While eating too much sugar is directly associated with obesity and a host of heart and liver-related problems, there are plenty of myths out there with a host of misinformation that oftentimes makes eating even moderate amounts of sugar sound worse than it is. After all, we do need sugar to live.

盡管吃糖太多和肥胖以及一系列心臟和肝臟疾病直接相關，但關于糖還是有很多訛傳，往往使得適量吃糖聽上去比實際上更糟。說到底，沒有糖怎么活？

"We all need sugar — it's the basic building block of what runs our bodies, and, in fact, it's necessary," Dr. Jennifer Haythe, a cardiologist at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York said.

“我們都需要糖——它是我們身體運轉的基本組成部分，事實上，是必不可少的部分，”紐約哥倫比亞長老會醫院的心臟病科醫師珍妮佛?海耶斯博士說。

Keep scrolling to discover the truth behind some of the most common myths about sugar.

來看看下面這些關于糖的真相，幫你破除對糖的常見誤解。

MYTH: Some types of sugar are better for you than others

誤解：有些糖比其他糖更有益健康

FACT: All "types" of sugar have the same effect on your body.

事實：所有種類的糖對身體的影響都一樣。

"There’s this idea that there are different types of sugar, but that’s a myth," Dr. Haythe said. "Brown sugar, white sugar, honey... they are all ultimately broken down into the same thing: glucose. All forms of sugar are carbohydrates that can be used as glucose."

海耶斯博士說：“有人認為，世界上有不同種類的糖，這是一個誤解。紅糖、白糖、蜂蜜……最終成分都是同一種東西——葡萄糖。各種形式的糖都是可分解成葡萄糖被吸收的碳水化合物。”

MYTH: Sugar makes kids hyperactive

誤解：糖會導致兒童過度活躍

FACT: There's no such thing as a sugar high.

事實：糖并不會引起亢奮。

"The idea that sugar makes children hyperactive is one of the funniest myths about sugar out there," Dr. Haythe said.

海耶斯博士說：“認為糖導致兒童過度活躍只是人們關于糖的一個有趣誤解。”

Various scientific studies over the years have determined that in fact there is zero direct connection between eating sugar and hyperactivity.

多年來各種科學研究表明，事實上，吃糖和過度活躍不存在任何直接的聯系。

MYTH: Sugar is as addictive as hard drugs

誤解：糖和硬性毒品一樣會讓人上癮

FACT: There is no conclusive evidence that sugar is addictive.

事實：并沒有確鑿的證據證明糖會讓人上癮。

"There's no evidence that sugar can act as a gateway drug," Dr. Haythe said. "You can't get high from sugar, and there's no conclusive evidence that sugar is addictive."

海耶斯博士說：“沒有證據證明糖可以當作入門級毒品。吃糖不會亢奮，而且也沒有確鑿證據證明吃糖會上癮。”

MYTH: Eating too much sugar causes diabetes

誤解：吃太多糖會得糖尿病

FACT: Both types of diabetes are caused by a mix of genetics and environmental factors, but a sugary diet cannot directly cause it (alone).

事實：兩種類型的糖尿病都是由基因和環境因素綜合導致的，但是單單是多糖飲食并不會直接導致糖尿病。

"Eating sugar does not cause diabetes; it’s a complicated problem involving your pancreas and metabolism," Dr. Haythe said. "When you have diabetes, you don't produce enough insulin. Insulin helps the glucose get absorbed into your bloodstream and liver as usable energy."

海耶斯博士說：“吃糖不會導致糖尿病；糖尿病是涉及胰腺和代謝功能的復雜病癥。如果你有糖尿病，你的身體就不能分泌足夠的胰島素。胰島素能幫助葡萄糖被血液和肝臟吸收，從而轉化成可被利用的能量。”

You are more likely to develop diabetes if you are overweight or obese, because extra fat can lead to insulin resistance, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases. This makes a diet heavy in sugar an indirect, rather than a direct cause of type 2 diabetes.

