Comparisons: how much sugar is in that drink?”
The sugar industry has supported research that says the overconsumption of fats is the primary cause for heart disease.
However, a new research analysis published in The Journal of The American Association Internal Medicine suggests that sugar is also a major cause for heart disease. Some people beileve that all these years the sugar industry had been sponsoring research that made sugar’s role in the cause of heart disease unclear and even went as far as leaving the consumption of carbohydratescompletely out of the research.
According to the JAMA research, this information has caused a shift in the market since sugar, while still suspected to have an effect on heart disease, was not highly researched.
The research reveals that many products reduced the amount of fat added to them but kept the sugar levels the same. Due to this, many of the foods and drinks we believe to be relatively healthy contain as much sugar as some of our favorite desserts. The 2015 CNN article “Sweet Comparisons: how much sugar is in that drink?” provides several examples including Arizona green tea, which contains the same amount of sugar as 20 Hershey kisses, Lipton Lemon Iced Tea, which contains the same amount of sugar as 12 Hershey kisses, and a Naked Berry Blast Smoothie, contains the same amount of sugar as 8 Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies. Tropicana is another example of this whose 100% orange juice contains the same amount of sugar as 2 Krispy crème donuts.
The constant consumption of these products puts college students at great risk of developing heart disease later on in life.
Some, are not shocked or alarmed by the information of the new research. Johnathan Kohl, a sophomore engineering major, accepts that sugar is a part of his diet and is willing to let it take its course without much concern about possible heart disease in the future. “Honestly, this information does not affect my eating habits. I want to live my life and enjoy it” Kohl said.
Many other students, however, are concerned about the possible consequences of unhealthy eating. “As college students you typically have an unhealthy lifestyle and a big part of that is the food and the drinks we consume with a lot of sugar and caffeine in them. These things provide short term energy but not the lasting sustenance our bodies need” Daniel George, a senior Christian ministry and formation major said.
Many of the students agreed with George, that most of the choices that are easy for them to get are the unhealthiest ones and when they pull all-nighters, they usually pick up a Monster energy drink rather than a glass of water. Alexia Whitfield, a sophomore accounting major, and Pati Morales, a sophomore engineering major, both said that when they think of a healthy drink their first thought is either black or green tea. They however do not buy their tea from any beverage companies. “I make my own tea, using tea bags and just a bit of honey to sweeten it,” said Morales. This is a good way students can get away from sugary drinks, since buying tea bags and honey is relatively affordable. “Well, I try to watch how much