AWARENESS ON THE CONSUMPTION OF SUGAR AND ITS IMPACTS

A Case Study

Presented to

Mr. Melbert Ople

University of San Carlos, Talamban, Cebu City

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Subject

Science, Technology and Society

Lim, Frank Anton

Lim, Justin Carlos
Tan, Kiana Crestel S.

March 31, 2022

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Introduction

Sugar is a sweet tasting carbohydrate. It occurs naturally in foods that contain

carbohydrates. Some of these foods are fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy. Consuming these
foods are okay as sugar provides energy to one’s cells. High consumption of fruits and
vegetables shows that it reduces the risk of diseases such as diabetes. (The sweet danger of sugar
- Harvard Health, 2022). Other than the naturally occurring sugar, there are other sugars as well.
One of them is added sugar, which is the sugar that manufacturers add to products in order to
increase flavor or to extend shelf life. This can be seen in different foods and beverages. Among
these are soft drinks, cookies, candies and processed foods. Other than added sugar, there is also
what you call hidden sugar. Hidden sugars are still added sugars but are disguised with a
different name. Some examples of foods with hidden sugars are yogurt, cereal and juice that are
labeled with no added sugar.

In 2019, sugar consumption per capita reached 21.1 kg in the Philippines. Likewise, in
2020 sugarcane production in the Philippines was estimated to be around 24.4 million metric
tons. In terms of interest rate on sugar consumption per capita, the Philippines is rated 96th out
of 161 nations we track. Meanwhile, in 2019 the United States had the most sugar consumption
with 126.4 grams of sugar. Second is Germany with an estimate of 102.9 grams of sugar.
Likewise in 2018–2019 around 188.25 million metric tons of sugar were produced globally.
Similarly, Brazil, India, the EU, China, and Thailand are the world largest sugar-producing
countries in 2019–2020. With 29.93 million metric tons of sugar produced in Brazil alone
making the country the single greatest producer of sugar.

Body

3.1 - Key Issues or Problems

Sugar can be an addicting flavor. It can be as addictive as drugs since sugar releases
dopamine, the happy hormone. The problem now enters when they get inclined into repeating the
experience they had when there was an excess release of dopamine. This can cause
overconsumption of sugar since they would make use of it in order to maintain happiness.
Another problem is that people are not aware of how much sugar content there is in a product,
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especially those that are labeled as healthy. This then results in overconsumption and may lead to
weight gain.

3.2 - Assumptions
Researchers assume whether consuming high amounts of sugar can produce happiness. In
one of our survey questions, we asked our respondents whether sugar can give them happiness,
and 33% of them said yes while 11% of our respondents said no. Meanwhile, 56% of our
respondents said temporarily, indicating that sugar consumption only serves as a short term
effect on their happiness.

Researchers also assume the reason why people are not aware of the sugar content there
is in a product is because manufacturers use this to take advantage by hiding their sugar content
to make it appear healthier. These sugars are then listed higher down in the ingredients list,
making a product appear to be low in sugar despite the fact that sugar is one of the key
ingredients.

3.3 - Data Analysis

Figure 1

Based on the data presented in figure 1, only 3 of the 27 respondents said that they
always consume sugary foods and drinks. Meanwhile, 9 respondents answered often and the rest
answered sometimes.
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Figure 2

Based on the graph shown in figure 4, the majority of the respondents answered that they
consume products that contain hidden sugar. Only 1, among 27 respondents, answered no to the
question.

Figure 3

Based on the graph shown above, 5 of the respondents answered that they always
consume products that contain hidden sugar. While 9 of the respondents answered often, 12
answered sometimes and 1 respondent answered never.
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Figure 4 Figure 5

In figure 7, respondents were asked if they were aware of how much sugar they consume
each day. Among 27 respondents, only 5 answered that they were aware while the rest answered
that they were aware. The data presented in figure 8 is from the 5 respondents who were aware
of their sugar consumption as the question is only for those who answered yes to the previous
question. Among the 5 respondents, 3 of them consume an amount of 11 - 20 grams of sugar per
day while 1 respondent consumes an amount of 21 - 30 grams and the other respondent
consumes 31 - 40 grams.

Figure 6

Since the consumption of sugar is connected to one's well-being, the respondents were
asked about how often they exercise. Based on the data presented in figure 9, 2 of the
respondents answered that they always exercise. 7 respondents answered that they often exercise
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while 14 respondents said that they exercise sometimes. The rest of the respondents answered
that they do not exercise.

