Sweetness is in exchange for health
Within just two weeks, a 28-year-old man in Hanoi gained 10kg due to the habit of overeating, especially consuming too many sweet drinks such as milk tea and carbonated water. When admitted to the hospital, the patient weighed up to 175kg, had difficulty breathing, had confusion in his legs, and could not walk on his own.
Doctors at the Central Endocrinology Hospital were surprised to receive this case. The patient was admitted to the hospital in a state of heart failure, edema and was diagnosed with sleep apnea syndrome - one of the serious complications related to obesity.
According to the family, the patient had a history of obesity and chronic gout that lasted for more than 10 years. However, recently, his weight has increased uncontrollably due to a sedentary lifestyle and a large consumption of sugary foods.
MSc. Dr. Nguyen Dang Quan - Deputy Head of the Intensive Care Unit, Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases said: "The patient not only has metabolic disorders as before, but also develops sleep apnea syndrome - a common condition in obese people due to fat accumulation around the pharyngosphere causing narrowing of the airway".
A 20-year-old female student, a second-year university student in Hanoi, had to be hospitalized for mental treatment at the Institute of Mental Health (Bach Mai Hospital) for serious eating disorder.
The patient has no history of disease but is quiet and emotional. Since the end of grade 12, after being rejected for being " inf infidelity" reasons, she began to be haunted by her appearance even though she was only 50kg and 1m55 tall at that time.
The girl entered a series of days of struggling to gain weight, eating only one salad/day for 6-7 months and losing 8kg. However, they later switched to binge eating with high-calorie foods, accompanied by guilt and the act of abusing laxatives to "resolve the consequences".
The situation got worse when nighttime meals disrupted sleep, caused fatigue, poor learning, declined mood, and social avoidance. She was diagnosed with "mental accidental eating" and had to be hospitalized for intensive treatment.
Consuming sugar exceeding standards: Vietnamese people are harming themselves
According to data from the Ministry of Health, the consumption of sugary drinks in Vietnam has doubled in the period 2013-2023, from 3.44 to 6.67 billion liters/year. At the same time, the rate of overweight and obesity in children aged 5-19 also doubled, while in adults it increased by 30%. The Ministry of Health warns that this habit is directly related to obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
According to the National Institute of Nutrition, Vietnamese people consume an average of 46.5 grams of sugar per day, far exceeding the WHO's recommendation of 25 grams/day.
In Vietnam, 1 in 4 teenagers aged 15-19 are overweight or obese; in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, this rate among students can be up to 40%. Adults also recorded an obesity rate of about 20%, Ho Chi Minh City alone was 30%.
Drinking 1 can/day for 1.5 years increases the risk of being overweight by 60%, drinking 1-2 cans/day regularly increases the risk of type 2 diabetes by 26% and increases blood pressure by 1.36 times.
The National Institute of Nutrition recommends: Children aged 2-18 should consume less than 25g of sugar/day and limit soft drinks to less than 235ml/week; people need to change their eating and living habits to protect their health.
Dr. Bui Thi Mai Huong - Deputy Director of the Center for Nutritional Science and Technology Services, National Institute of Nutrition - said that in the daily diet of Vietnamese people, sugar group accounts for the highest proportion of total energy and protein, up to 70%. This is an alarming number, showing that the habit of eating sweets is getting out of control.
Over the past 15 years, sugar consumption in Vietnam has increased 7 times. In particular, sugary beverage consumption has increased rapidly: from 6.6 liters/person/year (in 2002) to 50.7 liters/person/year in 2018. A can of carbonated soft drink can contain up to 36g of sugar nearly double the daily recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO). A survey of nearly 2,000 people shows that more than 57% have the habit of using this drink regularly.
WHO warns that consuming too much free sugar not only reduces the quality of portion sizes but is also a cause of unhealthy weight gain, obesity and a series of dangerous non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
More worryingly, according to Dr. Huong, sugar is also harmful to the brain. Glucose a common form of simple sugar in starchy foods is a major source of energy for the brain, helping to support memory, learning and growth. However, when sugar intake exceeds threshold, the brain can be overloaded with glucose, leading to memory loss, cognitive dysfunction and negative effects on neurotransmitters.
Sugar addiction is like cocaine addiction - Dr. Huong emphasized It can cause long-term consequences for nerve health, especially memory and thinking ability.
In the context of increasing the habit of eating sweets, experts recommend that people need to adjust their portions appropriately, cut down on sugary drinks and raise awareness of the harmful effects of consuming sugar in excess.
According to the Ministry of Health, in 2019, economic losses due to overweight and obesity in Vietnam were estimated at 3.69 billion USD (1.1% of GDP) and could increase to 103.1 billion USD (2.8% of GDP) by 2060. Taxing sugary drinks will help reduce obesity, diabetes and non-communicable diseases.
