We often hear at Mamak’s stall, “Teh tarik kurang manis satu”, but do you even realize, sugar is not just from ‘’sugar’’. It also comes from daily food we consume such as pastries, peanut butter, kaya, and even chilli sauce and ketchup.
我们经常会在嘛嘛档听到“来一杯少糖的拉茶”，但是您们有发觉吗，糖分不一定只来自糖。它也来自我们日常食用的食物，如糕点、花生酱、卡亚、甚至是辣椒酱及番茄酱。
Malaysia is still having the highest obesity prevalence in South East Asia. There are 3 million obese Malaysians and the number is far from reducing. This worrying trend need to be stopped as soon as possible.
马来西亚仍然是东南亚肥胖率最高的国家。共有300万马来西亚人是肥胖的，而这个数字还在持续增加。这种令人担忧的趋势必须尽快停止。
Starting April 1st 2019, a 40 cents tax per litre will be imposed on soft drinks with more than five grams of sugar or sugar-based sweetener per 100ml. This includes carbonated drinks or flavoured and other non-alcoholic beverages. For juice or vegetable-based drinks, a 40 cents tax per litre will be imposed on drinks with over 12g of sugar per 100ml.
从2019年1月4日起，每100升含有超过5克糖或糖基甜味剂的软饮料将被征收40仙的糖税。这还包括了碳酸饮料和其他非酒精饮料。至于果汁或蔬菜饮料，每100升含有超过12克糖的饮料将被征收40仙的糖税。
Malaysia is not the first country to implement tax on sugary drinks. This healthy approach has been imposed in several countries like Brunei Darussalam, France, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
马来西亚并不是第一个对含糖饮料征税的国家。这种健康的做法已经在几个国家，如汶莱、法国、墨西哥、沙特阿拉伯、泰国和英国实行。
The Permitted Sugar Intake / 健康的糖分摄取量
Based on Recommended Nutrient Intake for Malaysia 2017, intake of free sugar should be 10% of total energy intake per day or less. For example, a healthy man from age 19-29 years old needs about 2200 kcal a day for his energy. The recommended sugar intake for him is 55g of sugar or equal to 3.5 tablespoon of sugar a day. Then, you can calculate by yourself, how much sugar you really need. The smaller amount the calorie, the smaller amount of sugar intake is needed.
根据2017年马来西亚推荐的营养摄取量，糖分的摄取量应该是总能量的10% 或更少。举例，一个19至29岁的健康男性每天需要大约2200kcal的能量。他所应该摄取的糖分是每天55克或相等于3汤匙半的糖分。然后，您可以自己计算您真正需要多少糖分。您所需的卡路里量越少，需要的糖分摄取量越少。
According to National Health and Morbidity Survey 2017, more than 1 in 3 Malaysian students consume at least one can of soft drinks a day. A single can of soft drinks contains on average 8.5 teaspoons of sugar, and there is clear scientific research that proves that high consumption of sugary drinks leads to weight gain and obesity.
根据2017年全国健康和发病率调查显示，每3个马来西亚学生就有1个或以上的人每天至少饮用一罐软饮料。一罐软饮料平均含有8茶匙半的糖分，并且有明确的科学研究证明，摄取糖分含量高的饮料会导致体重增加和肥胖。
Why eating too much sugar is bad for your health / 为什么摄入太多的糖分对健康有害
- Weight gain / 体重增加
Consuming too much added sugar, especially from soft drinks can increase the risk of weight gain and increase accumulation of visceral fat. Research has consistently show that people who drink sugary beverages, such as soda and juice, weigh more than people who don’t.
食用过多的糖分，尤其是软饮料，会增加体重和增加内脏脂肪的累积。研究一致表明，喝含糖分饮料，如苏打水和果汁的人比不喝这些饮料的人体重更重。
- Increased risk of heart diseases / 增加患心脏病的风险
High diet in sugar results in high triglycerides concentration. This is due to the increased hepatic secretion and low clearance of very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). It is also due to the fact which states that increased sugar consumption can lead to overweight and obesity. When you are overweight or obese, you are more likely to develop heart disease.
含高糖分的饮食会导致高三甘油脂。这是因为肝脏分泌增加及极低密度脂蛋白（VLDL）清除率低所致。这就是为什么糖分摄取量增加会导致体重增加及肥胖的原因。当你超重或肥胖，你更容易患上心脏病。
- Increased risk of diabetes / 增加患糖尿病的风险
Again, Malaysia is championing in Asia in the prevalence of diabetes. Almost 17% of Malaysians are diabetic and it is known that diabetes can lead to heart attack, stroke and kidney failure.
马来西亚是亚洲糖尿病率非常高的国家。几乎17% 的马来西亚人患有糖尿病。众所周知，糖尿病可导致心脏病发作、中风和肾衰竭。
It is again, by being overweight and obese, one is prone to have higher risk of diabetes. Prolonged high-sugar consumption leads to insulin resistance, a hormone that regulates blood sugar level.
再一次证明，一个人超重和肥胖是更容易患上糖尿病。长时间的高糖消耗会导致胰岛素（一种调节血糖水平的激素）效率降低，称为胰岛素抵抗。
- Increased risk of cancer / 增加癌症风险
Too much sugar can lead to obesity, insulin resistance and inflammation, all of which are risks of cancer. Studies show that high sugar intake will increase the risk of oesophageal and small intestine cancer.
过多的糖分会导致肥胖、胰岛素抵抗和炎症，而这些都是癌症的风险。研究显示，高糖分摄取会增加食道癌和小肠癌的风险。
- Acne problem / 痤疮问题
High sugar consumption can increase the risk of developing acne. This is due to the increase secretion of hormone androgen, oil production and inflammation. A research found that people in rural areas are less likely to have acne due to their traditional, non-processed food diet, compared to people in urban areas.
高糖分消耗会增加患痤疮风险。这是因为雄激素的分泌增加，产油和炎症所致。一项研究发现，与城市地区的人相比，农村地区的人由于传统的非加工食物和饮食而不太可能患有痤疮。
- Faster aging / 更快老化
Inflammation caused by high consumption of sugar produces enzyme that can breakdown collagen and elastin that will results in wrinkles and sagging skin.
由高消耗糖分引起的炎症所产生的酶会破坏胶原蛋白和弹性蛋白，从而导致皱纹和皮肤松弛。
- Can lead to fatty liver / 可导致脂肪肝
Unlike glucose and other types of sugar, fructose is exclusively broken down by liver. Fructose will be converted into glycogen and being stored in liver. Liver has a limited glycogen storage and the excess amount of fructose will be converted to fat. This fat unfortunately can cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
与葡萄糖及其他类型的糖分不同，果糖完全可以被肝脏分解。果糖将转化为糖原，并储存于肝脏中。肝脏的糖原储存有限，过量的果糖会转化为脂肪。这些脂肪会导致非酒精性脂肪性肝病。
- Tooth decay / 牙齿腐烂
Eating too much sugar can cause cavities. Sugar attracts bad bacteria that destroys tooth’s enamel. This will result in plaque deposition and later cavities and if left untreated, the cavity can spread into the deeper layers of the tooth, causing pain and possible tooth loss.
吃太多的糖会导致蛀牙。糖会吸引破坏牙齿珐琅质的坏细菌。这将导致牙菌斑沉积和后来的蛀牙。如果不进行治疗，蛀牙会扩散到牙齿的较深层，进而引起疼痛和可能导致牙齿脱落。
Stay tuned for our next chapter on glycemic index of common food.
请继续关注我们下一章关于常见的食物血糖指数的帖子。
“Let’s value our health before sickness comes”
“在疾病来临前，让我们重视健康”
