糖，何時變成了全民公敵？

From+theweek.com

提起糖，很多人首先想到是五顏六色的糖果，是甜爽好喝的飲料，是美味的餅干糕點，是“美好”“甜蜜”的感覺。但是，隨著健康意識的逐漸加強，人們對過量食糖的危害有了更新的認識，糖也由人人喜歡變成了備受指責。這，究竟是為什么呢？

Many experts believe that sweetened foods have caused a global health crisis. Whats so bad about sugar？ Heres everything you need to know：

許多專家認為加糖食品引起了一場全球健康危機。糖到底有什么壞處？你需要知道的都在這里：

How

How

Became Public

Enemy No. 1

Why is sugar in the spotlight？

For years， dieticians have warned us to steer clear of1） fat and cholesterol2）—the two food evils long believed to be fueling the Wests obesity， diabetes， and heart disease epidemics3）. But a growing number of nutritionists are now pointing the finger at sugar， arguing that our overconsumption of sodas， candy， cookies， and other sweets and processed foods is the real cause of our health crisis. Some go even further， arguing that sugar is an addictive “poison” that causes a whole host of degenerative4） ailments—including cancer—even in thin people. Evidence has emerged that shows the sugar industry may have downplayed5） those risks for profit—turning the modern Western diet into the sweetest in human history. “Were in a whole new world of sugar consumption，” says Barry Popkin， professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina. “We dont really know what that means for our health.”

糖為何會成為焦點？

多年來，飲食保健專家一直警告我們要遠離脂肪和膽固醇——這兩種食品惡魔長期以來一直被視作是西方肥胖癥、糖尿病以及心臟病流行的幕后推手。但現在越來越多的營養學家將矛頭指向了糖，他們認為健康危機的真正原因是我們食用了過量的碳酸飲料、糖果、餅干以及其他甜品和加工食品。有的把問題說得更嚴重，認為糖是一種讓人上癮的“毒藥”，導致了包括癌癥在內的大量退行性疾病，連瘦人也難以幸免。有證據表明制糖業為了獲取利潤，可能將這些風險輕描淡寫，近代西方的飲食也因此達到了人類歷史上最甜的程度。北卡羅來納州大學營養學教授巴里·波普金說：“在糖的消耗方面我們正處于一個全新的世界。我們并不確定這對健康而言意味著什么?！?/p>

How much sugar do we consume？

The average American adult downs 22 teaspoons of the stuff a day， the average child 32. The World Health Organization recommends just six teaspoons a day. Added sugars—those not found naturally in fruit and vegetables， like table sugar and high-fructose6） corn syrup7）—began to proliferate in the Western diet in the mid-20th century， just as scientists were starting to discover links between sugar and heart disease. The sugar industry decided to push back against this research， adopting the aggressive tactics of Big Tobacco8）. First， as memos uncovered last September reveal， an industry group paid three Harvard nutritionists $6，500—about $50，000 today—to divert the blame. In a 1967 New England Journal of Medicine article， the nutritionists discounted the evidence against sugar and concluded there was “no doubt” the best way to prevent heart disease was to reduce cholesterol and saturated fat. “This is quite what we had in mind，” one sugar industry executive said when he saw the article.

人們食用的糖量有多少？

每個美國成年人日均食用22茶匙糖，兒童食用32茶匙。而世界衛生組織建議的日食用量僅為6茶匙。添加糖于20世紀中期廣泛出現在西方的食品中，它是指那些不是在水果或蔬菜中天然形成的糖，比如砂糖和高果糖玉米糖漿。幾乎同時，科學家們開始揭開糖與心臟病之間的關系。制糖業決定像大型煙草公司一樣采取主動出擊的策略，阻止這項研究。去年9月份披露的備忘錄顯示，首要的措施是由一個行業團體向三名哈佛大學的營養學家支付6，500美元（相當于現在的50，000美元），從而轉移人們指責的目標。在《新英格蘭醫學雜志》1967年發表的一篇文章中，這幾名營養學家對那些不利于糖的證據持懷疑態度，并做出定論認為，預防心臟疾病的最佳方法“毫無疑問”是減少攝入膽固醇和飽和脂肪。一名制糖業主管看到這篇文章后說：“這正是我們想說的。”

What did Big Sugar do next？

The industry launched an aggressive advertising campaign in the 1970s to convince Americans that sugar actually helps you lose weight by suppressing the appetite. “Sugar can be the willpower you need to undereat，” one ad asserted； another recommended eating a cookie before lunch each day. That campaign， combined with work by the Harvard researchers， helped muddy9） the scientific waters enough to keep dietary sugar guidelines vague. The American Heart Association approved of added sugar as part of a healthy diet， and millions of Americans embraced low-fat， high-sugar diets. Consumption of added sugars soared 30 percent between 1977 and 2010. Its no coincidence， many nutritionists say， that obesity rates more than doubled over that same period.

