No spoonful of sugar for the medicine

In the two-part BBC documentary The Men Who Made Us Fat, it was explained with devastating clarity how American farm surpluses led to sugar extraction from corn syrup that was then pumped into our food and drink.  Ironically, low-fat foods were more unhealthy than foods with normal fat levels, as to maintain the taste that was lost when the fat was removed, these foods had to be supplemented with large amounts of sugar and if the energy released by sugar isn't burnt up in vigorous exercise, it leads to greater fat deposits.  Low-fat foods are one of the greatest cons of our time, a fact partially recognised when some food and drink labels state 'no added sugar'.
The stand-off in Crimea solidified with the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, making nonsense statements, insisting that the new interim government return to the agreement signed with Viktor Yanukovych before the then current Ukrainian president fled, even though Lavrov's boss, Vladimir Putin insists Yanukovych has no political future.  At home, people were focused on the closure of BBC3 (inevitable) from television broadcast or how England would struggle to beat Denmark at Wembley (inevitable) in football.
With these issues swirling, it may have been overlooked what a momentous statement was made by the World Health Organisation (WHO).  For the first time ever, they introduced guidelines as to how much sugar should be consumed by people. The daily amount per person was set at six teaspoons of sugar - the average fizzy drink can (330ml) contains ten teaspoons of sugar.  This might seem dry and a case of stating the obvious but tellingly in The Men Who Made Us Fat, the sugar industry has lobbied the WHO ferociously for decades against releasing any briefing paper that even hinted at advising us to reduce our sugar intake.  The sugar companies, who made their millions initially through slavery, had moved from indentured labour to indentured consumers, whereby people became dependent on sugar.  That the WHO has taken this brave step makes our world inestimably a better place, as if the WHO takes this stance, it enters into health practice and discourse and it starts a path towards tackling the food and drinks world's sugar addiction.  Further, it may give succour to the Westminster parliamentarians who are seeking to introduce limits on sugar in our diets.  Eventually, sugar will be seen in the same way as grease and transfats.