Bitter truth about sugar

otk

mimts

llagwnt ,

1

JUNE 20, 1976

·

...

-Co,rer -

.

_

Stylized cross section of the containment structure of a nuclear power plant. At its · , heart is the reactor,· where atomic fission produces heat-and, ultimately, electricity. The layers that surround the core (and the choice of terrain below) are intended

-to

guarantee that no lethal radiation can escape .. To some experts, it seems

an

ideal solution to the energy crisis; to others, there are unanswered · questions

about its potential dangers. Page 8. · · •

· Painting by Walter Hortens

Russell Baker-

_{4 Suaclay}

_Observer.

. The truth about sex-in Washington

i

Vladimir Voinovich

·~-· -:-•·,;·:.

.

-DonG.Meighan. , -::.

8

-

How,

:.

safe

is

- •

:.:·

eaougb?

':.:-:->~-~~i·ift;{;~~~,~-S:

Stephen Birmingham

Jean Mayer ~

Charles McGrath

and Daniel Menaker

C. Ray Smith

, , , Despite

rings

of .,afety, all the-risks

of

nuclear, ,

:c':~

(ii:.V·'-:' power cannot be eliminated:Are they justified··::_

i.(:.;);~--:-by the-nation's need

for

energy? ~ _: ,t'-''~'¥'';~:~ ---·

10 TIie

pulic

e.,._t

IICIIIIN Jacfrie

i:: >::,

"Better than any other famous-woman in.history-(including-Garbo>, she.has-mastered the art of managing her celebri~/; -~

26 The

-

bitter

·

ll'latJa

_

alloal sugar

It's bad for the health, bad for the teeth,

and we all eat more of it than we think.

36 Fashion

Time, gentlemen

--~-38 Desip

-Light

maaes

right

---,---,----'---

-:

---Craig Claiborne

with Pierre Franey

45

i'oocl

"

- ._ , -·

-

--Saucy::

-.. ~~-:,

t'~:~~-48

:.-

1.e1te

·

n

-

- ·

-

~

--'";:.~·"

,

-

·-On making poetry; adjusting nature and eating morels . .._::.;· ~

52

Pames

·

l::

--

-~

Last week's answers, Page 46

Edw~rd Go_r_ey_· -_ ___ ·_6_3_En __ The

•_pap

__

grand

•_r_

passion

·

I - --,

Sugar is one of mankind's "new" foods. The ancient

Greeks and -Romans knew ·

nothing about cane·or beet su-·

gar (except for those of Alex-, .. -··

ander' s soldiers- who: reached- ·

the Indus Valley and met with

sugar cane) .. The Promised

Land flowed with milk and

honey, the latter apparently

a

fairly

scarce

commodity. The

Egyptian pyramid ' builders,

Socrates, Jesus and the Ro- ·_

man legions never tasted Sll·

gar - and ce~ly their

bradns and sinews worked~··.

well as ours :.do .. Sugar: from . ·,- ...

cane did not become available . ~ -:,-:,

{~':;:.,?

to Europearur.-and then. only -.

:.._.:_3::"

,~:;,•

... , .. ,the. -~--·~

to the- rich.

ones-w ...

~ ',!..

·-

-

-~.if-~

.

16th century;-beet sugar·w ~ -~~~ not developed as.

a food

unti_l

:' "·

-~, ·"'

Y'"'I.,,....,,

the beginning.of. ~ -19th ~n-·.·

tury- (in

France.

~ when .. ;~ : .

British blockade- after. the ·de-- ·

struction of-the French-

fleek:

~ at Trafalgar· cut off;:;s«>urces_;.$;

_ of sugar .

~

.

Br:azil

anf

:

~

]

;.

West- Indies). --~ · · ' - ; ~ ~

Today, although it is a_ ·

major . component .of~;:_~

American diet. most..:

pract1c-ing nutritionists,-particularly

those-who worrwith children··~ . _ _ _

andthepoo·r,:consider'sugar~ . h : - · - " = ~ ~,₁₁₁₁..,-,.-,-2.~·>.'·.;;.,;~ ~. :,- . : ' . : A ~ ~ ...

