Researched
online by Jaswinder Sharma.
People
can easily get confused about
sugar.
We
are supposed
to. The sugar pushers go
to great lengths to make
us – and keep us – that
way.
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Though
the science may be complex, the
truth is simple: refined ‘free’
sugar is not food. Food
has become the first love of
many people. This is particularly
apparent from the wave of obesity
that is spreading worldwide.
The American Obesity Association
says that a third of the adult
population is obese and that
at least 300,000 people die from
obesity each year.
Huge
chocolate bars, fizzy drinks,
luscious cakes and tempting sweets
and methai are in every shop.
They are advertised
as desirable ‘sins’ – and people
don’t like to deprive themselves.
If you’re having a hard day at
work you can reach for a chocolate
bar. If your partner is annoying
you then you can have a sticky
cake. Sugar triggers the release
of feel-good hormones into your
brain – and, bang, you’re fixed.
At
the same time as obesity, anorexia
is on the increase as well. Everywhere
we look we are bombarded with
pictures of anorexic women. Models,
actresses and the many girls
who try to emulate them struggle
not to eat. This phenomenon is
now becoming apparent in men,
as there is increasing pressure
for them to be thin as well.
And, perhaps most worrying of
all, it is also affecting children. Can all those sweets, cakes and
chocolates really make you feel
better? Well, if sugar does,
so does alcohol. So does heroin.
And the more you consume the
more immune you become to the
effects. Just as with alcohol
and drugs, the body tries to
maintain its balance, absorbs
less of the sugar – and you need
more just to achieve the same
high.
There is an organization that recognizes
the addictive nature of sugar – and
the huge problem that food has become.
It is called Overeaters Anonymous
(OA). There are now approximately
6,500 groups meeting in over 50 countries
around the world. Based on the ‘12
steps’ and traditions of Alcoholics
Anonymous, it recognizes the two-fold
problem of food addiction – the physical
cravings and the emotional void that
finds many people unable to stop
even when they are physically full.
When
people pay attention to their
food they can feel the physical
effects of the chemical highs
and lows that sugar causes –
talk of ‘ sugar hangovers’ is
common. Some people in recovery
from food addiction are also
recovered alcoholics. They are
astounded at how difficult it
is to clean up their food. ‘It
wasn’t this hard coming off the
drink or the drugs,’ says one.
‘ Eating sugar is endlessly justifiable
– everyone does it.’
Abstinence
allows the cravings to subside
and the mind to clear, leaving
the individual free to deal with
emotional hang-ups. Talking
helps to remove the sense of
being different from others and
alone – a defining characteristic
of addicts – and provides an
invaluable support network. Friendship
and a sense of connection fill
the emotional void of addiction
in a way that no amount of chocolate
or cakes ever could. People
find that as they ‘clean up’
their food their lives open out.
As they process their emotions
instead of stuffing them down
with food, other areas of their
lives fall into place.
WHAT
IS SUGAR?
Sugar takes several forms,
most commonly fructose in
fruit and vegetables, lactose
in milk,
and refined or ‘pure’ sucrose
extracted from sugarcane or
beet.
Sucrose – C12H22O11 – is composed of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
and is classified as a carbohydrate:
carbon and water. The metabolism of all sugars supplies energy, measured as calories,
to the human body. Unlike fructose or lactose, sucrose provides only ‘empty’ or ‘naked’
calories, without any nutrients
at all.
WHAT DOES IT DO TO YOUR BODY?
The World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agricultural Organization
(FAO) say: ‘Higher intake of “free” sugars – added to foods by the manufacturer,
cook or consumer, plus sugars naturally present in honey, syrups and fruit
juices – threatens the nutrient quality of diets by providing significant energy
without specific nutrients... Drinks that are rich in free sugars increase
overall energy intake by reducing appetite control.’
Sucrose is not digested in the mouth or stomach but passes directly
to the lower intestines and thence
to the bloodstream and the brain. Unused calories are stored as fat. When starches and refined sugars are eaten together and undergo
fermentation they are broken
down into carbon dioxide, acetic
acid, alcohol and water. With
the exception of water, all these
are unusable substances – poisons. Sugar unbalances the endocrine system, which includes the adrenal
glands, pancreas and liver, causing
the blood-sugar level to fluctuate
widely.
DOES IT MAKE YOU SICK?
Good health relies on physical fitness and a ‘balanced’ diet that
delivers all the nutrients the body needs – no fewer and no more. Balance
is normally maintained by appetite. Because sucrose acts upon the appetite
it unbalances diet, contributing to a great many chronic conditions.
OBESITY
There is no precise definition
of obesity, which relates to
the individual. But there is
general agreement that a Body
Mass Index (your weight in
kilograms divided by your height
in metres squared) of at least
17 is essential, while 30 or
more constitutes obesity. There
is overwhelming evidence that
a high intake of energy-dense
foods – combined with reduced
physical activity – promotes
weight gain. Energy-dense foods
tend to be high in fat, sugars
or starch. Obesity is a causal
factor in many serious conditions
that affect the entire human
body.
DIABETES
The exact causes of diabetes are still not fully understood. There are two
types. Type 1 develops when insulin-producing cells in the pancreas – which
help to regulate blood-sugar levels – have been destroyed. It usually affects
younger people. Type 2 usually appears in older people when the body no longer
responds normally to its own insulin and/or does not produce enough insulin.
People who are overweight are particularly likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
HEART AND CIRCULATION
Processed foods, to which ‘free’ sugars are frequently added, displace from
the diet fruit and vegetables, which contain essential nutrients that help
to prevent heart and circulation disease.
TOOTH DECAY
Sugars are the most important
dietary factor in the development
of dental caries (decay). Bacteria
in plaque around teeth metabolize
sugars rapidly, creating local
areas of high acidity which
erode tooth enamel. Brushing
is too late to prevent this.
Although fluoride helps to
strengthen the enamel, tooth
decay from sugar still occurs.
ADDICTION
Infants develop a predilection for the sugar that is present in both breast
and formula milk. This predilection, if satisfied with sucrose, readily becomes
habit-forming.
SOME ASSOCIATED CONDITIONS
Increased overgrowth of the candida yeast organism; increased chronic
fatigue, anxiety, irritability and possibly some serious mental conditions
as well.
Sources in print: Technical Report Series 916:
Diet, Nutrition and the revention
of Chronic Disease, Report
of
a Joint WHO/FAO Expert
Consultation, Geneva 2003.
Sources on the internet:
http://www.sustainweb.org/
www.doh.gov.uk/coma/sugar.htm
http://www.diabetes.org.uk/
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