Sugar is sneaky.
Ā Ā Ā Ā It lurks in unexpected places, such as spaghetti sauce, peanut butter and pretty much all processed foods, says Dennis Godby, N.D., a California-licensed naturopathic doctor in private practice in midtown. So if you think youāre safe because youāve sworn off sodas, Snickers and sticky cinnamon buns, think again.
Ā Ā Ā Ā āPeople frequently come into my office thinking theyāve got a pretty good diet,ā reports Godby. But theyāre eating sugar even when they donāt realize it, he saysāand thatās one reason why so many Americans are suffering from sugar overload, ingesting on average around 22 teaspoons of added sugar a day, according to the American Heart Association. (Note: Weāre focusing here on added sugars, not the naturally occurring sugars found in foods such as fruit and milk.) The AHA got on its high horse about Americansā sugar consumption last year, recommending no more than 100 calories (or about 6 teaspoons) of added sugar per day for most women and 150 calories (or about 9 teaspoons) for men. Drink just one 12-oz. soda, and youāre already there: Each contains 9 to 11 teaspoons of sugar. Ouch.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Itās not news that sugar can ruin your teeth and expand your waistline, or that itās dangerous for folks with diabetes. But you may be surprised by some of the other ways the sweet stuff can sour your health. Here are a few.
It can raise cholesterol
Newsflash: A low-fat diet is not the only key to lowering cholesterol. Reducing sugar intake can help, too. (Who knew?) According to a study published earlier this year in The Journal of the American Medical Association, the more added sugar you eat, the more your triglyce-rides (blood fats) tend to rise, increasing the risk of heart disease. āThereās definitely a sugar association with cholesterol, and until recently we didnāt know that,ā says Monica Randel, a registered dietitian and nutrition educator with Kaiser Permanente in Sacramento. Itās a double whammy, says Randel: Not only does sugar raise triglycerides, but it lowers HDL, the āgoodā cholesterol. Godby says heās seen ādramaticā changes in triglyceride levels among patients who cut sugar, so it may be worth a try.
It suppresses the immune system
One of the scariest things about sugar is its effect on the immune system. āSugar significantly depresses the immune system, or natural killer cells,ā says Godby. A weak immune system may make an individual more vulnerable to a number of diseases, including cancer, he notesāwhich leads to No. 3 on our hit list.
It has been connected to cancer
Ever heard āsugar feeds cancer cellsā? Itās basically true, says Godby, though itās not quite that simple. Itās really the increase in insulin levels thatās to blame. It goes something like this: Sugar increases glucose levels, which increases insulin levels, which can increase cancer risk. āThe problem is not insulin, but too much insulināhyperinsulinemia,ā explains Godby. Mainstream medicine seems to agree. From cancer.org, the American Cancer Society website: āBy promoting obesity and elevating insulin levels, high sugar intake may indirectly increase cancer risk.ā
It masks other problems
The great thing about sugar cravings, says local food-mood expert Trudy Scott, is that it tells you somethingās wrong. āItās really a message from your body that somethingās going on,ā says Scott, a certified nutritionist. Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) is probably the most common issue among her clients, says Scott, but thereās a myriad of other reasons why people use sugar in a self-medicating kind of way. Among them: hormone, nutrient or neurotransmitter (brain chemistry) imbalances, such as low serotonin or low GABA. āPeople who have these kinds of issues use sugar to make themselves feel normal,ā says Scott. āItās like their drug of choice.ā Thatās why itās so important, she says, to get to the root of the problem. Much can be gleaned, says Scott, by simply looking at your patterns: If youāre an emotional type who turns to sweets for comfort, an endorphin imbalance may be at play; if you grab a glass of wine (or the nearest chocolate bar) to calm down at the end of a stressful day, you may be a āGABA girlā (or guy). The good news, says Scott, is that many of these imbalances can be easily resolved through dietary changes and/or supplements, such as amino acids.
It speeds the aging process
Want to get old quick? Eat a lot of sugar. āSugar causes premature aging,ā Godby says. āThe fastest way to metabolically age is to increase insulin levels.ā Insulinās role in the aging process has been borne out in a number of studies. In a fruit fly experiment at Brown University, researchers found that the flies lived much longer when an insulinlike hormone was reduced inside their fat cells. And those whose concerns are a little more, ahem, superficial, may be interested to know that a diet high in sugar can cause premature aging of the skin due to increased inflammation and collagen breakdown, leading to wrinkling and sagging.
Itās linked to candida, IBS and other digestive problems
Thereās nothing wrong with having the yeast microorganism candida albicans in certain parts of the bodyāitās natural. But eating too much sugar can feed candida, causing it to spread, says Kaiserās Randel. āIf your immune system is kind of depressed and youāre eating a lot of sugar, youāre feeding the candida and it can start to overwhelm everything,ā she says. āIf it gets worse, it may go into the bloodstream.ā The National Candida Center puts candida overgrowth, irritable bowel syndrome and intestinal permeability (āleaky gut syndromeā) all under the heading of dysbiosis, meaning the intestinal flora is out of whack. In a nutshell, explains Randel, itās about bad bacteria overwhelming the goodāand sugar feeding the bad. (It can also feed the good, notes Randel, but thatās a whole ānuther article.) The bottom line: Sugar contributes to candida, which is why cutting out sugar (and other foods thought to support yeast growth) is often first-line treatment, at least in the holistic world; conventional docs may have a different take. āThere are no clinical trials that document the efficacy of a candida cleanse diet for treating any recognized medical condition,ā writes internist Brent A. Bauer, M.D. on mayoclinic.com, the Mayo Clinic website. So what do you do if you suspect youāve got a candida problem? You might start with the self-test offered by the National Candida Center at nationalcandidacenter.com/candida-self-exams/.
It can prevent us from eating the good stuff
The problem with sugar, says Randel, is not necessarily the sugar itself. Itās the way it gets in the way of healthful eating. āYou have to take into consideration whether itās the sugar thatās bad for you or itās just that youāre not eating the fruits and vegetables,ā says Randel. āIf youāre eating something that is sugary and processed, it often means youāre not eating the things you should be eating.ā
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But sugar isnāt all bad, says Randel; in fact, thereās at least one good time to indulge: post-exercise. āThe first half-hour after exercising, your muscles are going to be looking for the sugar youāve just used up, so itās advisable to replace it,ā she says.Ā But with what?
Ā Ā Ā Ā āFruit, fruit, fruit,ā she says, laughing.
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Sweet somethings
āA little sugar isnāt bad; itās how much you have of it. The take-home message: moderation. Itās so boring.āāMonica Randel, dietitian and nutrition educator, Kaiser Permanente
āCraving sugar does not mean weāre weak or that weāre a failure. It means weāve got some brain chemistry, nutrient or hormonal imbalances that need fixing, or perhaps candida. Quitting [sugar] is not about willpower.āāTrudy Scott, certified nutritionist
āI think itās better doctoring to help people to take a look at why theyāre eating sugar, than to say ājust stop eating it.ā For most people, going cold turkey is not best. Itās better to gradually cut it down. Be kind to yourself.āāDennis Godby, N.D., naturopathic doctor
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