The average American consumes 130 pounds of sugar a year. New research is showing that beyond weight gain, sugar can take a serious toll on your health, worsening conditions ranging from heart disease to cancer.
According to the report, sugar is hidden in virtually every processed food you can imagine, such as yogurts and sauces, bread, and even peanut butter. And while high fructose corn syrup has been vilified in recent years, the research indicates that table sugar is equally bad for you. Since the 1970s, sugar consumption has gone down nearly 40 percent, but high fructose corn syrup has more than made up the difference.
Some health experts are now advocating a drastic reduction in sugar consumption and recommend men should consume no more than 150 calories of added sugars a day. And women, just 100 calories. That’s less than the amount in just one can of soda.