Our bodies need sugar to survive. But most of us consume way more than we actually need, and many foods and beverages pack a dose of added sweeteners. So why are we eating all of this extra sugar? This month, Stereo Chemistry is sharing an episode of the podcast Tiny Matters that examines that question. In the episode, hosts Sam Jones and Deboki Chakravarti explore sugar's impact on our bodies and trace how a genetic mutation that helped our distant ancestors survive is influencing our health today. And they dig into the debate around whether sugar can fairly be called addictive.

Note: This episode contains discussion of addiction and eating disorders.

Listen to Tiny Matters on the American Chemical Society's website at https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/tiny-matters.html or on your favorite podcast platform.

ACS also publishes Chemical & Engineering News, which is the independent news outlet that powers Stereo Chemistry.

More on sugar from C&EN: The sugar wars are about to change your food label. Here's why.https://cen.acs.org/business/specialty-chemicals/sugar-wars-change-food-label/97/i41

The case against sugar https://cen.acs.org/articles/92/i31/Case-Against-Sugar.html

Image credit: Courtesy of Tiny Matters/C&EN