Figure 7

Based on the data shown on the graph in figure, most of the respondents are aware of the
impacts of over consuming products containing sugar. Only 1 respondent is not fully aware of
the impacts of the overconsumption of sugar based products.

Figure 8 Figure 9

The two figures above contain data on whether the production and consumption of sugar
based products should be regulated. In figure 8, 23 respondents believe that there is a need to
regulate the production of sugar based products while 4 of the respondents believe that there is
no need to regulate the production. Meanwhile in figure 9, 25 respondents believe that the
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consumption of the said products needs to be regulated while only 2 respondents think that it
does not need to be regulated.

Figure 10

The data presented in figure 10 is based on the question “Can consuming food containing
sugar give you happiness?”. Out of 27 respondents, 9 answered that consuming food containing
sugar gives them happiness. 15 respondents, on the other hand, answered that consuming it gives
them happiness but temporarily. The rest of the respondents answered that the consumption of
food containing sugar does not give them happiness.

3.4 - Proposed Alternative

The researchers recommendation on the alternatives on sugar production and

consumption would be by regulating the consumption of sugar based products. In the survey
answered by the respondents, 25 of them, which was 93% of our respondents agreed, that there
should be a need to regulate the consumption of sugar based products. We can regulate the
consumption of sugar based products by looking for alternatives such as cutting back on the
amount of sugar added to things you eat or drink, etc.

Another alternative the researchers have recommended is exercising more. In the survey
answered by the respondents 15% of them never exercised while. 7% of them always exercise.
Meanwhile, 52% of the respondents only exercise sometimes. We can take advantage of the
sugar consumed since it also provides energy and the best exercises the researchers have
recommended is by doing aerobic exercise and high intensity interval training. Similarly, these
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exercises are the best exercises when losing weight because in turn overconsumption of sugar
can often lead to weight gain in the body.

3.5 - Impact of Proposal on the Pursuit of Happiness

The researchers explain that the journey towards living a good life should mean living in
a healthy lifestyle. In the proposed alternatives, we suggested ways on how to live a healthy
lifestyle such as regulating the consumption of sugar based products and the importance of
exercise. Sugar should not be the source of input for humans to attain eudaimonia. In the survey
answered by the respondents, we asked our respondents whether sugar can give them happiness,
and 33% of them said yes while 11% of our respondents said no. Meanwhile, 56%, which were
the majority of our respondents, said temporarily. Consuming sugar should only be a temporary
source of happiness rather than a permanent or long term effect. Hence, living a healthy lifestyle
should be the way for humans to attain eudaimonia rather than the overconsumption of sugar
based products.

Conclusion

The researchers have come up with the conclusion that there are many people who
consume sugar on a daily basis and are actually aware of the potential consequences when one
consumes too much of it. Since sugar is a substance that makes food look more scrumptious, it
makes us want to consume more of those so-called “sugar based products“ despite the
consequences. Moreover we may think that consuming a lot of sugar can bring us happiness, but
what we don’t know is that the happiness we feel whenever we eat a sugar based product is only
temporary and that is what makes the products intoxicating. Therefore, true happiness can only
be achieved when one takes control of their life and leads it to a healthy lifestyle.
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References

How bad is sugar for health?: Masters Swimming Diet Advice. (2016, November 23). Retrieved
March 29, 2022, from https://www.swimming.org/masters/how-bad-is-sugar-for-health/

Philippines: Production Volume of Sugarcane 2020. (2021, October 01). Retrieved March 30,
2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/751575/philippines-sugarcane-production/

Reichelt, A. (2019, November 14). Your brain on sugar: What the science actually says.
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Rutledge, T. (2021, May 22). Sugar may be stealing your happiness. Retrieved March 29, 2022,
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ealing-your-happiness

Schaefer, A., & Yasin, K. (2020, April 30). Is sugar an addictive drug? Retrieved March 29,
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s-an-addiction?

Shahbandeh, M. (2021, May 27). Global Sugar Consumption, 2020/21. Retrieved March 29,
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Sugar consumption per capita in Philippines. (n.d.). Retrieved March 29, 2022, from
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.
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The sweet danger of sugar. (2022, January 06). Retrieved March 28, 2022, from
https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/the-sweet-danger-of-sugar

Tips for cutting down on Sugar. (2021, June 17). Retrieved March 29, 2022, from
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sugar/tips-for-cutting-do
wn-on-sugar

Walton, J. (2021, December 01). The 5 countries that produce the most sugar. Retrieved March
29, 2022, from
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asp

West, H. (2019, April 09). 8 ways food companies hide the sugar content of foods. Retrieved
March 29, 2022, from
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Survey Sample
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