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Is it time to treat sugar like smoking?

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11–20 of 261 posts

Re: Is it time to treat sugar like smoking?

#11
post #2

How about we start treating alcohol like smoking? For example ban alcohol advertising like we have with tobacco and I bet society would improve in a lot of unforeseen ways (besides the obvious reduction in alcohol related deaths and diseases and family issues).

It is banned in Russia, zero effect.

Re: Is it time to treat sugar like smoking?

#12
post #2

How about we start treating alcohol like smoking? For example ban alcohol advertising like we have with tobacco and I bet society would improve in a lot of unforeseen ways (besides the obvious reduction in alcohol related deaths and diseases and family issues).

I distinctly recall these (and much more restrictive) measures having been tried in the U.S. almost exactly 100 years ago, to a very modest success. Sugar seems to be an easier target, because there are sweeteners like aspartame. Alcohol almost by definition doesn't have a healthy replacement.

Re: Is it time to treat sugar like smoking?

#14
post #2

How about we start treating alcohol like smoking? For example ban alcohol advertising like we have with tobacco and I bet society would improve in a lot of unforeseen ways (besides the obvious reduction in alcohol related deaths and diseases and family issues).

[deleted]

Re: Is it time to treat sugar like smoking?

#15
post #11
post #2

How about we start treating alcohol like smoking? For example ban alcohol advertising like we have with tobacco and I bet society would improve in a lot of unforeseen ways (besides the obvious reduction in alcohol related deaths and diseases and family issues).

It is banned in Russia, zero effect.

That it doesn't work in Russia is far from proof that it couldn't work elsewhere.

Edit: Prohibition on advertising is not prohibition on alcohol. I reject the relevance of this suggested equivalency. There is no risk of organized crime getting supercharged by a prohibition on alcohol advertisements.

Re: Is it time to treat sugar like smoking?

#19
post #4
post #2

How about we start treating alcohol like smoking? For example ban alcohol advertising like we have with tobacco and I bet society would improve in a lot of unforeseen ways (besides the obvious reduction in alcohol related deaths and diseases and family issues).

Didn't we try that with prohibition?

The Scandinavian countries show that if you do not prohibit completely, but just make people jump through some hoops to get it and/or make it very expensive, it sort of works.

Re: Is it time to treat sugar like smoking?

#20
post #13

Is there much difference between sugar and refined carbs like white bread?

Some difference - definitely. Does it count as "much"? Depends on your definition of "much". Glycemic index is interesting starting point to look into this.

Not all white bread is identical either. Sugar content may vary a lot from brand to brand. Glycemic index too.

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