It’s not about the sugar
A new Australian study has found that although sugar has been blamed as the ‘root of all evil’ in the worldwide obesity crisis, it may not be the real culprit.
In the United States, sugar consumption has gone up in line with American’s expanding waistlines, so sugar has been blamed for the weight gain. But local researchers have found that the same cannot be said for Australia.
Dr Alan Barclay, told the Dietitians Association of Australia’s (DAA) National Conference in Melbourne last week, that consumption of fructose has decreased by nearly 20% in Australia since the early 1970s, while overweight and obesity has doubled.
“Much to everyone’s surprise, it looks as if, unlike in the US, sugar is not the culprit here – or in the UK or Japan,” said Dr Barclay.
“Overweight and obesity is a huge problem in Australia and in most other developed countries. Sixty two per cent or more than 13 million Australian adults are overweight or obese. And one in four children carry too much weight for their height, which is working their hearts and organs way too hard,” said Dr Barclay.
He said this research is crucial because efforts to address this issue must be put into the most effective strategies for reducing Australia’s obesity crisis.
DAA spokesperson and dietitian, Lisa Renn, said Australians need to focus on eating fewer kilojoules and watching portion sizes.
“We gain weight when we eat more energy, or kilojoules, than we use up through exercise or activity. Obesity isn’t caused by any one food alone – you’ll gain weight by eating too much of any food. But it’s wise to still only eat moderate amounts of those foods that are low in nutrition, but high in added sugar,” said Ms Renn.
