readersdigest.co.inCover Story(^11) Sugar may keep us
up at night
A 2016 study in the Journal of Clinical
Sleep Medicine shows that eating more
sugar (along with less fibre and more
saturated fat) is associated with lighter,
more disrupted and less restorative sleep.
(^12) Cancer cells ‘feed’ on sugar
New research from the University of Texas
at Dallas shows a link between sugar and
squamous cell carcinoma, which is hard
to treat and accounts for a quarter of all
lung cancers. The study also found that
four other types of squamous cell cancer
also consume a lot of sugar.
(^13) Sugar can make you sad
Ending a bad day with a bowl of ice
cream may make you feel worse in the
long run. In 2015, Columbia University
Medical Center researchers found post-
menopausal women with diets high in
added sugars and refined grains were at
an increased risk of new-onset depression,
while the risk decreased in subjects who
ate more dietary fibre, wholegrains,
vegetables and unprocessed fruits.
(^14) It destroys your skin
“Apart from aggravating skin conditions
such as acne, psoriasis, rosacea and ec-
zema, sugar causes hyperpigmentation and
destroys collagen, resulting in duller, looser
skin and wrinkles,” says Dr Jaishree Sharad,
medical director, Skinfiniti, Mumbai.
(^10) We’re still
drinking too much
liquid sugar
Good news: We’re
drinking less fizzy
drinks than we were a
decade ago. Bad news:
We’ve replaced it with
options that may be just
as unhealthy. A 2019
report states that the
global market value
of sports and energy
drinks reached $102.9
billion in 2018 and
could reach $169.7 bil-
lion by 2024. Energy
drinks contain up to
84 g of sugar (around
16 tsps) while sports
drinks contain around
40 grams (8 tsps)
per serving.
Cover Story
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