Mixed
Excessive consumption of free sugars, particularly from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and high-fructose corn syrup, negatively impacts human health by promoting obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive impairment through mechanisms like insulin resistance, de novo lipogenesis, and neuroinflammation.
To protect your metabolic and cognitive health, prioritize reducing free sugars, especially from sugar-sweetened beverages and high-fructose corn syrup. Aim for less than 5% of your daily calories from added sugars (approx. 25g for women, 36g for men, per AHA/WHO). Focus on whole food sources of carbohydrates (vegetables, whole grains, whole fruits) which provide fiber and nutrients, rather than isolated sugars. This helps mitigate risks of insulin resistance, liver fat accumulation, and cognitive decline.
The findings suggest a negative effect of excessive added sugar consumption on human health and wellbeing. ... Excessive sugar consumption has been implicated in obesity, metabolic disorders, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, depression, and cognitive impairment.
Why this rating
The paper is a narrative review citing numerous large-scale prospective cohort studies, meta-analyses, and mechanistic animal/human trials, though it acknowledges some conflicting observational data.
Source
The Impact of Free Sugar on Human Health—A Narrative Review
Kerri Gillespie et al. · Nutrients · 2023
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