據美國國立糖尿病、消化和腎臟疾病研究所稱，如果你超重或肥胖，你患上糖尿病的可能性更大，因為多余的脂肪會引發胰島素抵抗。這使得多糖飲食成為導致ll型糖尿病的間接而非直接的原因。

MYTH: Artificial sweeteners are better for you than sugar

誤解：相比糖，人工甜味劑對身體更好

FACT: Some artificial sweeteners can be just as harmful to your body as sugar.

事實：一些人工甜味劑對身體的危害跟糖不相上下。

Although artificial sweeteners like Stevia, Truvia, and aspartame (as found in diet sodas) have fewer calories than their sugary counterparts, research shows that participants who drink diet soda are twice as likely to be obese than those who do not.

盡管像無糖汽水中含有的甜菊糖、赤藻糖、阿斯巴甜等人工甜味劑比天然糖熱量更低，但研究顯示，喝無糖汽水的人肥胖的可能性比不喝無糖汽水的人高一倍。

A study published in the National Library of Medicine found that saccharine — an artificial sweetener — is more addictive than cocaine. Another study published by the American Diabetes Association found that diet soda drinkers were 67 percent more likely to develop diabetes than non-diet soda drinkers.

在國家醫學圖書館發表的一項研究發現，人工甜味劑糖精比可卡因更容易讓人上癮。美國糖尿病協會發表的另一項研究發現，喝無糖飲料的人得糖尿病的可能性比不喝無糖飲料的人高67%。

MYTH: Sugar causes cavities

誤解：糖導致蛀牙

FACT: Cavities are actually caused by acidic foods and drinks that wear away the enamel on your teeth.

事實：蛀牙實際上是由酸性食物和飲料導致的，酸性物質會腐蝕牙齒上的釉質。

"Sugar isn’t the cause of tooth decay; acid is," Dr. Mark Burhenne, of the online "Ask a Dentist" community, said. "The most cavity-causing food is crackers and breads, not candy. When you eat something with sugar, bacteria that naturally reside in your mouth consume this sugar as well. Bacteria’s waste product is acid, so after they have a meal, they excrete acid....Acid decalcifies or demineralizes tooth enamel by taking away its structure, creating decay."

“問牙醫”網絡社區的馬克?布爾亨內醫生說：“導致蛀牙的不是糖，而是酸。最容易導致蛀牙的食物是餅干和面包，不是糖。當你吃含糖食物時，口腔內的天然細菌也在‘吃糖’。細菌排出的廢物是酸，所以在吃完飯后，細菌都會產生酸……這些酸性物質會腐蝕牙齒的外結構，從而使牙釉質脫落，導致蛀牙。”

MYTH: You should eliminate all sugar from your diet

誤解：你應該完全不吃糖

FACT: Humans need glucose to survive.

事實：人類需要葡萄糖才能生存。

Of course, having too much sugar will lead to the problems we discussed above, like weight gain and long term health problems. But, glucose is essential to our body.

當然，吃太多糖會導致我們上面所說的問題，比如體重增加和慢性疾病。但是，葡萄糖對我們的身體至關重要。

"This idea that sugar is inherently bad for you is a myth," Dr. Haythe said. "We all need sugar; that's the basic block of what runs our bodies. It's necessary to survive.

海耶斯博士說：“糖對身體本質上不好是個誤解。我們都需要糖，這是讓人體運轉的基本組成部分。糖是讓我們存活的必需物質。”

MYTH: Sugar is the root of all of your health problems

誤解：糖是各種身體問題的根源

FACT: Sugar is rarely the only reason behind obesity and heart disease.

事實：糖并不是肥胖和心臟病背后的唯一原因。

There's no doubt that sugar is a contributing factor to obesity. But it isn't the only thing to consider when trying to lead a healthy lifestyle.

糖無疑是導致肥胖的原因之一，但如果要過上健康的生活，糖并不是唯一要考慮的因素。

"Sugary foods happen to have lots of calories, and are usually heavily processed," Dr. Haythe said. "It's simple — if you eat a lot of calories, you'll gain weight and become unhealthy."

