Results Are In: Americans Cannot Quit Sugar

First Posted: Nov 19, 2016 02:30 AM EST

The Americans are aware of the negative effects of sugar in the body but they cannot quit eating it simply because they are not aware how to, a new survey found.

Healthline.com, a health information website, conducted a survey including over 3,000 Americans to gauge their knowledge of sugar and its effects on the body. This is to determine their sugar consumption, which has been vague for a very long time.

Of the respondents, two out of three admitted that they are aware they need to cut their sugar intake. In fact, 40 percent of the respondents find sugar as a problem over fats and carbs in terms of their consumption. Many of the respondents said they felt guilty about eating too much sugar. However, their answers show that they do not fully understand the extent of the problem, the role of sugar in physical addiction and how much sugar are in the food they are eating.

About 62 percent of the respondents said they are concerned about the effects of sugar especially how it affects their waistline. One third of them want to take action to cut their sugar intake and only 10 percent have successfully broken up with sugar.

"Our findings reveal that Americans are a nation of sugar lovers, but we know our relationship with sugar isn't healthy," said CEO David Kopp in a press release, according to The Business Journals.

"As a provider of health and wellness content, it is our responsibility at Healthline to put a spotlight on this toxic and addictive substance and to provide the information and resources which help all of us break up with sugar," he added.

Various studies have linked obesity and tooth decay to sugar consumption. Moreover, sugar has also been associated with serious illnesses as diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, fatty liver disease, insulin resistance, cancer and heart disease.

The results of the survey have urged Healthline to change the way Americans perceive how sugar could impact their health. The company recently unveiled its #BreakUpWithSugar campaign that contains various articles, animations, videos and infographics to help people learn more about sugar.