SUGAR… IN MODERATION? PART I

You may find it interesting to know that sugar is the largest source of calories for individuals living in industrialized nations. Sugar not only increases blood sugar and insulin levels, but it is also a major driver of fat accumulation and inflammation throughout the body. 

Most forms of sugar (other than fructose) metabolize quickly in the body to form simple glucose, which is shuttled into the cells by the hormone insulin to be used for energy. This process works well when our cells are sensitive to insulin, but chronically elevated blood sugar and insulin levels cause your cells to be resistant to insulin.

Driving this elevated blood sugar and insulin, which is causing damage and inflammation throughout the body, is excessive sugar intake and processed foods, many of which also contain a lot of sugar. 

This includes processed foods like sweet snacks, cereals, energy drinks, bars of all kinds, fruit juices and baked goods. It’s even present in infant food and baby formula, which the Academy of Pediatrics says exposes children to health issues at a very young age. It’s also found in savory foods like salad dressing and pizza or many of the prepackaged or prepared meals. Sugar is plentiful and hides behind 61 different names in food labels.

Sugar causes a host of issues in the body. Sugar is, in fact, one of the most harmful and addictive substances you can consume. What makes it so addictive? When you eat sugary foods, the reward center in your brain gets stimulated by a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which plays a role in your perception of pleasure.

So, because eating sugar causes a chemical reaction that makes you feel good, you’re likely to eat it often. When you consume excess sugar on a regular basis, the signal from dopamine that affects pleasure becomes weaker and you develop a tolerance to it. Now, you have to eat more sugar to get the same reward level, which is how sugar addiction gets started.

This is why manufacturers use sugar to drive your purchasing behavior. Many studies have been done on the addictive potential of sugar. In 2018, the British Journal of Sports Medicine stated that “sugar has been found to produce more symptoms than is required to be considered an addictive substance.”

Sugar creates a drug-like effect, driving behaviors like bingeing, cravings, withdrawal, and tolerance - all which create a need for more. Much like the scenario in drug abuse, bingeing on sugar creates an ongoing increase in dopamine production in the brain, which keeps you coming back for more.

According to health and wellness expert, Dr. Joseph Mercola, there are 60 ways sugar can ruin your health. Dr Mercola has stressed that, in addition to sugar being associated with chronic metabolic disease like diabetes, obesity and heart disease, numerous studies spanning decades have demonstrated that eating too much sugar can create numerous other detrimental health effects.

The first category of sugar’s effects falls under nutrient imbalances or deficiencies. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in your body. It causes chromium deficiency, which is important for heart health, blood pressure and proper blood glucose levels. You have chromium stored in your kidneys, liver, muscles, spleen heart and bones, but it decreases with age.

Sugar also interferes with the absorption of calcium and magnesium in the body – both of which are extremely important for bone health and a variety of bodily functions.

Sugar has also been demonstrated to increase total cholesterol, triglycerides and bad cholesterol, while decreasing good cholesterol levels.

Next week we will educate against the continued path of destruction through excess sugar in our diets.