,4:~-~~-

~~

-

·

~

... - • • .. , - ~ ~ ~ ~ , i 1 1 1 : , : ,~ ,:r-1ar.i1 .. ~:,. : ; i ~ ~ .... c:A,-.. _... -~"~-s;:;,r- - . . ~.a-:_ ... _.._,_~_.,...-- ~..;; ... --:-. ~

menace-:: to .; good.- n~on.:.:,,_ sug&r--sweetener-'0 per" pet'SOG "?-thus.can' they=keep'~ a ( first--~~ total-·lood-iintake);'

After rey.iewing :the ~videnc~, .;~ annually ."This · figure,, . has -on the Mst:-(Though- there,. is;= low in, fresh -fruitrand

vege--'

1 believe it is..adequate to

sh~'!

...

~been,;.;;, characteristic---:::.of. .,..the:--'( 00,:iega[ requirement that.~ tables,_whole grains-• .and. ·>

that the habitual consump~"'" ·united _States··

since-

·

at least .proportion-of ingredients be .• reals- and the dried. legumes

of large- amo~ts of-sugar· ts_ 1960. , ·· : ·- . _ . r - given-..: quantitatively, ~.-they ~ that•-together may-make:~up.

highly undesirable_from the: __ .:.·r0t this sugardntake, 76:" ·must be,listed-in·decreasing.,, 80 percent of the.total.cal .. -·

viewpoin~ of ~health and that ;:percent !5:,:invisible;-contain~ • order.): A 1974 ·SurveT-,of~the.,5.ories 'of .. the~ die~ o~-man . ·

sugar

c~~

~

~~·

--~-

fOO!la: and .-beverag pre. · _sugar content-of. bfeaktast:'~~~~in..,?~ized

_:

nat

·

~

redu~ :::-~.: ~ ~ ~ . . . , , , ._pared::;outside the· home-5.~

reals.

published.in the,Joumal~ The ~to~g-ternr;-

ellect

?

or

. W&co~Pl'

~

m

.

~~

:~,

)•cent-::m::eatini

·-

ptaces,

'the .of :-::Dentistry-r for~ C!til~i .._:.heal~,:'!!::many1.:0L ~ e l

different;,f~&&- .. rest·in.processed foods. Next-::

·

shirws

that' of..:78' cereal's' only-w--ments-"'ins'ouc diet. is-.· _

cose and fructose;. In tbe l ~;.. :

ttme

you're-iff'1he,,.supermark-;.;·~26 contained less

than

IO-per-- :'singly- being questioned:·-<)QI'.• few years,-.the consumption et. glance at. the labelS:-along -·cent sugar ..

_

King

Vitaman- is-,:;.: health -statistics. demonstrate..'

of cane· and beet:sugar (su- the·aisles- and in f!Very food "''over 58<percent sugar;-·and -.. that.-we--have conquered-the:.

erase) in the-._u~ited 5tates .-

case .

...,Sugar is omnipre.sent; super orange Crisp tops

the

traditional infectious diseases-..

has been hovenng .around·-not fust in sweet baked goods -'list.with-a total of 70 pe.rcent - and .. nutritionav_ deficiencies,

-110 pounds. per year for ~v- and frozen desserts (and soft. -::-that's ·14-percent more su~ - only, to· fall, prey to another ·.

ery man. woman· and child. drinks) but iia ketchup, .chili gar -than·· .Hershey's ··Milk set --of . _!.!ls:. atherosclerotic-.:_

In 1974, it :dropped to an _sauce: "'and·> Vl{o~estershire Chocolate-Kisses!.;; ·.:;:::~_:-.:. -_-~diseases--of.,.~the heart:.,and_

average-of. 9Tpounds, but the sauce; baby:. foods~ cocktail -::- - .

-~1 -

.,_, -

·=

,..

~:::_blood -·vessels,.:· cancer,:.;

dia-=.,.

consumption of sugar syrups-:, snacks.-..!~fruit'.!:-drinks;:· salad. · Altogether. ·., sugar ::; repre--. t:·betes. -hypertension;' ··obesity,.·

(glucose and,.. huctose} rose, __ .dressings; camie!b-and dried- sents~between. .20- ~nd ~ per- .:: dental--ca..-ries. Dit:t: and:-modec:.;_

from a pe%'.'"C4pfta 41-13~- ofo&!oups;>'piepar afa .. dishes;-.. . . the ~~ -m ·:our of 'life---are-invol~d in· these .

