Mical Woldemichael

Eng 214.61

Sugar’s Impact on Youth

Summary

Sugar overconsumption among youth yields detrimental effects on their health such as

childhood obesity and diabetes. The onset of these health issues negatively affects the US

economy and society in the long term. One solution to this high sugar intake is implementing

health advocating programs into schools and hospitals for youth. Another solution to these

epidemics is to tax sugar filled drinks and foods.

Problem Description

In recent year, medical professionals and scientists have regarded sugar as more harmful

than an “empty calorie”- calories without nutritional value. Like rats, we crave sugar and get

addicted because of the release of euphoric endorphins which can hook young children to sugar

(Noe, 2016). In addition, through its convenience in our modern society, sugar intake has tripled

as well as the rates of chronic non communicable illnesses (Lustig, Schmidt,& Brindis, 2012).

Chronic non-communicable illnesses refer to health issues that progress slowly and are not

infectious to others such as obesity and dental caries. The World Health Organization

recommends “free sugar” be less than 10 percent, or even better, 5 percent of our calorie intake

(25 grams) (2012, p. 232). The “Free sugar” guideline constitutes free sugars as the added sugars

that come in the various names: fructose, glucose, sucrose, fruit juice, honey, white sugar, etc

(2012, p.232). Unfortunately, corporations use sugar in many processed foods and beverages for

flavor and cheap costs which attract young consumers. Youth’s overconsumption of sugar leads

to obesity and other long-term health issues which affect the individuals and society as a whole.

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Corporations play a major role in children’s excessive sugar intake. According to the

Federal Trade Commission, “food corporations spend some $1.6 billion annually to reach

children through the traditional media as well the Internet, in-store advertising, and

sweepstakes”(Voiland & Haupt, 2012). According to the Yale Rudd Center(2012), “from TV

alone, the average child sees about 5,500 food commercials a year that advertise high-sugar

breakfast cereals, fast food, soft drinks, candy, and snacks (Voiland & Haupt). The way the

corporations prey on the youth with sugar-laden foods and drinks is socially unjust because they

should not be targeted. As minors, they need to be protected instead of being subject to the

unhealthy products from the profit-driven corporations. Furthermore, the fast food and sugary

cereal commercials use familiar cartoon characters to entice the young viewers. With the

deceptive advertisement and easy accessibility to added sugar, the children and adolescents are

the least advantaged groups of society. They are unaware consumers that are susceptible to high

sugar intake because they link sugar to cartoons and find it readily available.

In our modern society, youth aged 6 to 19 year olds overconsume sugar mostly in the

forms of sugar-sweetened beverages and purchase it in stores. In “Consumption of added sugars

among US children and adults by food purchase location and food source”, Rehm and

Drewnowski mention that the primary sugar sources are soda and energy and sports drinks,

grain-based desserts, fruit drinks, dairy desserts, and candy(2014). Children’s intake of sugar

represents an alarming rate, 13.1 to 17.5 percent of their total calorie intake. This is more than

three times the amount WHO recommends for an adult. More specifically, the majority

“of added sugars for children aged 6–11 year olds were soda and energy and sports drinks (4.7

tsp), followed by grain desserts (2.6 tsp), fruit drinks (2.5 tsp), candy (1.7 tsp), and dairy desserts

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(1.4 tsp). Among adolescents aged 12–19 year old, the top sources were soda (10 tsp), fruit

drinks (2.5 tsp), grain-based desserts (2.3 tsp), and candy (1.7 tsp).(Rehm & Drewnowski, 2014,

p. 4)

The evidence highlights that sugar consumption comes from processed foods and drinks.

The study also sheds light on where the youth purchase the processed foods and drinks with

added sugar. Rehm and Drewnowski found that added sugar for both 6 to 11 year olds and

adolescents 12 to 19 follow this order: grocery stores, Quick service restaurants, full service

restaurants, and cafeterias( p. 3, 2014). This evidence illuminates how youth pick up a lot of their

sugar in convenient places such as grocery stores or corner stores. The accessibility proves to be

problematic because they can be affected with health issues.