制糖業巨頭之后還干了什么？

制糖業在20世紀70年代發起了一輪強勁的廣告攻勢，努力讓美國民眾相信，糖實際上能通過降低食欲幫助人們減肥。一則廣告聲稱：“糖是您減少食量所需的精神支柱。”另一則廣告則建議每天午飯前吃一塊曲奇餅干。這一輪攻勢加上哈佛大學研究人員的工作，在科學上混淆了視聽，使得關于糖的飲食指南一直處于含糊不清的狀態。美國心臟病協會認可添加糖是健康飲食的一部分，數百萬美國人接受了低脂高糖的飲食。1977年至2010年期間，添加糖的食用量陡增了30%。許多營養學家認為，肥胖率在這一時間翻了一倍還多并不是偶然。

1. steer clear of：繞開，避開

2. cholesterol [k??lest?r?l] n. 膽固醇

3. epidemic [?ep??dem?k] n. 流行病

4. degenerative [d??d?en（?）r?t?v] adj. （疾?。┳冃缘?，退行性的

5. downplay [?da?n?ple?] vt. 對……輕描淡寫

6. fructose [?fr?kt??s] n. 果糖

7. corn syrup：玉米糖漿

8. Big Tobacco：通常指全球五大煙草公司：菲利浦.莫里斯公司（Philip Morris International）、英美煙草（British American Tobacco）、帝國煙草（Imperial Brands）、日本煙草公司（Japan Tobacco International）、中國煙草總公司（China Tobacco）。

9. muddy [?m?di] vt. 使渾濁

New Oriental English .

Why is sugar so bad for us？

Scientists have found that refined sugar， which is made up of fructose and glucose carbohydrates10）， is harder to metabolize11） than the purely glucose-based carbohydrates found in potatoes and other starches12）. While glucose is converted into energy by every cell in the body， fructose is mainly metabolized in liver cells. When a person consumes too much fructose， many nutritionists say， the liver becomes overwhelmed and begins converting it into fat， some of which gathers in the liver. An accumulation of fat in the liver can cause insulin resistance13）， which disrupts the bodys ability to maintain stable levels of blood sugar and fat， leading to heart disease and diabetes. Anti-sugar advocate Gary Taubes contends that insulin resistance is a primary driver of obesity， and can also give rise to dementia14） and some cancers. “If Im right about sugar，” says Taubes， “then its more harmful ultimately than smoking.”

糖為何對我們這么有害？

科學家發現，由果糖和葡萄糖碳水化合物構成的精煉糖要比單純的葡萄糖碳水化合物更難代謝，后者可在土豆以及其他淀粉食物中產生。葡萄糖可由體內所有的細胞轉化為能量，果糖卻主要在肝細胞中進行代謝。許多營養學家聲稱，人們如果攝入過量的果糖，肝臟就會招架不住，開始將果糖轉換為脂肪，其中一些脂肪將堆積在肝臟。而脂肪在肝臟的堆積將導致胰島素產生抗性，擾亂人體維持血糖和脂肪平衡的能力，進而引發心臟疾病和糖尿病。反糖倡導者加里·陶布斯認為，胰島素抗性是肥胖癥的主要致因之一，并且還可能導致癡呆癥和一些癌癥。他說：“要是我對糖的看法沒有錯，那么它的最終危害更甚于吸煙?！?/p>

. New Oriental English

10. carbohydrate [?kɑ?（r）b???ha?dre?t] n. [有化]碳水化合物；[有化]糖類

11. metabolize [m??t?b?la?z] vt. 使新陳代謝

12. starches [stɑ?（r）t??z] n. [復]淀粉質食品

13. insulin resistance：胰島素抗性，指脂肪細胞、肌肉細胞和肝細胞對正常濃度的胰島素產生反應不足的現象。

14. dementia [d??men??] n. [內科]癡呆

15. lace [le?s] vt. 在（食物、飲料）中添加

16. artery [?ɑ?（r）t?ri] n. 動脈

17. triglyceride [tra??ɡl?s?ra?d] n. [有化]甘油三酸酯

18. wash down：（以水或者飲料）沖咽

19. ballot [?b?l?t] n. （無記名）投票

20. saccharin [?s?k?r?n] n. [有化]糖精

21. Sweet N Low：纖而樂，一種代用糖的品牌

22. savory [?se?v?ri] adj. 咸的；辛辣的

23. ketchup [?ket??p] n. 番茄醬

24. recreational drug：消遣性毒品

25. intravenous [??ntr??vi?n?s] adj. 靜脈內的

Do all nutritionists agree？

No. Some， including Fred Brouns， professor of Health Food Innovation at Maastricht University in the Netherlands， argue that sugars effects remain “poorly investigated and highly controversial.” The problem with all nutritional science is that its difficult to monitor diets over the years-long time span needed to track the causes of degenerative diseases. But theres no doubt that were lacing15） modern supermarket food with concentrated sugar in a way that isnt replicated in nature. Kimber Stanhope， a nutritional biologist at University of California-Davis， ordered her staff to eat enough fruit to get 25 percent of their daily calories from sugar—the quantity she has shown raises the level of artery16）-clogging triglycerides17） in the blood. Four out of seven of the subjects had to quit. “It was more fruit than they could bear to eat，” says Stanhope. Yet you can easily get that same amount of sugar by washing down18） a couple of brownies with a can of Coke.

