A commentary in the journal Nature, posits that sugar is addictive, can be tied to a wide range of health issues facing individuals across the globe, and needs to be regulated in a similar fashion to alcohol and tobacco to limit its consumption.
The authors, three scientists from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), argue that sugar has become such a central ingredient in the food industry that it is in an overwhelming number of products consumed today. Consumers may eat upwards of 500 calories a day in sugar that has been added to products.
Sugar when consumed, according to the authors, acts on the same areas of the brain as alcohol and tobacco. In short, it's addictive.
Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at UCSF and one of the commentary authors, told WebMD, "There has to be some sort of societal intervention. We cannot do it on our own because sugar is addictive. Personal intervention is necessary, but not sufficient."
The authors also maintain that sugar is a toxic substance that disrupts the body's normal metabolism and leads to an increase in risk factors for a wide range of health issues such as diabetes, hypertension, heart and liver disease.
"Many people think that obesity is the root cause of these diseases," the authors are quoted as saying by HealthPop. "Obesity is not the cause; rather, it is a marker."
The Sugar Association dismissed the commentary. A statement emailed to HealthPop reads, "We are confident that the American people are perfectly capable of choosing what foods to eat without stark regulations and unreasonable bans imposed upon them."