海耶斯博士說：“含糖食物熱量都很高，而且通常是深加工食品。事情很簡單：如果你攝入很多熱量，體重自然會增加，然后變得不健康。”

While eating too much sugar is directly associated with obesity and a host of heart and liver-related problems, there are plenty of myths out there with a host of misinformation that oftentimes makes eating even moderate amounts of sugar sound worse than it is. After all, we do need sugar to live.

盡管吃糖太多和肥胖以及一系列心臟和肝臟疾病直接相關，但關于糖還是有很多訛傳，往往使得適量吃糖聽上去比實際上更糟。說到底，沒有糖怎么活？

"We all need sugar — it's the basic building block of what runs our bodies, and, in fact, it's necessary," Dr. Jennifer Haythe, a cardiologist at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York said.

“我們都需要糖——它是我們身體運轉的基本組成部分，事實上，是必不可少的部分，”紐約哥倫比亞長老會醫院的心臟病科醫師珍妮佛?海耶斯博士說。

Keep scrolling to discover the truth behind some of the most common myths about sugar.

來看看下面這些關于糖的真相，幫你破除對糖的常見誤解。

MYTH: Some types of sugar are better for you than others

誤解：有些糖比其他糖更有益健康

FACT: All "types" of sugar have the same effect on your body.

事實：所有種類的糖對身體的影響都一樣。

"There’s this idea that there are different types of sugar, but that’s a myth," Dr. Haythe said. "Brown sugar, white sugar, honey... they are all ultimately broken down into the same thing: glucose. All forms of sugar are carbohydrates that can be used as glucose."

海耶斯博士說：“有人認為，世界上有不同種類的糖，這是一個誤解。紅糖、白糖、蜂蜜……最終成分都是同一種東西——葡萄糖。各種形式的糖都是可分解成葡萄糖被吸收的碳水化合物。”

MYTH: Sugar makes kids hyperactive

誤解：糖會導致兒童過度活躍

FACT: There's no such thing as a sugar high.

事實：糖并不會引起亢奮。

"The idea that sugar makes children hyperactive is one of the funniest myths about sugar out there," Dr. Haythe said.

海耶斯博士說：“認為糖導致兒童過度活躍只是人們關于糖的一個有趣誤解。”

Various scientific studies over the years have determined that in fact there is zero direct connection between eating sugar and hyperactivity.

多年來各種科學研究表明，事實上，吃糖和過度活躍不存在任何直接的聯系。

MYTH: Sugar is as addictive as hard drugs

誤解：糖和硬性毒品一樣會讓人上癮

FACT: There is no conclusive evidence that sugar is addictive.

事實：并沒有確鑿的證據證明糖會讓人上癮。

"There's no evidence that sugar can act as a gateway drug," Dr. Haythe said. "You can't get high from sugar, and there's no conclusive evidence that sugar is addictive."

海耶斯博士說：“沒有證據證明糖可以當作入門級毒品。吃糖不會亢奮，而且也沒有確鑿證據證明吃糖會上癮。”

MYTH: Eating too much sugar causes diabetes

誤解：吃太多糖會得糖尿病

FACT: Both types of diabetes are caused by a mix of genetics and environmental factors, but a sugary diet cannot directly cause it (alone).

事實：兩種類型的糖尿病都是由基因和環境因素綜合導致的，但是單單是多糖飲食并不會直接導致糖尿病。

"Eating sugar does not cause diabetes; it’s a complicated problem involving your pancreas and metabolism," Dr. Haythe said. "When you have diabetes, you don't produce enough insulin. Insulin helps the glucose get absorbed into your bloodstream and liver as usable energy."

海耶斯博士說：“吃糖不會導致糖尿病；糖尿病是涉及胰腺和代謝功能的復雜病癥。如果你有糖尿病，你的身體就不能分泌足夠的胰島素。胰島素能幫助葡萄糖被血液和肝臟吸收，從而轉化成可被利用的能量。”

You are more likely to develop diabetes if you are overweight or obese, because extra fat can lead to insulin resistance, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive Kidney Diseases. This makes a diet heavy in sugar an indirect, rather than a direct cause of type 2 diabetes.

