Why Everyone Should Avoid Sugar

Here is a list of ways sugar can affect your health:

Sugar can suppress the immune system. Sugar can upset the body's mineral balance. Sugar can contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children. Sugar can reduce helpful high density cholesterol (HDLs). Sugar can promote an elevation of harmful cholesterol (LDLs). Sugar can cause hypoglycemia. Sugar contributes to a weakened defense against bacterial infection. Sugar can cause kidney damage. Sugar can increase the risk of coronary heart disease. Sugar may lead to chromium deficiency. Sugar can cause copper deficiency. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium. Sugar can increase fasting levels of blood glucose. Sugar can promote tooth decay. Sugar can produce an acidic stomach. Sugar can raise adrenaline levels in children. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease. Sugar can speed the aging process, causing wrinkles and grey hair. Sugar can increase total cholesterol. Sugar can contribute to weight gain and obesity. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Sugar can contribute to diabetes. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity. Sugar leads to decreased glucose tolerance. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease. Sugar can increase systolic blood pressure. Sugar causes food allergies. Sugar can cause free radical formation in the bloodstream. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children. Sugar can overstress the pancreas, causing damage. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries. Sugar can cause liver cells to divide, increasing the size of the liver. Sugar can increase the amount of fat in the liver. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney. Sugar can cause depression. Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance. Sugar can cause hypertension. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves, which can alter the mind's ability to think clearly. Sugar can increase blood platelet adhesiveness which increases risk of blood clots and strokes. Sugar can increase insulin responses in those consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets. Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon.

Source: www.nancyappleton.com

Sugar and cancer

Of the over 4 million cancer patients being treated in the U.S. today, almost none are offered any scientifically guided nutrition therapy other than being told to "just eat good foods." Many cancer patients would have a major improvement in their conditions if they controlled the supply of cancer's preferred fuel: GLUCOSE. By slowing the cancer's growth, patients make it possible for their immune systems to catch up to the disease. Controlling one's blood-glucose levels through diet, exercise, supplements, meditation and prescription drugs - when necessary - can be one of the most crucial components to a cancer treatment program. The saying "Sugar feeds cancer" is simple. The explanation is a little more involved.

German Otto Warburg, Ph.D., the 1931 Nobel laureate in medicine, first discovered that cancer cells have a fundamentally different energy metabolism compared to healthy cells. The gist of his Nobel thesis was this: malignant tumors frequently exhibit an increase in "anaerobic glycolysis" - a process whereby glucose is used by cancer cells as a fuel with lactic acid as an anaerobic by-product - compared to normal tissues.(1) The large amount of lactic acid produced by this fermentation of glucose from the cancer cells is then transported to the liver. This conversion of glucose to lactate creates a lower, more acidic PH in cancerous tissues as well as overall physical fatigue from lactic acid build-up.(2,3) Therefore, larger tumors tend to exhibit a more acidic PH.(4)

Hence, cancer therapies should attempt to regulate blood-glucose levels through diet, supplements, exercise, medication when necessary, gradual weight loss and stress reduction. Since cancer cells derive most of their energy from anaerobic glycolysis, the goal is not to eliminate sugars or carbohydrates entirely from the diet but rather to control blood-glucose within a narrow range to help starve the cancer cells and boost immune function.

Don’t assume that a cookie or soft drink made with raw sugar or agave nectar or something else “natural” is healthful. Organic junk is still junk. I don’t care if it’s a cookie made with USDA-certified organic evaporated cane juice plowed under a Fair Trade banner. Your body doesn’t care either. Sugar is sugar once it hits the stomach acid and bloodstream. Just because it’s sold at Whole Foods does not make it good for you.

So what’s the best sugar you can eat? None. If you need (and I use that term loosely) to add something to your food or drink, use the least processed that you can get, which would be either honey or probably evaporated cane juice, and use sparingly. In the end though, avoid sweeteners as much as possible and stick to the natural sweetness of blueberries, apples, and papaya. We can argue until we’re blue in the face about what fruits are best due to lower fructose content and all of that, but if I can get someone to drop the cakes, sodas, and cookies, I bet they can eat apples all day long and be just fine.