7. Sugar can cause gum disease, which can lead to heart disease.
Increasing evidence shows that chronic infections, such as those that result from periodontal problems, play a role in the development of coronary artery disease9. The most popular theory is that the connection is related to widespread effects from the body’s inflammatory response to infection.
8. Sugar affects behavior and cognition in children.
Though it has been confirmed by millions of parents, most researchers have not been able to show the effect of sugar on children’s behavior. A possible problem with the research is that most of it compared the effects of a sugar-sweetened drink to one containing an artificial sweetener10. It may be that kids react to both real sugar and sugar substitutes, therefore showing no differences in behavior.
What about kids’ ability to learn? Between 1979 and 1983, 803 New York City public schools reduced the amount of sucrose (table sugar) and eliminated artificial colors, flavors and two preservatives from school lunches and breakfasts. The diet policy changes were followed by a 15.7 percent increase in a national academic ranking (previously, the greatest improvement ever seen had been 1.7 percent)