15 pounds (dry weight) to 25 - cured meats; some canned and die:, ~ diet w?ic~, With-sl~ght new pandemics. Nutrition

re-pounds, - ·leaving ·

us

-· with:

, "frozen, vegetables· and most:"-::_va~atiOns,: scient~st~-consider -~ search-in-the-'-last- three de- ;·

a,round 125:'.~ d s , of total_,'.,:canned...c,and--frozen .;..fruits; ~icaLof md~s~~_iz~;u~a. _,:_·cades·has yielded" convincin_g--:

"fruit":-yogurt; and, of course, mzed ·. countries. - ig m at · evidence· that the-mere- prov1-the breakfast cereals,- "nat- (another·_43-pe~cen~ ~f our..,to- sion '· of·~ enough ,calories.-~

ural"·ones included: Some ce- tal calones), high in.salt (on .. ~ protein and· other essential :

-real manufacturers have been the average· more thari ~ lO · nutrients-including generous

known to combine the various times what the body-requires amounts of -vitamins and·'!

grains and separate the sugars daily). high in processed minerals-whHe sufficient to

on the list of ingredients. Only foods (above 50 percent of in_su~e growth and ~ void J

Jean Mayer, professor· of

nutrition at Han,,ard since.

1950 will become the 10th

president of Tufts University

on July 1. He is author of

< the classical nutritional

diseases, is not an adequate

prescription for long -term

avoidance of diseases of the

heart and blood vessels and

other major premature killers

of industrialized populations. We also know that total life style, particularly in the mat-ter of physical activity, and the effects of diet are

interre-1 lated; not only are excessive caloric · intakes undesirable

but where the calories come

from is important.

c.al effect, particularly on food. World production. bas..

teeth; on the rate at risen from 8 million tons in

which they are digested; and 1900 to 30 million in 1950 to

on possible specific reactions . 70 million in 1970, and is

of fructose as compared with projected by the Food and

glucose. · - ·Agriculture Organization of

And so questions are being · raised about the- sugar content of -0ur diet Sugar, alone among our foods, is essential- ;;

ly a pure chemical species. i

(Its single small molecule of sucrose is formed by the link- 1

age of two even smaller

j

molecules of the

monosac.cha-rides, glucose and Jructose.)

~

Whether the various car- the United Nations to reach

bohydrates do in fact differ in 93 million tons by 1980. In

their effects on health is the the United States, this .

in-object of much debate. Many crease in sugar consumption

appear to- have taken, sides - has taken place in the

face-and express strong opinions of a 25 percent decrease -in

~th little ~ritical considera- the ov~ra'll consumption of

tion of available facts .. Pur- carbohydrates, principally

be-veyors of health foods and cause of decreased use of

"natural . foods'_' en~usiasts flcur and cereal products

a.re

unanunous ~ their.5tat7 (bread in particular) and

~ t s

.

that white sugar lS potatoes. By now sugar

fur-toxi~ though bz:own sugar, nishes more than 50 percent

for some reason, 15 _{safe. ~The of our carbohydrate intake •.}

bro!ffl ·<:~lor can be denved From the health viewpoint,

from ~e m~omplete last stage this change does not appear

of punfication or from the ad- to ·have been beneficial.

dition of a small ·amount of

caramel pigment. Brown

sug-ar seems in every material

Other carbohydrat,es, by con-, way identical in its

physio-trast, · are- found "·~ ,com-. .; logical effects to white sugar.)

ponents- of coinplex foods;. the I On the whole, the food

in-equally. small molecule ~f the.~- dmtry acts

on

the basis that

disacch~ri~_}ac~ .in ~ - 'a1t carbohydrates

are

the

fructose -m. fruits,~ and- ~

same;....and

thus safe, (unless

large molecules.. of-starches;;: • the' producers sell "natural"

made u~ of.Jong clwns of glo,.,. cereals, in which case they

cose,. in wheat,. com,

t i ~

jom the brown-sugar-or-ho?ey

other-cereals,.in-potat~- .-~ enthusiasts).. Sugar

advertise-Iegumes.. The- questio.n. ~- · ment.s play on the confusion

whether sugar is n~o~-:- between table sugar and blood

ly equivalent to th~~~

sugar;

assuring us that the

carbohydrates from,,,· wh body ~·has a need for sugar."