Children from various backgrounds are consuming too much sugar. “Consumption of

added sugars among US children and adults by food purchase location and food source”

discusses that all youth are consuming relatively the same high quantities of sugar no matter the

family-income to poverty ratio(Rehm & Drewnowski, 2014, p. 3). In terms of racial

demographic, White non-Hispanic youth displayed higher rates of sugar intake from stores and

Quick service restaurants compared to Mexican Americans and Black youth(Rehm &

Drewnowski, 2014, p. 3). Where else, these minorities obtained substantially more in

schools(Rehm & Drewnowski, 2014, p. 3) . Although the locations differ, this study shows how

high sugar consumption applies to kids from different backgrounds. The U.S. News: Sugar

Linked to Youth Ailments provides evidence that sugar indeed plays a major role in health

concerns for youth(McKay & Esterl, 2015). In the UCSF obesity clinic, USF and Touro

University researchers saw that the obese youth consumed 28 percent of their diet from sugar.

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The high sugar intake among children and adolescents increase their risk of obesity

complications and other health issues. Due to their high sugar intake, these children were at risk

for metabolic diseases which include increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat

around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels — that occur together,

increasing your risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes. According to the American Diabetes

Association, about 208,000 Americans under age 20 are estimated to have diagnosed diabetes,

which is a startling 0.25% of that population. Type 2 diabetes was once known as adult diabetes

and now children are affected with this disease because of an unhealthy diet full of sugar.

Generally, the public is not informed on the detrimental effects of sugar, so they continue to

consume and experience the ill effects.

Not only do these young people with high sugar intake increase their likelihood of

obesity and diabetes, they also are at risk for impaired brain functioning. In a UCLA study on

rats, they “found that a diet high in fructose hinders learning and memory by literally slowing

down the brain”(Gregoire, 2015). Heavy sugar intake caused the rats to develop insulin

resistance where they lack control of their blood sugar levels so the brain cells can’t use the

glucose efficiently(Gregoire, 2015). Furthermore, added sugars spike up blood sugar levels upon

consumption and then plummet which factor in feeling anxious, moody or depressed(Gregoire,

2015). Gregoire mentions that in the long term, constantly over-activating these neurotransmitter

pathways can deplete our limited supplies of the neurotransmitter, which can contribute to

symptoms of depression(2015). The rat experiment illuminates added sugar’s negative effects on

cognition as well as mental illness. The Center of Disease Control and Prevention notes how

youth need proper nutrition to reach optimal health and development within their brain, so more

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cause of concern to see high sugar intake’s debilitating effects on the brain. Their sugary diets

can bear a negative effect on their academic performance as well as their mental health and their

future.

Due to youth’s overconsumption of sugar, the public health and the economy of the US

decline. Our entire country’s future depends on the youth since the US needs a healthy workforce

to contribute to our economy. As a result of high sugar intake, chronic illnesses like obesity and

diabetes increase and the US suffers a lack of productivity and GDP. For instance, the Center of

Disease Control and Prevention estimates the total cost of diagnosed diabetes in 2012 was $245

billion, including $176 billion in direct medical costs and $69 billion in decreased productivity.

They define decreased productivity as costs associated with people being absent from work,

being less productive while at work, or not being able to work at all because of diabetes. This

lack of productivity comes from the cost of diabetes alone, imagine the costs accumulated from

all the other chronic preventable diseases. All in all, the surge of chronic diseases burden the

healthcare system and reduce the workforce. Not only does sugar impact on an individual level,

added sugar also contributes to chronic preventable illnesses on a grander scale. In turn, this over

consumption hurts the US’ economy and our society as a whole. The youth of the US are

developing preventable health issues which is socially unjust since they fall victim to corporate

greed and lack of information.

