Just a Spoonful of Sugar?

Sugar. Sweet and refined. Delicious and incredibly addictive. Why all the fuss over a little bit of sweetness?

People love sugar. In fact, the sugar industry is one of the largest in the world. Whole nations have unwittingly devoted vast tracts of viable agricultural land to the sole purpose of producing sugar for foreign consumption. Aside from the controversial politics involved in our sugar consumption, there are a number of other health-related reasons to limit one’s sugar intake as much as possible. Here are a few of them, along with some very interesting sugar facts!

• In 1821, the average American consumed about 10 lbs. of sugar per year. By 1993, the average American was consuming over 147 lbs. of sugar per year!
  

• From 1986 through 1996, sugar intake has grown by 20%, now accounting for over 20% of teenagers’ calorie intake.
  

• During WWI and WWII, when people often could not afford luxuries such as sugar and white flour, or these foods were restricted by the government, people often resorted to eating fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and limited amounts of beef. Researchers found that the incidence of chronic disease and death dropped significantly during these periods of “deprivation”.
  

• Joseph Beasley, author of “The Kellogg Report” wrote in 1989,
  

“Sugar’s amazing rise has been paralleled by a dramatic rise in arterial disease and other chronic conditions during this century, leading some experts to wonder about the physiological and psychological impact of consuming enormous quantities of what is very nearly pure blood sugar. Indeed few realize today just how relatively new sugar is to the human diet. It was the inscrutable Jesuits, in 1751, who introduced the United States to sugar - bringing cane plants to New Orleans from Haiti - and by 1791 commercial production of this new delicacy was humming.”

• High loads of blood sugar are very dangerous for the brain. Although the brain is fueled by sugar, it can’t handle excessive sugars, so the pancreas leaps to the rescue, dumping insulin into the bloodstream to remove excess sugars before they can”burn” the brain. At each meal, the pancreas senses how much insulin is needed, even before digestion and absorption are complete, so an insulin reaction can happen very quickly. Large amounts of insulin is are released to deal with large sugar loads. Then, just as rapidly as sugar is pulled out of the blood stream and deposited in the liver. When the liver is full, the excess sugar is stored as fat. Often times, due to high sugar consumption, the insulin response of our bodies is exaggerated. This causes blood sugar levels to plummet shortly after high sugar consumption. This can lead to crankiness, or an inability to concentrate. The brain goes into panic mode due to this low blood sugar, and may even stimulate the adrenal glands to produce cortisol in an effort to raise blood sugar. Elevated levels of cortisol can cause hyperactivity and can cause damage to the seat of memory, the hippocampus.
  

What About High Fructose Corn Syrup?

Although there are some very powerful interest groups out there, who are busy trying to make you believe that high fructose corn syrup is “just like sugar” and can be safely consumed if done “in moderation”, there is a lot of research out there that demonstrates otherwise!

• In studies with rats, fructose consistently produces higher kidney calcium concentrations than glucose. Fructose generally induces greater urinary concentrations of phosphorus and magnesium, and lowered urinary pH compared with glucose. (The minerals found in your urine are actually being leached from your body and bones!)
  

• In humans, fructose feeding leads to mineral losses, especially higher fecal excretions of iron and magnesium.
  

• Because it is metabolized in the liver, fructose does not cause the pancreas to release insulin the way it normally does. Fructose converts to fat more than any other sugar, and it raises serum triglycerides significantly. For complete internal conversion of fructose into glucose and acetates, it must rob ATP energy stores from the liver. (ATP is the fuel required by muscles to function).
  

• Fructose inhibits the metabolism of copper. A deficiency in copper leads to bone fragility, anemia, defects in connective tissue, arteries, and bone, infertility, heart arrythmias, high cholesterol levels, heart attacks, and an inability to control blood sugar levels. (Diabetes anyone?)
  

• High fructose corn syrup is the primary sweetener used in soft drinks. Soft drinks are big business, and soft drink vending machines are present in the majority of school facilities in North America.

One or two servings of fruit each day is perfectly healthy, but commercial fruit juices and any products containing high fructose corn syrup are more dangerous than sugar, and should be removed from the diet.



Are there ANY Good Carbohydrates?

And one more important point - know your sugars! There are “good” sugars and “bad” ones. Simple sugars, AKA monosaccharides are things like sucrose, lactose, fructose and galactose. These sugars are generally low in nutrients and high in calories. All refined sugars fall into this category.

Complex sugars, or carbohydrates include starches, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These carbs are generally nutritionally dense, and have the benefit of added dietary fiber, which will aid in digestion. In order to ensure normal brain and nervous system fucntion, and to stave off any sort of fatigue, optimal carbohydrate intake is necessary. Good carbohydrates should account for 55-65% of you daily calorie intake.

Simple sugars, monosaccharides, cause rapid insulin responses in the body, and can lead to hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), which will leave you feeling tired, dizzy, and definitely irritable. And after all that hard work pumping insulin around, your body is left with excess sugars in the liver, and has no choice but to turn those sugars into stored energy, something we know as fat.



Further Reading and Internet Resources:

“The Crazy Makers: How the Food Industry is Destroying Our Brains and Harming Our Children”. By Carol Simontacchi. (2000)

“Waistland: The (R)Evolutionary Science Behind Our Weight and Fitness Crisis” By Dierdre Barret, Ph. D. (2007)

www.westonaprice.org