man has tradi~onally. d~":, ,·•,..1 Unabashedly, some even..

sug-the bul~ of his calon*:5: -:-.,!-=.,, gest that, inasmuch as

Not many years ago7-it,_,~ mothers have-observed that

thought that all carbohydrates-<~ consumption of candy before :were- identical in their: use. b~ meals "spoils the appetite,•~

the body-and;ctheir .Jong-~ sugar ."has a place in.a weight-

-effect

on

·

health., It now..,.~ ·~ control program.••_-'. ~;

-Sug;.r is certainly associated with the most widespread

de-generative · disease in the .

Western world-dental caries...

Studies of-the impact of West.

em diet, in general and sugar

in particular- on- the pre-

-· valence of dental decay in hi-· therto isolated populatiom are striking. A claasical .

ex-ample is the story of Tristan- . da Cunha. The people ·of that

remote island were for-many ·

years essentially. ignored by

outsiders- and free from

com-merce with the rest of the world. They . subsisted.. on · home-grown produce and fish-and did not consume: any su-gar •.

In - 1932, scientists and

physicians on the. British

war-ship Carlisle examined ~

islanders and found them

to-be practically free of dental

caries. Thirty years later, in

constant contact with the

outside world and by then

habituated to a high sugar

consumption, they bad

devel-oped a catastrophic

preva-1 ~ of tooth decay_ -pears that this is not the

case-

:~

.

A_

small_

handful·. of

nutri-All carbohydrates · are,; ulti--, tionists,. without.. quite

agree-mately-changed by digestion-; ing_ with. these_ extrava~t

and metabolic processes into

claims.

still defend-consnromg

glucose (blood sugar), a pri- a sizable proportion of the

mary fuel of the body. day's calories as sugar ·~as

s

tarcbes . however,, are . di-: -long as 'the rest of the diet gested (omparatiyely·

slowly.

"I is adequa~ in n u ~ " At

in a series. of steps-in which. the opposite extreme;. almost intermediate-· products,.~dex· '_ every ~ f ~ o u s ~ase

trins and maltose, _are·

pro-

..,

-

that afflictsc industrialized More recently, in

the

1960's, .

duced to be-finally separated· man- has- been ascribed to - a U.S. Government· ··

-agency-into individual glucose mole-· . sugar by one or another of the compared the results of more cutes. Sucrose (cane and beet. many equally simplistic books than 100 international surveys sug'1r), by contrast, is broken

j

on food and health which of the prevalence of tooth

de-down in one step in the. in- have appeared recently. cay in different populations.

testine into glucose· arid Physicians, caught in the Except for the fluoride

con-fructose. Both of- these are midst of these discordant tent of the- water _supply, the

quickly absorbed into the··; views, are traditionally more consumption of sugar was the

bloodstream from the small concerned with the long-range only consistent relationship

intestine; the fructose is preventiwL. . ..oLdegenerative. . between nutrition. and... tooth metabolized into glucose in . diseases. By

and

large they decay. In nations of the Far

the liver. Diffe:-ences in ef- pay little attention to. sugar East,. where sugn. intake per.

feet between carbohydrates intake unless- a-patient has. person pei::: yeu::...ranged._..{aL

may thus depend on their lo- diabetes or certain uncommon that time) from 12 to 32

-forms of

byperlipidemia

-(high pounds, the. national averages... levels. of fat in.-the:.-. blood) for decayed, rnissing_or....filled_ Dentists

are-

the· .. one.-group._. teeth rin adults 20. to..2.4::..