Solution

Youth’s overconsumption of sugar is detrimental to the US economy and society which

informs us to take immediate action. The US is in the midst of a rising obesity and Type 2

diabetes epidemic, thus the two solutions outlined below are necessary to work towards ending

them. One course of action the US can take is to educate youth on healthy foods and drink
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options in school and hospitals to reverse these epidemics. Another solution the US should

consider is to tax sugary processed foods and beverages heavily.

To combat the excessive sugar habits of youth, hospital and schools can educate youth on

changing their eating habits and limit access to unhealthy options. For example, the University of

California, San Francisco Medical Center offered obese patients a change in their diet(McKay &

Esterl, 2015). To see if there could be a change in the metabolic syndromes they suffer, the study

shifted the children’s amount sugar from 28 percent to 10 percent in their processed diet(McKay

& Esterl, 2015) . Despite the short period of time and a diet still heavy on processed food, the

researchers saw a remarkable improvement in the children's cholesterol, lipid, and insulin levels.

Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist noted “We reversed virtually every aspect of their

metabolic syndromes”(McKay & Esterl, 2015). This solution gives doctors the say on removing

much of the added sugars from their patient’s diet. Furthermore, it garners hope and results that

can help youth with their health problems. Hospitals can play a vital role in restricting unhealthy

foods containing sugar and educating patients. Alongside hospitals, other public institutions such

as schools can educate youth in lowering their sugar intake.

According to the World Cancer Research Fund International, schools can address the

nutrition of youth by limiting sugar options and bringing measures to improve the acceptability

of healthier food. In Hungary’s schools, they launched a campaign to promote drinking water

rather than sugary drinks. By educating students about adequate water consumption and making

free water available on school premises, the children’s knowledge about fluid intake

significantly increased. As a result, the children significantly reduced sugary drinks intake(p.12)

Teachers and health professionals can work together to make drinking water and forgoing sugary

beverages a movement for the students by highlighting the positive effects.

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This solution gives youth the necessary education, positive role-models and resources to

change their habits. Additionally, important influences such as doctors and teachers can guide

the youth to reconsider their sugar habits. If they respect the opinion and knowledge of their

doctor or teacher, they will be more likely to adopt healthy habits that they share. In addition, the

school environment can provide a collaborative environment between the children and their

peers to motivate and challenge each other to incorporate more water rather than sugary drinks.

Having free water stations present on campus gives the young students the resources to

implement and maintain healthy habits. Many adolescents and children can learn from these

health measures and use their newfound power to change their sugar consumption.

Unfortunately, the solution present issues. Schools cannot prevent the children from

consuming unhealthy drinks and foods outside as they fall into temptation. Furthermore, the

parents may not support or encourage healthy lifestyles and eating habits. This lack of support

presents difficulties for the children’s success in removing sugary drinks and foods. Overall, this

solution ranks relatively just because it attempts to change sugar habits among youth with equal

opportunity for all youth, but can be hard to implement when families are not willing to get

involved.

Another solution the US can adopt is to regulate sugar consumption. The logic comes

from the UN announcing tobacco, alcohol and diet as the central risk factors in non-

communicable disease (Lustig, Schmidt & Brindis, 2012).The government regulates tobacco and

alcohol, but leaves out diet which is another culprit for these diseases.Taxing alcohol and

tobacco products, by the means of value-added taxes and sales taxes, has reduced smoking and

drinking, and decreased substance abuse (Lustig, Schmidt & Brindis, 2012). Lustig, Schmidt and

Brindis propose adding taxes to processed foods that contain any form of added sugars. This
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would impact the sale of soda, other sugar-sweetened beverages (for example, juice, sports

drinks and chocolate milk) and sugared cereal(Lustig, Schmidt & Brindis, 2012). Statistical

modelling suggests that the price would have to double to significantly lower soda consumption

and to reduce total consumption(Lustig, Schmidt & Brindis, 2012).

