Scientists Slam Sugar

UCSF scientists are blaming sugar for chronic diseases approaching epidemic levels internationally.


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A team of scientists from the University of California, San Francisco argues in a new paper that sugar is primarily to blame for widespread instances of chronic illness around the world. The report, published in international science journal Nature, likens sugar to addictive, harmful substances such as alcohol and tobacco, and says that excessive consumption of sugar alters the body’s biochemistry, leaving people susceptible to a wide range of life-threatening conditions. To intervene in what they view as a public health crisis, the UCSF scientists advocate for taxes on sugar-laden products, and for drastic legislation that would limit children’s access to highly sweetened beverages and foods.