The Bush administration has been putting the interests of businesses, particularly the sugar industry, ahead of the global fight against obesity.

Since 1990, successive U.S. governments have blocked the World Health Organization’s (WHO) call for action to reduce the national recommendation of sugar consumption from 25 percent to 10 percent. The Bush administration, which receives millions of dollars in funding from the sugar industry, argues that there is little evidence to prove that consuming too much sugar is a direct cause of obesity. The president believes fighting fat is a matter of the individual, not the state, and opposes WHO’s recommendation to reduce sugar consumption to 10 percent.

In response to the Bush Administration’s statement, the leader of WHO fought back with a worldwide policy that proposes changes to advertising and tax policy to promote healthier diets.At this time, it is said that further discussions would be needed before a final plan is approved.

One in three Americans suffer from the health risks that are linked with obesity. It is estimated that 300 million people worldwide are obese, and 750 million are overweight. Statistics show obesity rates have risen 50 percent in American children. Obesity has been proven to increase the risk ofof of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic illness.

Guardian January 18, 2004

BBC News January 21, 2004

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Two-thirds of the U.S. population is overweight, and it’s no mystery that consumption of sugar plays a major role in the obesity epidemic. Now, scientists are documenting how the Bush administration is putting the interests of powerful American sugar barons ahead of the global fight against obesity. Perhaps the administration should review some of the 100-plus ways in which sugar can damage your health reference list that I have compiled. As my regular readers already know, I feel strongly that there is entirely too much sugar in most peoples' diets. It is one of the biggest enemies we face in our pursuit of a healthy eating program. It appears in almost everything we eat and drink, making it virtuously impossible to avoid. It is a proven fact that sugar increases insulin levels, which can lead to high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, premature aging and many more negative side effects. Controlling insulin levels is one of the most important things you can do to optimize your health, and avoiding sugar is essential to do this. Fortunately, energy psychology tools like Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) can be enormously helpful in kicking the sugar habit. We have been using EFT to successfully treat emotional stresses, including food cravings, such as those related to sugar for some time. I have an EFT DVD series; also available in VHS that provides a total satisfaction guarantee. Related Articles: More Evidence That Sugar Increases Cancer Obesity and Diabetes: A Growing Problem Among Americans Sugar and Cancer Cancer's Sweet Tooth Obesity Causes Nearly 100,000 Cancer Deaths per Year Killer Sugar! Suicide With A Spoon The Five Absolute Worst Foods You Can Eat