One negative aspect of the hike on sugar prices is how it can impact small grocery or

liquor stores. Many liquor and small mom and pops stores gain a lot of their profit from

processed snacks and sugary drinks. The rise of prices will hurt their businesses and may make

them hike their prices of other things to compensate for the lost revenue. However, this solution

will force small businesses to change their approach and offer healthier items to appeal to

consumers instead of junk food. Although it can impact small businesses and the sugar cost will

burden low income families, overall the benefits on the youth’s health outweigh these negatives.

This solution targets the cheap costs of sugary items and spikes them, thus it persuades

youth and their families to seek healthier options. Youth will not be able to readily access the

sugary beverages and foods and decrease their sugar intake. The evidence shows how sugar

intake directly affects youth's health and it will improve once they cut their sugar intake. With

the proposition, families and youth cannot purchase unhealthy foods and drinks because they

cannot afford to maintain these unhealthy habits. Thus, dramatically rising added sugar costs will

make families reconsider and lower or remove their sugar intake which result in youth’s better

health. In terms of social justice, it ranks fairly socially just because it does work towards

reducing the childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes epidemic, despite some of its flaws.

Recommendation/Conclusions

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Combining the sugar taxation and the health education in public schools and hospitals are

both imperative actions to lowering youth’s sugar intake. Raising the cost of sugar provides an

immediate action for the better health of youth and future generations to come. Compared to the

great burden chronic diseases and lost productivity will have on the US taxpayers, increasing

sales taxes appears to be a socially just approach to offset this issue. In addition, it won’t possess

too great a burden to bear on small businesses because they can profit from fruits or vegetables.

To end the adverse effects of sugar overconsumption, the US needs to tackle it head on with

sales taxes because it will discourage low income and middle income communities from

consuming so much. Also, the US government will gain tax money from this proposition which

can go towards supporting small businesses and more preventative health focused programs. As

a long term solution, education reform on healthy eating will combat sugar overconsumption by

informing the youth on the health effects. All in all, this solution of increasing prices in

conjunction with public health initiatives can educate and prevent children from forming

unhealthy habits that can ruin their health. Without regulating sugar consumption, the US will

face a huge burden in the short and long term of unhealthy people because children and families

are not urged to overcome their sugar overconsumption.

Works Cited
Chronic Diseases: The Leading Causes of Death and Disability in the United States.
(2016, February 23). Retrieved from Center For Disease Control and Prevention website:
http://www.cdc.gov/
chronicdisease/overview/

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Curbing global sugar consumption. (n.d.). World Cancer Research Fund International, 1-
20.

Nutrition and the Health of Young People. (2015, August 25). Retrieved from Center For
Disease Control and Prevention website: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/facts.htm

Overall Numbers, Diabetes and Prediabetes. (n.d.). Retrieved from American Diabetes
Association website: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-
basics/statistics/?referrer=https://www.google.com/

Public health round-up. (2014). Bulletin of the World Health Organization Full text
available,92, 232. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.jpllnet.sfsu.edu/docview/
1518534073?OpenUrlRefId=info:xri/sid:primo&accountid=13802

Drewnowski, A., & Rehm, C. D. (2014). Consumption of added sugars among US

children and adults by food purchase location and food source. American Society for Nutrition,
1-7. http://dx.doi.org/10.3945/?ajcn.114.089458

Lustig, R., Schmidt, L., & Brindis, C. (2012). Public health: The toxic truth about sugar.
Nature, 482, 27-29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/482027a

McKay, B., & Esterl, M. (2015, October 28). U.S. News: Sugar Linked to Youth
Ailments. Retrieved from Wall Street Journal website:
http://search.proquest.com.jpllnet.sfsu.edu/docview/
1727485160?accountid=13802&rfr_id=info%3Axri%2Fsid%3Aprimo

Voiland, A., & Haupt, A. (2012, March 30). 10 Things the Food Industry Doesn't Want
You to Know. Retrieved from US News & World Report website:
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/ 2012/03/30/things-the-food-industry-doesnt-
want-you-to-know

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