Sugar: The New Tobacco?
Cigarette smoke has certainly destroyed lives over the decades, and whether you're a smoker or taking in second or third-hand smoke, the chemicals found in tobacco products can create harmful effects on your health.
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Yet according to University of Liverpool professor Simon Capewell, there's a new "tobacco," if you will--and it's known as sugar.
Capewell, one of the world's leading health experts, has just started a campaign to crack down on sugar use found in various food products. Studies show that too much sugar can increase the risk of obesity and diabetes--two diseases that continue to take an insurmountable number of people's lives throughout the world.
According to Capewell, his campaign focuses on healthier choices and encouraging individuals to pick products with less sugar.
"Sugar is the new tobacco. Everywhere, sugary drinks and junk foods are now pressed on unsuspecting parents and children by a cynical industry focused on profit not health," Capewell said, according to Medical Xpress. "The obesity epidemic is already generating a huge burden of disease and death. Obesity and diabetes already costs the UK over £5billion every year. Without regulation, these costs will exceed £50billion by 2050. The public deserves effective action now".
The campaign also focuses on the vulnerability of children to sugar consumption. Significant amounts of the sweet stuff can be found in kids favorite snacks and even frozen foods.
Health officials believe that the campaign, Action on Sugar, could work to not only discourage the consumption of such products, but possibly help to enforce reformulation programs that decrease sugar use. More specifically, the program believes that cutting down on sugar consumption by 20 to 30 percent over the span of three to five years is achieveable.
What do you think?
For more informaiton regarding the campaign, visit here.