There are the followers of Dry January, who as soon as the New Year festivities end, stop drinking alcohol for the entire month of January. There is also the tobacco-free month, during which those who are trying to give up cigarettes stop smoking as of November 1st. Since last year, we must also take into account “June without added sugars”, an operation launched by the association SOS hepatitis & liver diseases. The goal: “reduce your consumption of added sugars for a month, or even try to eliminate it completely”.
The opportunity to question our relationship with sugar, which is hidden in a multitude of foods consumed on a daily basis. What are the benefits of such an approach? Does taking up the challenge allow you to sustainably reduce your sugar consumption?
The omnipresent sugar
Over the course of a day, could you assess your sugar consumption? If you did the math, the result would probably be far from reality. The fault is hidden sugars, omnipresent in many processed foods that we consume every day. According to one recent study by ANSESwhich screened the composition of more than 54,000 processed foods present on supermarket shelves, in 2020, 77% contained added sugar, whether sweet or savory products.
“For around fifty years, there has been a slippage in sugar consumption in industrialized countries, particularly because fat has been demonized, so the food industry has reduced the fat content of many products and added fat. sugar, which is inexpensive, for its flavor enhancing effect, explains Dr Pascal Mélin, hepatologist at the Saint-Dizier Hospital Center and president of SOS hepatitis & liver diseases. This is how in supermarkets, you find pizzas, salads or even cold meats which contain added sugars.
Result: “in France, the average sugar consumption is 90 grams per day, while WHO recommends not exceeding 25 grams”, or six teaspoons, recalls Dr Mélin. A threshold largely exceeded just with a single glass of soda, which contains 34 grams in a 33 centiliter can.
“Be aware of your sugar consumption”
So, June without added sugars, “is to help people become aware of their sugar consumption,” says Dr. Mélin. It is not a question of completely prohibiting eating it, but of getting each participant to question their relationship with sugar, to become aware of their consumption, to learn to read the labels and identify the sugars in the lists of ingredients. And it is decisive: French law requires the ingredients of a product to be listed in order of proportion. To prevent sugar from appearing first on the packaging of processed products, manufacturers have found a way to circumvent the legislation by “cutting” sugar into several categories to distribute them on the list of ingredients. There are 52 different names for sugar: glucose, sucrose, corn syrup, etc. “.
Ultimate goal of the challenge of course, “eat less sugar”, adds Dr Mélin. For those tempted to take on the challenge, simply register on the dedicated site: JuneSansSucresAddes.org. And there’s nothing stopping you from taking part even if you don’t feel able to completely do without sugar for an entire month. “Three levels of participation are possible: “sympathizer”, if you are curious to try, “engaged”, for participants who agree to answer two questionnaires, and “ambassador”, if you are motivated to bring the challenge to life in your neighborhood, your association or your business,” describes the association behind the challenge.
A challenge that the hepatologist already took on during the first edition of the operation, in June 2023, and an instructive experience even for this healthcare professional. “I scrutinized like never before the lists of ingredients of foods that I consume every day,” says Dr. Mélin, “and I was surprised to see that the pretzels that I liked to snack on at the end of the day were full of sugar. , even though it was a salty snack! I also stopped eating fruit yogurts for breakfast, which were way too sweet, and replaced them with natural yogurts.” Also removed, the sugar added by the spoon. “I, who loved strawberries with sugar, learned to season them with basil or mint, and it’s delicious! And I said goodbye to sugar in my coffee. The sum of all these small actions allowed me to reduce my daily sugar consumption.”
“Sugar kills more than the road”
For the hepatologist, “there is an urgent need to reduce our consumption of sugar, which is both harmful to health and very addictive. Moreover, according to the survey we conducted among participants of June without added sugars last year, 15% declared that they were addicted to sugar and could not do without it. However, “the risks associated with excessive consumption are now well known: diabetes, cardiovascular disorders or even excess weight”, warns SOS hepatitis and liver disease. Other deleterious effects: “In France there is an epidemic of obesity and Nash, fatty liver disease”, or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
How does sugar make the liver fatty? “When we eat sugar, it is stored in the liver,” answers Dr. Mélin. If you have a reasonable consumption, when the body needs energy, the liver will release the sugar into the blood so that it can be used by the cells. But if you consume sugar throughout the day, the liver will not need to release it into the blood and will store it, in the form of triglycerides, fats that are toxic to the liver. Hence the importance of paying attention to sugar to fight against excess fat in the liver, he insists. Every year in France, there are 4,000 deaths from cirrhosis caused by excess sugar. Today, sugar kills more than the road,” underlines the hepatologist.
June without added sugars, “is an opportunity to inform the general public about the dangers and omnipresence of sugar, but also an individual and collective challenge where we challenge ourselves to change our habits. A month during which we stick together among participants,” rejoices Dr Mélin. And the results are there. Last year, “88% of participants declared having reduced, partially or completely, their consumption of added sugars,” indicates the association. And six months later, 45% of respondents continued to consume much less than before, and 38% a little less.”