You know ?

Americans eat way too much sugar. Europeans, at least, consume
something like 50 pounds of sugar per year, while Americans go through
over 300 pounds. Those figures are from memory; I read a book a couple
of years ago called "Eat Yourself Slim" by Michael Montague, a European
chef and expert on nutrition. Just walk through an American (or
Canadian; we're almost as bad) shopping mall to see what the fat folks
are eating: supersized Cokes, Slushies, candy bars, and the like. A
two-litre (two-quart) bottle of Coke has 46 teaspoons of sugar in it.
Sugar is converted into fat almost instantly, and stored. Insulin is
part of the process, which explains the rising diabetes rates as the
pancreas gets worn out and quits.
That's the way I understand it, and as I've cut way back on the
soft drinks it's been a lot easier to get the weight off. Seems to be
some truth to it.
Maybe if I'd stuck to learning French a bit better when in high
school I'd have a lower risk of heart attack:-)

Dan