I confess: I like sweets. No . . . actually, I love sweets. And I am of the opinion that, as we age and find ourselves losing one after another of our favorite things, we’re entitled to hang on to a guilty pleasure or two. Mine happens to be my sweet tooth.

Now scientists are saying that more and more people are indulging in increasing amounts of sugary stuff . . . and there is a surprising reason for it. Apparently, summer’s hot, humid weather increases our desire for cold, sweet treats and beverages, like ice cream, frozen desserts, and icy drinks. But now that phenomenon has become more widespread, and a team of researchers has been trying since 2004 to figure out why.

According to Pan He, a study author and lecturer in environmental science and sustainability at Cardiff University, it can be blamed on climate change.

The data collected between 2004 and 2019 showed that, for every 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit of warming, added sugar consumption in U.S. households increased by 0.77 grams per person per day, with the greatest escalation noted at temperatures between 68 and 86 degrees. [Laura Paddison, CNN, September 8, 2025.]

Without going into excruciating detail here, the study says that hotter weather causes the body to lose more water, thus increasing the craving for hydration and cooling. That makes sense: when you sweat, you need to replace the fluid you’ve lost. And it seems that, when that happens, Americans tend to reach for cold, sweet products. [Id.]

I’m a firm believer in the efficacy of scientific research, and I do not in any way dispute the conclusions of this 15-year study. And I also give full credence to the advice of the American Heart Association that we need to limit our sugar intake in order to avoid such devastating illnesses as diabetes, obesity and heart disease.

But, as an emancipated adult American woman, I also claim the right to ignore that advice if I so choose. I’m not endangering anyone but myself.

As far as I’m concerned, my sweet tooth and I have been together for more years than I care to admit, and we are inseparable. Having gotten this far with only a couple of manageable health issues to complain about, I figure I’ve been doing something right. And that includes my compulsion to end every meal with something sweet . . . and to supplement those desserts with an occasional between-meals treat.

It has nothing to do with hot weather, either. I have bought ice cream from an outdoor vendor in Moscow in the middle of February (and had to stand in line behind half a dozen other idiots to get it). And although I now live in the steamy southern U.S., our house is air-conditioned. The outdoor heat is not the cause of my sugar craving.

I just love sweets, sweetie; and nobody . . . do you hear me? I said NOBODY . . . is going to get between me and my Haagen-Dazs.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/9/25