early Adulthood Linked to Increased Dementia Risk
- University of Michigan – News: ‘Talkative’ brain regions create self-control challenges for teens with obesity
3. Just Give Me the Facts (under 10 minutes)
- New York Times: Is There Such a Thing as a ‘Sugar High’?
- Reuters Fact check: Rate of positive COVID-19 tests doesn’t show U.S. has reached herd immunity
- USA Today Fact check: Foam tray color doesn’t indicate where meat was processed
- USA Today Fact check: Whiskey dispensers existed, but never became office staples in the 1950s
- USA Today Fact check: Fruit does not hydrate the body twice as much as a glass of water
Have a wonderful weekend!
Regards,
Suzanne
Suzanne Daniels, Ph.D.
AEPC President
P.O. Box 1416
Birmingham, MI 48012
Office: (248) 792-2187
Email: [email protected]
