Heart disease. The number one killer in
the world is heart disease. In the past, sat-
urated fats were seen as the culprit; how-
ever, in more recent studies, the evidence
points to excess sugar as the primary cause of heart
disease. These studies are showing that high amounts of
fructose raise triglyceride, LDL, blood glucose and insu-
lin levels and increase your odds of abdominal obesity.
Fiber. Most fruits and vegetables contain
both fructose and fiber. Fiber acts as a safe-
guard that allows the body to process sugar
the right way. It gives us a full feeling fast-
er, slows digestion and helps slow down the absorption
of fructose. The kicker is that in order to get the most
fiber for your buck, you have to eat fruits and vegeta-
bles rather than drink them. Fruits and vegetables are
stripped of their fiber when they are juiced. Ingesting
fructose without fiber can be harmful to your body.
Pancreas. Type 2 diabetes is caused by
the body’s inability to process glucose, even
if insulin is present. This is mainly because
there is too much sugar in the body and not
enough naturally occurring insulin to process the excess
sugar. The pancreas regulates the sugar in the blood
stream. Too much sugar forces the pancreas to produce
extra insulin to cope with the high levels of sugar in the
body. Working overtime causes the pancreas to break
down, resulting in Type 2 diabetes. This can often be
controlled by diet, exercise and weight loss. Easier said
than done.
High-fructose corn syrup. A
majority of the food products on our
supermarket shelves have chemicals
added that act as sugar substitutes,
typically high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). It is an indus-
trial food product and far from a naturally occurring
substance. It is extracted from corn stalks through a
chemical enzymatic process that results in a chemically
and biologically novel compound. Sound appealing? It
is cheaper and sweeter than regular table sugar. This
allows manufacturers to claim “no sugar” or “reduced
sugar” on their packaging, but the negative health
consequences are the same–or worse. ❏
DNA. Humans crave sugar, right down to
our DNA. Our ancestors looked for sweet
fruits and vegetables because they contained
the natural sugars that give us a source of
concentrated energy. We are designed to get our energy
from sugar, but our ancestors never had to deal with
processed sugar. Ancient sweet-eaters survived because
they ate more energy-efficient fruit and vegetable sugar
that metabolizes slowly. Modern life is much less
physically taxing, yet sugar is more available than at any
other time in history. This is not a good thing.
Craving. Foods with excess sugar should
come with a health warning, just as
cigarettes do. Why? Brain scans given after
sugar consumption show effects very similar
to the brain scans of people who have taken cocaine.
Sugar alters the biochemical pathways in our brains and
tampers with our dopamine receptors. In order for us to
get the next dopamine spike, we need a greater dose of
sugar. That’s why out of the 600,000 food products
in America today, 80 percent are laced with some form
of sugar. When you eat foods with sugar in them, you
want more, even when you are no longer hungry.
Consumption. The average American
consumes approximately 38 teaspoons of
sugar every day. A century and a half ago,
people ate 9 grams per day. The American
Heart Association recommends that we consume less
than 45 grams of sugar per day for males and 30 grams
for females. As a population, we are more than tripling
the recommended intake. A sugar epidemic is brewing,
and there is cause for concern.
Nutritional value. For the average
American, sugar constitutes almost a third of
his or her recommended calorie intake. On
top of that, the body gets absolutely
zero nutritional value from processed sugar’s empty
calories. In fact, consuming refined sugar actually
depletes our bodies of nutrients such as Vitamin B.
Sugar is the enemy, eventhough it tastes sweet.
Silent killer. A 2008 study found that
excess fructose consumption was linked to
an increase in the odds of acquiring a
condition called leptin resistance. Leptin is a
hormone that tells the brain that you are full. Imagine
eating a big meal but never experiencing a sense of
fullness. No leptin signal translates into consuming extra
calories, which in turn means excess weight gain. Why
is sugar called a “silent killer?” Because its negative
side effects occur without symptoms or warning bells.
If you’ve gained weight in the past year and can’t quite
figure out why, perhaps you should look at how much
fructose you’re consuming.
Fructose. Fructose may be naturally
occurring, meaning that it is present in
whole fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds,
but that doesn’t mean that it’s good for you.
Many chronic diseases are now correlated with ingesting
too much fructose. A slower metabolism, higher
cholesterol, heart diseases, fatty liver disease, hypertension, obesity and hepatic insulin resistance are all
attributable to the overconsumption of fructose.
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ABOUT SUGAR’S MANY DISGUISES
TENTHINGS
