If you are planning on consuming sugar, you should be aware of the health risks related to sugar consumption. While there are natural sugars in fruit, dairy, and honey, you should limit or moderate your sugar intake as to not throw off your body's homeostasis or cause other metabolic consequences.mod-er-a-tion [mod-uh-rey-shuh n]
-noun
1. the quality of being moderate; restraint; avoidance of extremes or excess; temperance.
We already know that sugar can cause tooth decay and periodontal disease, but brushing your teeth after every meal won't keep you safe. The following is a list of some of sugar's metabolic consequences from a variety of medical journals and other scientific publications...
* Sugar can suppress your immune system and impair your defenses against infectious disease.
* Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in your body. Example: Sugar interferes with the body's absorption of calcium and magnesium. Why is this problematic? Calcium maintains healthy bones, supports proper functioning of nerves and muscles, and helps your blood clot. Magnesium relaxes your nerves and muscles, builds and strengthens bones, and keeps your blood circulating smoothly. It is no surprise that sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
* Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline, hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children. Additionally, sugar can reduce the learning capacity, adversely affect school children's grades, and cause learning disorders.
* Sugar can produce a significant rise in total cholesterol, triglycerides and bad cholesterol, and a decrease in good cholesterol.
* Sugar can cause a loss of tissue elasticity and function. Sugar can make your skin age prematurely by changing the structure of collagen.
* Sugar can impair the structure of your DNA. Diets high in sugar will increase free radicals and oxidative stress. Sugar feeds cancer cells and has been connected with the development of cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, rectum, pancreas, biliary tract, lung, gallbladder, and stomach.
* Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose and can cause reactive hypoglycemia. Sugar can cause a decrease in your insulin sensitivity, thereby causing abnormally high insulin levels and eventually diabetes. In oral contraceptive users, sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses.
* Sugar can weaken eyesight; research shows sugar can cause cataracts and nearsightedness.
* Sugar can cause many problems with the gastrointestinal tract including: an acidic digestive tract; indigestion; malabsorption in patients with functional bowel disease; increased risk of Crohn's disease; ulcerative colitis.
* Sugar contributes to obesity.
* Sugar can cause autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, asthma, and multiple sclerosis. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Sugar can increase your risk for diseases such as gout and Alzheimer's. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnnormal metabolic processes in a normal, healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.
* Sugar can increase your systolic blood pressure.
* Sugar can interfere with your absorption of protein. Sugar can change the structure of protein and cause a permanent alteration of the way the proteins act in your body. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products--sugar molecules that attach to and thereby damage proteins in the body.
* Sugar lowers the ability of enzymes to fucntion.
* Sugar can increase the size of your liver by making your liver cells divide, and it can increase the amount of liver fat.
* Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney such as the formation of kidney stones.
* Sugar can cause an increase in alpha, delta, and theta brain waves. This can alter your mind's ability to think clearly. Sugar can cause depression.
* Sugar can cause hormonal imbalances such as increased estrogen in men, exacerbated PMS in women, and decreased growth hormone.
* Your body changes sugar into 2-5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.
* The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.
* Sugar can slow the ability of your adrenal glands to function.
* Sugar can damage your pancreas.
* Sugar can increase your body's fluid retention.
* Sugar can compromise the lining of your capillaries.
* Sugar can make your tendons more brittle.
* Sugar can cause headaches and migraines.
* High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.
So what should we do about our sugar intake? Look for "no-sugar added" options or products made with stevia. Avoid artificial sweeteners (Splenda, Equal, Sweet & Low), as they have an adverse effect on insulin absorption. If you insist on using sweetener packets, I recommend Sun Crystals, a 5-calorie-per-serving combination of natural stevia and sugar. Switch your granulated white sugar (which is highly refined) for organic, unbleached sugar or unrefined brown sugar (a.k.a. raw sugar) which is slightly purified, crystallized evaporated cane juice. It has a distinctive caramel flavor and comes in varieties such as demerara, dark muscovado, and turbinado. Try unrefined dehydrated cane juice, which is made by extracting and dehydrating cane juice with minimal loss of color, flavor, or nutrients. Other natural sweeteners include pure maple syrup, unsulphured, molasses, barley malt, rice syrup, agave nectar, and honey (please note that darker honeys tend to have a stronger flavor than lighter ones).
For more information, please reference Lick the Sugar Habit by Nancy Appleton and check out Whole Foods Market's Guide to Sweeteners.
