Alex Miller
Associate Editor
Loyola University Chicago School of Law, JD 2026
Today, Americans are becoming more aware and concerned about the additives in their food that have carcinogenic and other adverse health effects. This increased scrutiny in American nutrition, particularly for children, has been spearheaded by the “Make America Healthy Again” Movement, which seeks higher standards in regulations of what is allowed in food and more transparency for food products. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is shifting in the same direction of promulgating stricter food standards, as it recently finalized rules banning the artificial food additive Red No. 3 and updating the standards manufacturers must meet to advertise as “healthy.” However, while agencies and activists work to keep chemical and artificial additives out of American foods, a glaring issue remains. Americans have a sugar addiction problem, and the government is their enablers.
Sugar consumption leads to obesity and other major health problems
The American Heart Association recommends that men do not exceed nine teaspoons (150 calories) of added sugar and women do not exceed six teaspoons (100 calories) of added sugar daily. Comparatively, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that a person over two years old does not consume more than twelve teaspoons (200 calories) of added sugar daily. Yet, in America, the average amount of added sugar consumed daily is about 18 teaspoons (290 calories). High sugar consumption directly contributes to weight gain, obesity, type two diabetes, heart disease, and tooth decay. Further, studies even show that added sugars can contribute to liver disease, cognitive decline, and even cancer.
Today, about 40% of Americans are considered obese, which is much higher than fifty years ago, when only about 14% of Americans were considered obese. Additionally, a new study has shown that approximately 75% of American adults and 50% of American children are overweight. Obese people tend to pay medical costs that are 30-40% higher than non-obese people, and approximately 500,000 Americans die each year from an obesity-attributable death. With the average American eating at least double the amount of added sugar recommended despite its direct correlation with obesity and other health problems, it becomes clear that there is a sugar addiction epidemic in this country.
Sugar’s addictive nature
First, added sugars are simply sugars added to processed foods during their manufacture. They include sucrose, dextrose, high fructose corn syrup and other syrups, and other added sweeteners, such as table sugar. These added sugars are found in almost all processed foods in the grocery store. Soda pop, candy, and desserts have added sugar, but so does bread, condiments, salad dressings, sauces, cereals, juice, energy drinks, yogurt, chips, crackers, and many more.
The high prevalence of added sugar in our food is problematic, not just because of the negative health results, but because sugar has a highly addictive nature. While most people are aware of the addictive nature and risks of alcohol, tobacco, and even caffeine, the dangers of sugar are less known. Sugar dependence has shocking parallels to those of drugs and alcohol. Consuming sugar releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is related to how people feel pleasure, which is a similar neurological response to other drugs, like cocaine. The release of dopamine creates a cycle that fosters sugar cravings, binge consumption of sugar, and unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the body goes for long periods without sugar. When a highly addictive substance is found in so much food with no sufficient warnings of its addictive nature or negative health effects, then it becomes obvious why Americans consume two to three times more added sugar than recommended on average.
Government enablers: American sugar subsidized
Despite being one of the largest sugar producers in the world, America’s demand for sugar outnumbers its supply. To increase supply, the government subsidizes sugar production through loans, price floors to keep prices up, and tariffs to restrict sugar importation. However, the government also subsidizes American consumers to purchase unhealthy high-sugar food. Through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars are given each year to low-income individuals to assist in buying food. Approximately 20% of the SNAP benefits purchase unhealthy and sugary foods. Many SNAP participants also receive Medicaid for healthcare costs, an additional hundreds of billions of dollars each year. Therefore, billions of taxpayer dollars are spent each year that directly contribute to worsening obesity in America and makes Americans less healthy as a result.
The government can foster change
The United States must shift its focus to making Americans healthier. In achieving this goal, Congress can start by passing new legislation that redirects subsidies from sugar to healthier crops, which could make fresh products like fruits and vegetables more affordable. Similarly, the United States government can use incentives to promote natural competition of manufacturers that use natural non-sugar alternative ingredients in their products to increase the availability of non-sugar products.
Additionally, sugar-containing products need stricter marketing regulations like tobacco and alcohol products because of the similarities in addictiveness and unhealthy impacts. The FDA must pass stronger regulations that limit the amount of added sugar permitted in processed foods. Adding the “added sugars” section of the food’s nutritional information is a good start, but it is insufficient. Further, the FDA should promulgate stricter regulations regarding how high sugar foods are marketed because many companies, like cereal and other unhealthy food companies, target children in marketing campaigns because of their increased susceptibility to sugar.
Lastly, Congress should pass legislation that excludes unhealthy high sugar-containing processed foods and beverages from SNAP. Cigarettes and alcohol are already excluded from SNAP, and unhealthy sugary processed foods should be as well. If just soda was excluded from SNAP, it is estimated that nearly 100,000 cardiovascular disease events can be prevented each year. So imagine the health impacts, if all high-sugar foods were exempt from SNAP. With these changes and more, America can become healthier again.