'Life without sugar is sweeter': Why doctors are advising to resist your cravings

Hyderabad: There used to be a time when smoking and using tobacco products in any form was considered one of the greatest health hazards and a significant cause of cancer. But now, it is not just tobacco, but sugar and sweets or drinks high in sugar seem to have overtaken tobacco in posing red flags for health.

Any festivity and celebration in India is incomplete without high-calorie sugary sweets, and sweet dishes and sometimes also includes bakery items like cakes and pastries. Many people also drink tea and coffee laced with sugar several times a day.

Diabetic capital India, the world’s greatest sugar consumer

Consider the following figures:

In 2021, the sweet market in India stood at Rs 58,900 crore.

This amounts to 35% of the total sweet consumption of the world.

India consumed 29 million metric tonnes of sugar in 2022-23, which is the highest by any country. China consumes roughly half of that despite being almost equal in population.

India is the diabetic capital of the world and her spending on diabetes is supposed to reach Rs 1,26,000 crore in 2025.

A doctor’s tweet about sugary celebrations

Pointing out the alarming facts and figures, senior interventional cardiologist from Pulse Heart Centre, Hyderabad, Dr. Mukharjee Madivada, recently tweeted how the surplus of sweets and sugary items used in festivities irrespective of state or culture, or religion, has become a health hazard.

“I respect all religions. I celebrate my festivals and wish others. But I have a bone to pick with all the religions. Long ago, places of worship used to feed the poor with meals, rich in carbohydrates and fats, when food used to be a scarcity. But now, food scarcity is no longer a problem, but its excess is. Yet even today, all these places of worship give high-calorie and carbohydrate-containing foods as sacraments. In India, almost all the days of the year are important to either one religion or the other. And varieties of dishes made from ghee and sweets are an integral part of the festive celebrations,” wrote the doctor.

“I wish all the religious leaders come together to denounce high calorie, high carb-containing foods as sacraments. Let there be a mandatory warning with a skull picture on all sweet packets and all sugar-sweetened beverages. Let us celebrate every festival and every day with a healthy lifestyle. Reformed religions will help humanity even more,” he tweeted.

Dangers of sugar

Processed or refined sugar is obtained from sugarcane and beetroot and is chemically produced, and added to other food items or beverages to make them taste sweet.

Concurring about the need to control excessive sugar consumption, Dr. L Sudarshan Reddy, senior general physician and diabetologist from Yashoda Hospital, says, “Refined sugar, which is used everywhere, immediately spikes and sugar and insulin level in the blood for everyone. Added to this is the sedentary lifestyle of most people and unhealthy dietary habits. This has led to an increase in instances of obesity, which in turn has resulted in insulin resistance and diabetes with its associated complications like a vicious cycle.

Moreover, obesity has been associated with increasing the risk of blockages, cardiovascular diseases, and fatty liver and kidney ailments. Sugar surges the insulin level fast and also rapidly causes a drop in the level. Sugar also has been found to affect cognitive behavior and mood, causing depression and lethargy.”

Deep six the sugar

"In this scenario, it is best to cut down on the consumption of refined sugar and replace it with less harmful alternatives like honey and jaggery. More education and awareness among the general public is required about the harmful effects of sugar.

Products containing sugar should have labels mentioning the amount of sugar in them, calorie count and there should also be a word of caution about sugar. In festivities, use sweets as a token and don’t go overboard with preparing almost all items rich in sugar," said Dr. Reddy.