There is an entire new view on sugar these days, and it’s not pretty.

Sugar and sweeteners have long been known to cause problems when over-consumed;  tooth decay, weight-gain, even diabetes.  But more recent research links these products of many a craving to fatty liver disease, insulin resistance, heart disease, cancer and the burgeoning epidemic of obesity.

In a New York Times article, April 13, 2011, Gary Taubes presents evidence that sweeteners, and high fructose corn syrup in particular, are not only responsible for obesity and “diabesity”, the new slang for diabetes linked with obesity, but also may be a prime factor in the development of cancerous tumors.

Sugar provides energy for the body.  We need energy, especially our brains which burn it for fuel, so it is important to have some sugar in the diet. The problems begin when we over-eat sugar, refined carbohydrates, or processed foods with added sugars and sweeteners. To understand the impact sugar has on the body, it is important to know how it is metabolized.  The monosaccharides (simple sugars) glucose and fructose have a simple molecular structure and are digested quickly. As Dr. Tel-Oren states in his “Truth About Sugar” video, “In nature, wholesome sugars come packaged along with fiber, such as in whole fruits and all plants.”  Fiber slows down the absorption of carbohydrates in the gut which results in less spiking of blood sugar levels. It also provides a feeling of fullness, so that over-consumption is unlikely.  In modern processed foods, however, sugars are often stripped away from the accompanying fiber.  When fructose is separated from it’s fiber it becomes a toxin in the body.  Consider these differences in metabolism between glucose and fructose:

Glucose

Glucose is a clean-burning energy source.  It begins to be processed when it enters the bloodstream with the release of insulin.  In the liver, it is then broken down further to supply energy to the entire body.  It does not interact with protein, which can damage certain enzymes.  Glucose is found in grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy and refined sugars

Fructose

Fructose does not use insulin in it’s metabolism (and therefore does not cause as much spiking of blood sugar).  It is metabolized in the liver where it is converted to fat cells.  It releases energy more slowly and does not send energy to muscle tissue.  The body has a limited storage capacity for fructose and when there is too much of it to process, the excess is dumped back into the blood stream where it becomes triglycerides (fat) to be stored until the body has a need for fuel.  In summary – too much fructose for the body to process becomes fat which is then stored in the body.  Fructose is found in tree fruits, berries, melon, tomatoes, beets, and other root veg, onions and cane sugar, honey, fruit juices and sweeteners like corn syrup.

As Dr. Robert Lustig points out in his video “Sugar:The Bitter Truth” , when the liver generates too many fat cells it becomes insulin resistant and eventually may develop fatty liver disease. With insulin resistance, the liver does not use insulin properly and requires the pancreas to secrete more insulin. Eventually, the pancreas can’t keep up, blood glucose levels rise and Type 2 Diabetes can occur. With high insulin levels, you don’t burn the energy from the food you eat, you store it as fat instead and this results in even more insulin resistance.  This condition is also known as Metabolic Syndrome and it increases the risk of heart disease as well as diabetes.  According to Dr. Lustig, a diet comprised of excessive amounts of fructose and too little fiber is the “cornerstone of the American obesity epidemic”.   Lustig also notes that adolescents now consume up to 15% of their calories as fructose! Because fructose produces the small, dense, LDL cholesterol, it causes increased risk of heart disease. Consider, too, that sugar can cause an increase in blood pressure as outlined in an article by Stephanie Nguyen and Robert Lustig, MD.   So, effectively, eating a high sugar diet is equivalent to eating as high fat diet in terms of the damage inflicted on the cardiovascular system.  But wait, there’s more bad news:  Sugars do not suppress the hunger hormone ghrelin and they do not stimulate leptin, the fullness hormone, which means over-eating of sugared foods is all the more likely.

And what about the cancer connection?  Cancer cells are anaerobic; they do not require oxygen for their metabolism. Healthy cells are mostly aerobic and need oxygen for metabolism.  A diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates (fast food, junk food, processed/packaged  flour products like bread, cereals and pastas) creates an acidic pH  in the body.  When the pH is acidic, there is less oxygen available to the cells.  This means healthy cells will die, but cancer cells will thrive under these conditions.

To summarize:

• Sugars without their fiber = toxins!
• Fructose is converted directly to fat cells in the liver
• Eating sweet foods stimulates release of insulin, but since fructose does not use insulin for metabolism, insulin levels rise and can cause insulin resistance
• Excess sugar can increase high blood pressure and fructose produces LDL cholesterols and triglycerides(bad guys)
• Cancer cells thrive in the acidic pH that sugar creates in the body

What should you do?

• Only eat fruits in their whole, natural state
• Avoid fruit juices and sugared beverages (sodas and sports drinks)
• Read labels on packages and avoid any products containing high fructose corn syrup (read everything carefully!  Even tonic water contains corn syrup!)
• Eat more green and vegetables to alkalize the pH of your body.
• Print out an acid/alkaline food chart to keep in your kitchen for reference (http://www.trans4mind.com/nutrition/pH.html)