IS SUGAR THE ENEMY?
You be the judge.
Sugar is the biggest enemy that we have in our diet. It is the most insidious liar. It tricks our tongue, taste buds and mind. It is called the “love drug” and addictive it can be. I hate to rain on your sugar parade, but we all need reminding that it is a “thief” as it robs us silently of our health. Try and read through this very long list.
Sugar can suppress your immune system and impair your defences against infectious disease and cancer.
Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in your body: causes chromium and copper deficiencies and interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
Sugar can cause tight, tense muscles anywhere in the body.
Sugar can cause can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline, hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.
Sugar can produce a significant rise in total cholesterol, triglycerides and bad cholesterol and a decrease in good cholesterol.
Sugar causes a loss of skin tissue elasticity and function causing aging.
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 weaken eyesight.
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, and ulcerative colitis.
Sugar can cause premature aging in general.
Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
Sugar can cause your saliva to become acidic, tooth decay, and periodontal disease.
Sugar contributes to obesity due to its high caloric content.
Sugar can cause autoimmune diseases such as: arthritis, asthma, multiple sclerosis
Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections).
Sugar can cause gallstones, appendicitis, varicose veins, and hemorrhoids.
Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.
Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis by depleting calcium.
Sugar can cause a decrease in your insulin sensitivity thereby causing an abnormally high insulin levels and eventually diabetes.
Sugar can lower your Vitamin E levels.
Sugar can increase your systolic blood pressure.
Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(sugar molecules attaching to and thereby damaging proteins in the body).
Sugar can interfere with your absorption of protein.
Sugar causes food allergies.
Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
Sugar can cause atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.
Sugar can impair the structure of your DNA.
Sugar can change the structure of protein and cause a permanent alteration of the way the proteins act in your body.
Sugar can make your skin age by changing the structure of collagen.
Sugar can cause cataracts and nearsightedness.
Sugar can cause emphysema.
High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in your body.
Sugar lowers the ability of enzymes to function.
Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson’s disease.
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 damage your pancreas causing diabetes.
Sugar can increase your body’s fluid retention and weaken kidneys.
Sugar is enemy #1 of your bowel movement causing both constipation and diarrhea.
Sugar can compromise the lining of your blood capillaries.
Sugar can make your tendons more brittle causing arthritis and gout.
Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.
Sugar can reduce the learning capacity, adversely affect school children’s grades and cause learning disorders.
Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves that can alter your mind’s ability to think clearly and sleep properly.
Sugar can increase your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Sugar can cause hormonal imbalances such as: increasing estrogen in men, exacerbating PMS in women, and decreasing human growth hormone.
Sugar can lead to dizziness, anxiety and depression.
Diets high in sugar will increase free radicals and oxidative stress.
High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.
Contributed by Nancy Appleton, PhD
Author of the book Lick The Sugar Habit