According to a new study published in the American Heart Association’s journal, Circulation, the FDA’s mandatory label showing added sugar content on all packaged foods and drinks could have serious health-saving benefits. In 2016, the FDA announced changes to the Nutrition Facts labels, required by manufactures to be put in place by January 2021.
Changes include adding grams and percent Daily Value of added sugar content to the label. Based on the new study, researchers believe the label additions could prevent 354,000 cases of cardiovascular disease and 599,300 cases of diabetes between 2018 and 2037, and lead to an estimated $31 billion in net health care costs.
Study authors are hopeful that the added sugars label will encourage food and beverage manufacturers to make changes to their products, to reduce the amount of sugar they contain. More honest and clear nutrition labels may also help consumers feel more empowered to make informed healthy choices.
Sugar is one of the most damaging substances you can ingest, and Americans are consuming an average of 17.4 teaspoons each day. The human body is not made to consume excessive amounts of sugar — especially fructose — and the effects of consuming too much can be deadly. Research shows that added sugar overloads and damages your liver, tricks your body into gaining weight and affects your insulin and leptin signaling, causes metabolic dysfunction, increases your risk of disease and more.
To reduce your sugar consumption, reading labels is a great place to start. Other tips to help manage or limit your sugar consumption include:
• Increasing your consumption of healthy fats — Your body needs health-promoting fats from animal and vegetable sources for optimal functioning. Some of the best sources include organic butter from raw milk, unheated virgin olive oil, coconut oil, raw nuts like pecans and macadamia, free-range eggs, avocado and wild Alaskan salmon.
• Drinking pure, clean water — Simply swapping out sweetened beverages like sodas and fruit juices for pure water can go a long way toward improving your health.
• Adding fermented foods to your diet — The beneficial bacteria in fermented foods can help support your digestion and provide detoxification support, which helps lessen the fructose burden on your life. Some of the best choices include kimchi, natto, fermented vegetables and organic yogurt and kefir made from grass fed milk.