year5-of medical practitioners who -· old ran from 0.9 to 5. By

regard sugar as an unqualified contrut, in Solith -American

threat. nations,. where sugar intake

Since sugar <is a manufac- was.high (44 to 88 pounds.per_

tured food and one thaLis.en~ person aom•ally) the...axer tirely imported in many indus- for decayed, missing or filled trial.countries"' we have better..._ teeth..iiL1JnLt.tb11Jee....1iall11e...ill;e....P:uu.;~

records on its consumption -ran from 8.4 to 12.6. A!I fot

been estimated that 98 per- tion. To be overweight is for sugars and sweets in such

cent of American children not only a sad affliction in things as soft drinks, cakes, have some tooth decay; by itself, it is a condition often pies, cookies, candy, jams and

age 55 about half of the popu- associated with hypertension syrups increases with age up

lation of this country have

no

and high blood cholesterol. t0-the early teens. then slowly

teeth. It can also trigger the onset decreases. The highest

con-Another serious health of diabetes in adults with a sumers are boys in

preado-problem in the United States gene~c predisposition to the lescence or adolescence, the

today is excessive weight. disease. Diabetes is a major very time of life when, to

Statistics show that 10 to 20 cause of death in the United lower triglycerides as well.as

percent of all U.S. children States. Between 5 and 12 blood cholesterol, sugar intake

(depending on the geographic million Americans are classi- should be cut along with a

area) and 35 to 50 percent of fied as. diabetics, depending considerable decrease in

sat-all middle-aged Americans are on the cut-off point chosen in urated fat and cholesterol.

overweight. We have fairly re- the definition of the disease Furthermore, in that age

liable data on food ,consump- in terms , of blood-glucose group, _it has been shown

tion in this country and -on ._ levels. .About 1,000 new cases that· the "average" ·sugar'

in-heights and weights of .the ·are reported every day. There take is unequally distributed.

population · (particularly is a strong suspici~n that a. Some--of our young people

---males, because of draft data), · large sugar intake may be find sugar-

as

addictive as

from the beginning of the cen- causally related to d~abetes, tobacco or alcohol. More get

tury. Although our population· both. indirectly by promoting used to sweet desserts and

has grown taller, we 'have obesity and -directly as a snacks and feel deprived if

grown heavier (and· fa~ter)- source of repe.ated .tress on these are not available.

even faster-despite a. slowly the insulin-proqucing inech- Clearly. it is better to restrict_

decreasing overall food intake ~ anism of the body . sugar u~~ from birth than to

Clearly,_the..incrcasecLmech-,.., ·-::· ...,.,_:::;. ₁ ~- ··hi~ .. t·

·

extra

try to cut down -Jater •. ~:

.-- . of li h ·.-. ..J.LJe';c reauuns .- 0 ~-·· ~

amzation.. -=our- ves ~ as.-._... - . --: - dult - -t· ·::a, Therec are--: a.,, numbe-... of d. - · ~..r

~--1 of • . .calones" to a -onse wa- L

imm~~ me eve{ pny_st- "betes:-the -fat-and-forty type thmgs we can do to decrease.

cal actiyity much_ ~ore rapid- . .., (by,far the-most. prevalent in our sugar consumption. We

-ly than

our calone mtake

has....-<c • • • ed. · ti'

)-h

·

as

can

keep based rod dr...l · ·:".:-"'--,;":"o-. ,;,;..~"-·.lJ!dUStriallZ _ -~ l e

':5

.

•

SUgar• p UC-·

V } ' ~ - . · · -. - - - - • ) >een.,...i19te<L.,.Vnlike 1uven1Ie ers-candy and the-like-out"

Our increased. sugar.intake diabe·- .. ,.· ·;. _ _._ __ .insulin of the house; we--·can_rely on

must be-seen in this. context. ·

ycs;.:

""

m

-

w ~ u •

At 4 1 · ('t.. circulating:-in .. the blood IS vegetable5.. .. dried beans and

ca ones per gram 1 -IS

·--•t

~

ed.

adult peas,_ whole-grain flours. and

essentially the

same

for every - ~ ~ . , . . Y ,~uc

...,,. '"""'""drate) the average l2S diabetics usually have near- cereals and. milk, whole or

-· vvo•, - · Is · f · ul · but. skim,. to· provide the necessary .

pounds~ person per year ~ normal Jeve o ms m.

we now consume- represent.:-;apparentlynot enough to cope- carbohydrates;:.· and· choose,._

. _{500 calories per day} . That is. with,·the-demands- of the ~r- fruit for desserts. These foods