是不是所有營養學家都這么看？

并非如此。有些營養專家認為，在糖對健康的影響方面，“調查不足且充滿爭議”。荷蘭馬斯特里赫特大學健康食品創新學教授弗雷德·布龍斯就是持此觀點的一員。所有營養科學都面臨一個問題：跟蹤退行性疾病的致因需要數年時間，可是對飲食的監測卻難以持續這么久。但毫無疑問，人們在現代超市食品中添加了大量的濃縮糖，而在自然界中這種方式是無法復制的。加州大學戴維斯分校營養生物學家金伯·斯坦諾普要求她的員工食用大量水果，以使從糖中攝入的卡路里量達到每天攝入總量的25%。她已表明這一攝入量將提高血液中甘油三酸酯的含量，而甘油三酸酯是導致血管堵塞的原因。在參與實驗的七名員工中，有四名不得不選擇退出?！八麄儗嵲诔圆幌履敲炊嗨??！彼固怪Z普說。但是，只要吃兩個巧克力蛋糕再喝上一聽可樂，就可以輕松攝入這個數量的糖。

What can be done？

Individuals can choose to limit their sugar intake—but that requires avoiding nearly all processed foods. Public officials are also trying to nudge society at large toward making healthier choices. In the 2016 election， three California cities passed ballot19） measures imposing taxes on sugary sodas. But conservatives largely oppose these so-called sin taxes， arguing that people should have the freedom to do what they want to their bodies. To cut down on sugar， some people have switched to zero-calorie artificial sweeteners， like the saccharin20）-based Sweet N Low21）. But little is known about the long-term effects of these chemical substitutes on the body. And because such products can be up to 13，000 times sweeter than sugar， they can trick the body into craving even more calories. “Dont be fooled，” says metabolism researcher Susan Swithers. “We were once led to believe that ‘light and ‘low tar cigarettes are better choices than regular cigarettes，” she says. “Neither choice is actually healthy.”

我們能做些什么？

我們可以選擇控制糖的攝入量——但這就要求我們不吃幾乎所有的加工食品。政府官員也在極力引導社會大眾做出更加健康的選擇。在2016年的美國選舉中，加利福尼亞州的三座城市以無記名投票的方式，通過了對含糖汽水征稅的措施。但保守人士卻普遍反對這些所謂的罪惡稅。他們認為怎么對待自己的身體是人們應有的自由。為了降低糖的攝入量，有的人已經轉向零卡路里的人工甜味劑，比如以糖精為主的纖而樂（一種代用糖的品牌）。但這些化學替代物對人體會有怎樣的長期影響，人們卻知之甚少。而且這些產品比糖要甜13，000倍，故而會哄騙人體攝入更多的卡路里?！皠e被忽悠了，”新陳代謝研究人員蘇珊·斯維澤說，“我們曾經以為‘輕淡型和‘低焦油香煙要好于普通香煙。實際上，這兩種選擇都不健康。”

Americas favorite drug

Sugar is everywhere. Eighty percent of supermarket foods contain it—and purportedly “savory22）” foods often contain more sugar than sweet treats like ice cream. Whole-wheat bread can have a teaspoon of sugar per slice； Heinz tomato ketchup23） contains 22.8 percent sugar， twice as much as Coca-Cola. As we swamp our bodies with sugar， we only become more addicted. A 2016 study in Nature Neuroscience suggested that sugar hijacks the brain by triggering its reward system， pushing the body to ask for more and more. Sugar might even be more addictive than recreational drugs24）， says cardiovascular research scientist James DiNicolantonio. “When you look at animal studies comparing sugar to cocaine， even when you get the rats hooked on intravenous25） cocaine， once you introduce sugar， almost all of them switch to the sugar.”

美國最受歡迎的毒品

糖無處不在。80%的超市食品都含糖。而且，據說“咸味”食品經常要比冰淇淋這樣的甜品含糖量更大。每片全麥面包中的糖可達到一茶匙。亨氏番茄醬的含糖量達到22.8%，是可口可樂的兩倍。而隨著糖鋪天蓋地地涌入體內，我們只會變得更加上癮?！蹲匀簧窠浛茖W》2016年發表的一份研究表明，糖通過激發腦內的獎勵機制，將大腦劫持，促使人體不斷提出需求。研究心血管病的科學家詹姆斯·迪尼科蘭托尼奧說：“糖甚至有可能比消遣性毒品更容易讓人上癮。在比較糖和可卡因影響的動物研究中，哪怕你通過靜脈注射使小白鼠對可卡因上癮，一旦你用了糖，幾乎所有的小白鼠都會轉向糖。”