[Reading Science] A Day Craving Sugar? ... You've Already Had Enough

Major Causes of Adult Diseases Like Obesity, Cardiovascular Disease, and Cancer
Increasing Consumption of Sweetened Beverages Raises 'Alarm'
WHO and Others Recommend Introducing 'Sugar Tax'
"Korea Should Actively Consider It," Voices Emerge

We live in an era overflowing with sweet drinks, snacks, and dishes. Let's consider a typical woman in her 20s working in an office. She has cereal and milk for breakfast. In the morning, she drinks one cup each of Americano and lemonade, and after lunch, she often eats cake or pie. For dinner, she opts for yogurt ice cream or granola as part of a diet. The amount of sugar this woman consumes in a day reaches about 100g, equivalent to roughly 33 sugar cubes, which is twice the recommended daily intake in South Korea. Even with a 'basic' daily routine as an ordinary office worker, the sugar intake far exceeds the standard, leading to obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Experts point out that 'added sugars'?such as honey, syrup, dextrose, sugar, malt syrup, and molasses?added during manufacturing beyond the raw ingredients, are partly stored directly as fat, so consumption should be minimized for health. Globally, there is a growing movement to expand the adoption of a 'sugar tax.' Let's explore the impact of sugar on health, its current status, and countermeasures.

Photo by Asia Economy DB

Let's Collect Sugar Tax

In December last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a 'Tax Policy Manual on Sugary Drinks,' urging member countries to introduce a sugar tax. WHO recommends imposing a sugar tax to increase prices and reduce purchases, stating that regular consumption of sugary drinks high in sugar increases the risk of dental caries, type 2 diabetes, weight gain and obesity, heart disease, stroke, and cancer in both children and adults. Currently, 85 countries worldwide, including the UK and Mexico, have implemented policies that levy certain taxes on beverages with high sugar content.

WHO views the sugar tax as a powerful tool to improve health, especially among socially disadvantaged groups, as the price increase effect reduces consumption primarily among low-income populations. It also urges companies to reformulate existing products to reduce sugar content. Particularly, if the price of sugary products worldwide were increased by 50% at once, it is estimated that over 50 years, economic benefits of $1.4 trillion could be achieved through increased tax revenue and reduced health and welfare expenditures. Public opinion is also favorable. WHO recently reported that a majority of people in surveyed countries?including the United States, Tanzania, Jordan, India, and Colombia?support taxing sugary drinks, alcohol, and tobacco, according to a survey conducted by the international polling agency Gallup.

Photo by Asia Economy DB

Added Sugars Also Turn Into Fat

Basically, added sugars belong to carbohydrates and are divided into simple sugars (monosaccharides) and complex sugars. Monosaccharides contain only one sugar molecule and include glucose, fructose, galactose, and sugar alcohols. Among these, glucose is the basic unit of carbohydrates and is named after its abundance in grapes. Glucose also exists in human blood in carbohydrate form. Fructose is the sweetest and is abundant in fruits and honey. Galactose is found mainly in milk and dairy products and combines with glucose to form lactose. Sugar alcohols are widely used in sugar-free gum products and as sweeteners in foods; xylitol and mannitol are well-known examples. Disaccharides consist of two sugar molecules bonded together, such as maltose found in malt syrup and traditional Korean rice punch (sikhye). Common table sugar is a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose, extracted from sugarcane and sugar beets.

Sugars are absorbed in the body through carbohydrates and provide energy at 4 kcal per gram. The brain uses only glucose as energy. Excess glucose is first stored as glycogen, and if still surplus, converted into fat. The common phrase "craving sugar" arises because stress triggers the release of the hormone cortisol from the central nervous system. Consuming sugars stimulates insulin secretion, which temporarily blocks cortisol.

How Much Sugar Is in Which Foods?