· · · Kee ·ng the fQOd m- will also provide protein, B vi

-the energy equivalent of more· garusm... p~ · ·· -·. ·d tamins, vitamin

E;

iron, zinc.

than 50 pounds of fat per- . ~ -and·:wetght way . own and ·other trace- minerals,.

year for each· of us! People (by exercISe and calonc re- some essential fatty acids and·

who have a weight. problem, duction) is the ~st way to fiber. \\'hen we do eat or

certainly don't need sugar. both- prevent. and treat ma· drink something-with sugar in

Those 500 calories of sugar turity-on~~ ~~bete~. .

it.-

·

the--teeth should- be

in our average- daily. intake .. -Sugar .. however,."is suspect brushed ·or at leasrrinsed...l;oa~

are

calories that_ should. be,,..:--

as

more.

than=.it

·sou:tce. of

un-

soon

-.

a~

possible.\'.Children;:..

partly dispensed..with..::partlY:.~~ oecessary{ca1orie$.~-A- large especially, should be. trained:

-replaced by calories

~

from

·

sugar intake. means·that huge to observe this rule; they

caD'-foods which make a more amounts of rapidly digested learn the "drinking-fountain ··

significant contribution' to our -and

absorbed

simple. sugars "7' swizzle" to

use

at school. , .

nutrition. Whether sugar cal- (glucose and fructose) flood Some

of

the strong_

oppo-ories are called •rempty,'• the body at inte~als. ~e nents of sugar have proposed

"nakecf .... or "frivolous;' they sudde~. glucose~.

',

Jn.~

.

wc.

JD. . various : stringent ·-measureit,

are unaccompanied:.. by

-~u-

;.,·

~ a l ? may

_

represent'_ •

.

,:

,

ev~ing froni,:a1v outright'

trientL,_Moreover; ~ m - -~stress.... .. wt~ ~ ~--the- m,,.-, -

ham.

.on_, it;: as~ .r_:_daµgeroua

crease~ the:, · requirement" !or -, sulin-~tin_g..;·_1~et.s of the product ,., to.,. .. warning labels. . certain vitamins, .:.;..-such- as pancreas. _of ind1~duals ~enet- bearing_ the-,message that. like.

-thiamine, which-·are needed ically prone to. a1abet~

can-

·

tobacco- and saturated fats,·_

to metabolize carbohydrates. not cope After a-penod. of sugar may-be- "dangerous to

They may i n c ~ the need hyperacti~ty,.._ the cells which your health."

for the. trac~ mineral, chro- produce msuhn gradually ex- I do not believe that such

mium, as well Thus, a great- haust themselves. O ther en- measures are eithe~ feasible

er burden is placed on ~e docrines sue~. as the adrenals or necessary. Americans, oL

other components of thediet may be additionall! a~ected.· , their own. accord, are

begin-to contribute all the necessary A number of· s~ud!es 10 _{.pop- ning to decrease their con-}

-nutrients-other· foods need. _ ulations, though· not totally · , sumptiorr· of· saturated ·fats..-·

to show extraordinary "nu- conclusive, seem to support and.are identifying and avoid-~

trient density" to compensate the-view that a l~rge sugar ing, foods high ·in- cholesterol.

for the emptiness of-the su~ar- intake. p-r:omot~ t'ha~es. . -Cigarette smo!ting-is-decnas--.

calories. Yet sugar has m- The lmuted btl,l of particulars ing among college youth . .

vaded many foods in which against sucro~e whic_h. can be- (Less than 4 percent of the ·

it never had been thought to documented 1s -sufficient

!o

entering Harvard freshman

belong, and in every food- justify a drastic decrease m .class- smoke)_.Clear·

informa-into which it has been in- our sugar conswnption, start• tion abou the-sugar-content

--troduced, nutri~t density·__ ing in infancy· Recent re- . of. foods and. frank nutrition- .

drops. At a time· when food· search indicates tha~ b_y the-- education that calls ·a spade

intake needs to be reduced- time- they are ·a year old, - a-spade-should--

also-Iead-further if we are to reduce children already prefer su- intelligent consumers to a more

excessive weight, we cannot crose and fructose to lactose. healthy, less sweet, diet. • ·

afford the size of this other- Data show that a preference