Reading a review of British writer Bee Wilson’s “First Bite: How We Learn to Eat” in the London Review of Books, I stumbled on an astonishing figure: 4 million people in the U.K. have diabetes. An unhealthy diet and increasingly sedentary lifestyle have taken their toll, causing a 65 percent surge in cases in the past decade alone. Treating this epidemic is costing the National Health Service an estimated £1 million (roughly ¥155 million) an hour.
Obesity is the main culprit, and one major dietary factor is the high-sugar content in many processed foods. It was astounding to learn that tomato ketchup (22.8 percent) has a higher sugar content than Coca-Cola (10.6 percent), and that we consume far more glucose-fructose syrup and other sugary ingredients than most people are probably aware of.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.