We eat an average of 150 pounds of sugar a year. Check out these other sweet facts about this tasty and addictive ingredient so many of us can’t get enough of in our daily diet.
Sugarcane was first domesticated about 10,000 years ago on the island of New Guinea. Used as an elixir, sugarcane became a “cure” for ailments—like headaches, stomach flutters, and impotence—when it was processed into a powder in India in 500 A.D. Today, sugar has been known to help cure hiccups, clean dirty hands, stand in for lighter fluid, and cool a burning tongue
Eating an excess amount of sugar can increase triglyceride levels, which may increase your risk of heart disease. Sugar’s also an inflammatory, so eating too much may contribute to obesity and diabetes.
Fifty-minutes of running or five miles of walking. That’s what it takes to burn the 250 calories and 16 tablespoons of sugar found in a 20-ounce bottle of soda, according to one 2014 study.
A 20-year study of 40,000 men revealed that those who averaged one can of a sugary beverage per day had a 20% higher risk of having a heart attack or dying from a heart attack than men who rarely consumed sugary drinks.
Leave the cannoli. Take the coffee. A dose of caffeine, equivalent to one to two cups of coffee (sans sugar), before consuming a high-sugar meal increases glucose levels, lowering the risk of type-2 diabetes.
Sugar water was shown to be just as—and sometimes more—effective for endurance athletes than a sports drink, according to a study published
A “sugar-free” food must contain less than 0.5 grams of sugar per serving.
Sucralose (AKA SPLENDA) was discovered by accident in 1976 by scientists who were actually trying to create an insecticide.
Having a sweet tooth is in your DNA. Researchers have found two receptor genes that can predict a preference for sweets.
BY JASON STAHL