據美國國立糖尿病、消化和腎臟疾病研究所稱，如果你超重或肥胖，你患上糖尿病的可能性更大，因為多余的脂肪會引發胰島素抵抗。這使得多糖飲食成為導致ll型糖尿病的間接而非直接的原因。

MYTH: Artificial sweeteners are better for you than sugar

誤解：相比糖，人工甜味劑對身體更好

FACT: Some artificial sweeteners can be just as harmful to your body as sugar.

事實：一些人工甜味劑對身體的危害跟糖不相上下。

Although artificial sweeteners like Stevia, Truvia, and aspartame (as found in diet sodas) have fewer calories than their sugary counterparts, research shows that participants who drink diet soda are twice as likely to be obese than those who do not.

盡管像無糖汽水中含有的甜菊糖、赤藻糖、阿斯巴甜等人工甜味劑比天然糖熱量更低，但研究顯示，喝無糖汽水的人肥胖的可能性比不喝無糖汽水的人高一倍。

A study published in the National Library of Medicine found that saccharine — an artificial sweetener — is more addictive than cocaine. Another study published by the American Diabetes Association found that diet soda drinkers were 67 percent more likely to develop diabetes than non-diet soda drinkers.

在國家醫學圖書館發表的一項研究發現，人工甜味劑糖精比可卡因更容易讓人上癮。美國糖尿病協會發表的另一項研究發現，喝無糖飲料的人得糖尿病的可能性比不喝無糖飲料的人高67%。

MYTH: Sugar causes cavities

誤解：糖導致蛀牙

FACT: Cavities are actually caused by acidic foods and drinks that wear away the enamel on your teeth.

事實：蛀牙實際上是由酸性食物和飲料導致的，酸性物質會腐蝕牙齒上的釉質。

"Sugar isn’t the cause of tooth decay; acid is," Dr. Mark Burhenne, of the online "Ask a Dentist" community, said. "The most cavity-causing food is crackers and breads, not candy. When you eat something with sugar, bacteria that naturally reside in your mouth consume this sugar as well. Bacteria’s waste product is acid, so after they have a meal, they excrete acid....Acid decalcifies or demineralizes tooth enamel by taking away its structure, creating decay."

“問牙醫”網絡社區的馬克?布爾亨內醫生說：“導致蛀牙的不是糖，而是酸。最容易導致蛀牙的食物是餅干和面包，不是糖。當你吃含糖食物時，口腔內的天然細菌也在‘吃糖’。細菌排出的廢物是酸，所以在吃完飯后，細菌都會產生酸……這些酸性物質會腐蝕牙齒的外結構，從而使牙釉質脫落，導致蛀牙。”

MYTH: You should eliminate all sugar from your diet

誤解：你應該完全不吃糖

FACT: Humans need glucose to survive.

事實：人類需要葡萄糖才能生存。

Of course, having too much sugar will lead to the problems we discussed above, like weight gain and long term health problems. But, glucose is essential to our body.

當然，吃太多糖會導致我們上面所說的問題，比如體重增加和慢性疾病。但是，葡萄糖對我們的身體至關重要。

"This idea that sugar is inherently bad for you is a myth," Dr. Haythe said. "We all need sugar; that's the basic block of what runs our bodies. It's necessary to survive.

海耶斯博士說：“糖對身體本質上不好是個誤解。我們都需要糖，這是讓人體運轉的基本組成部分。糖是讓我們存活的必需物質。”

MYTH: Sugar is the root of all of your health problems

誤解：糖是各種身體問題的根源

FACT: Sugar is rarely the only reason behind obesity and heart disease.

事實：糖并不是肥胖和心臟病背后的唯一原因。

There's no doubt that sugar is a contributing factor to obesity. But it isn't the only thing to consider when trying to lead a healthy lifestyle.

糖無疑是導致肥胖的原因之一，但如果要過上健康的生活，糖并不是唯一要考慮的因素。

"Sugary foods happen to have lots of calories, and are usually heavily processed," Dr. Haythe said. "It's simple — if you eat a lot of calories, you'll gain weight and become unhealthy."

海耶斯博士說：“含糖食物熱量都很高，而且通常是深加工食品。事情很簡單：如果你攝入很多熱量，體重自然會增加，然后變得不健康。”