Recently, with the popularity of 'sweet and salty' flavors emphasized by chefs like Baek Jong-won, the amount of sugar in foods consumed by South Koreans has rapidly increased. For example, 100ml of yogurt contains about 4.6g of sugar; 250ml of carbonated drinks contains 26.75g; cola 22.5g; cider 22g; fruit drinks 14.2g per 200ml; ice cream 17.3g per 100ml; and one cup of coffee mix contains about 11g. Even cooking oils like vegetable oil or sesame oil contain about 5g of sugar per spoonful. White milk (200ml) contains about 9g of carbohydrates and 9g of sugars (lactose), while chocolate milk contains over 20g of sugars. Processed foods generally contain more sugar. Traditional kimchi recipes do not include sugar per whole cabbage, but recent popular recipes recommend adding more than one-third cup. For tteokbokki, traditional recipes suggest one tablespoon, but trendy recipes call for three tablespoons. Additionally, 'hidden sugars' in beverages, fruits, snacks, rice cakes, bread, and ice cream are significant.

On the other hand, the recommended daily sugar intake for adults in South Korea is less than 0?50g. Experts advise consuming as little as possible. If you have already consumed one coffee mix, you have taken in more than one-third of the daily recommended amount and should adjust accordingly. However, sugar intake is increasing. The proportion of people consuming carbonated and sweetened drinks three or more times a week has surged recently. According to 2020 statistics from Seoul City and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, the percentage of people drinking sweetened beverages three or more times weekly rose steadily from 40.2% in 2014 to 52.7% in 2019. Carbonated drink consumption increased from 24.5% in 2010 to 35.6% in 2019. The side effects are serious: consuming carbonated drinks once or more per week increases obesity risk by 12%, and drinking three or more times weekly raises it by 20%.

One Cup of Coffee Mix Is Enough

WHO recommends that adults keep total daily energy intake from sugars within 10% (preferably within 5%), the UK recommends within 5%, and the US Department of Agriculture advises avoiding added sugars in foods and drinks for children under 2 years old and limiting to 10% thereafter. The American Heart Association recommends 6% for ages 2 and up, and 10% for older ages. In South Korea, as of 2020, it is recommended to reduce total sugar intake to 10?20% of energy intake and added sugars to within 10%. Assuming adult women consume 1900 kcal and men 2400 kcal daily, it is appropriate to consume less than 50g of total sugars and fats over four servings for women and six for men. Professor Hwang Ji-yoon of Sangmyung University’s Department of Food and Nutrition stated at the 'Understanding Added Sugars' seminar hosted by the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies on the 26th of last month, "The acceptable daily intake of added sugars is within 50g, but considering other sources, just one cup of coffee mix (11g), one bottle of cola (23g), or one ice cream (17g) already exceeds the daily limit of 50g." She warned, "Nowadays, everyone drinks a lot of sugary beverages, and the sugar content in existing foods is also increasing, which can lead to excessive intake and diseases such as obesity, so caution is necessary."

Sugar and Tobacco Restraint Campaign in New York City, USA. Photo by Korea Federation of Science and Technology Societies YouTube Capture

In fact, a recent study by a research team at Imperial College London involving 200,000 British adults found that every 10% increase in consumption of ultra-processed foods like carbonated drinks and snacks was associated with a 2% increase in cancer incidence and a 19% increase in ovarian cancer incidence. Overall, a 10% increase in ultra-processed food consumption corresponded to a 6% rise in total cancer mortality, 16% in breast cancer mortality, and 30% in ovarian cancer mortality. The effects of alternative sweeteners like zero-calorie cola have not yet been confirmed, and long-term consumption by children may pose risks due to smaller body size. Adults may use them as a temporary substitute initially, but excessive intake can cause similar side effects such as weight gain and type 2 diabetes.

Reduce Sugar Consumption

Countries worldwide are actively discussing measures such as introducing sugar taxes. The UK implemented a sugar tax on all sugary drinks in 2018. Drinks containing 5g or less per 100ml are exempt, but those with 5?8g are taxed at 0.18 euros per liter, and those exceeding 8g at 0.24 euros per liter. Mexico has levied a tax of 1 peso (0.05 dollars) per liter on all added sugar drinks since 2014, generating tax revenue equivalent to 0.1% of its GDP. Professor Hwang noted, "Lower-income groups are more sensitive to price, so consumption decreased first among low-income populations, and middle and upper classes also reduced intake, showing an overall effect. South Korea also needs to discuss national policies such as introducing a sugar tax on sugary drinks." She added that a nutritional labeling system for added sugars should be introduced so consumers can clearly know the amount contained, and warning labels similar to those on tobacco products should be inserted. In fact, New York City regards tobacco and carbonated drinks as similarly harmful foods and is conducting campaigns to eliminate them.