When is it better to fool mother nature...?

What ever happened to left-handed sugar? It seems to have crashed and burned and then resurrected as sucralose (Splenda). Sucralose was generally thought to be safe (FDA approval, etc) but now an Italian animal study has linked sucralose to a higher risk of developing leukemia. This is a real concern but what about the effects of regular sugar? I certainly don’t want to increase my risk of leukemia but I think I’ll keep using Splenda… There seems to be a few more problems associated with sugar than with any non-nutritive artificial sweetener. 

Here are a few of the potential problems with using unrefined sugar:

Sugar can suppress your immune system, upset the mineral relationships in the body, cause juvenile delinquency in children, when in soda consumed by children, it results in the children drinking less milk, sugar can increase reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can damage cells and tissues, it can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, inability to concentrate and crankiness in children. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides and reduces the body’s ability to defend against bacterial infection and also causes a decline in tissue elasticity and function – the more sugar you eat, the more elasticity and function you lose. Sugar reduces high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and can lead to chromium deficiencies and ovarian cancer. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose and cause copper deficiencies and interfere with the body’s absorption of calcium and magnesium. Sugar may make eyes more vulnerable to age-related macular degeneration. Sugar raises the level of neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine. 

 

Sugar can cause hypoglycemia and can lead to an acidic digestive tract. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children and cause premature aging in adults. Sugar can lead to alcoholism and tooth decay. Sugar can lead to obesity. Sugar can cause arthritis, learning disorders in school children, gallstones, heart disease, appendicitis, varicose veins, osteoporosis, a decrease in insulin sensitivity, lowering of the amount of Vitamin E in the blood, a decrease in the amount of growth hormones in the body, increased cholesterol, an interference with the absorption of protein, food allergies, diabetes, toxemia during pregnancy, eczema in children, cardiovascular disease, an impairment the structure of DNA,  a change in the structure of protein, the skin to wrinkle by changing the structure of collagen, cataracts,  emphysema, atherosclerosis, elevation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL), lowered functioning of  enzyme actions, an increase in size of the liver by making the liver cells divide, an increase in the amount of liver fat, an increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.

Sugar can damage the pancreas and cause: increased fluid retention, myopia (nearsightedness), damage to the lining of the capillaries, tendons to become more brittle, headaches, pancreatic cancer in women, an adverse effect on children’s grades in school, depression, the risk of gastric cancer, dyspepsia (indigestion), the risk of developing gout, increased levels of glucose in the blood, a reduction in a person’s learning capacity, two blood proteins – albumin and lipoproteins – to function less effectively, which may reduce the body’s ability to handle fat and cholesterol, contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, platelet adhesiveness, which causes blood clots, hormonal imbalance, kidney stones, free radicals and oxidative stress, biliary tract cancer, an increased level of estradiol (the most potent form of naturally occurring estrogen) in men, destruction of phosphatase, a digestive enzyme, which makes digestion more difficult, addiction (to sugar),  intoxication similar to alcohol, decreased emotional stability, excessive food intake in obese people, a worsening of the symptoms of children with attention deficit disorder (ADD), the inability of the adrenal glands to function properly, a risk factor for developing lung cancer,  epileptic seizures, an increase in systolic blood pressure, cell death, an increase in the amount of food that you eat, antisocial behavior in juvenile delinquents, prostate cancer, dehydration of  newborns, women to give birth to babies with low birth weight, a worse outcome of schizophrenia, a raise in homocysteine levels in the bloodstream, an increased risk of breast cancer, laryngeal cancer, salt retention, mild memory loss, brain decay in pre-diabetic and diabetic women, metabolic syndrome, neural tube defects in embryos when it is consumed by pregnant women, asthma, endometrial cancer, renal (kidney) cell cancer, liver tumors,  inflammatory markers in the bloodstreams of overweight people, acne, fatigue, moodiness, nervousness, depression, many essential nutrients to be less available to cells, uric acid in blood, higher C-peptide concentrations, inflammation, diverticulitis, decreased testosterone production, impaired spatial memory and cataracts.

But like I said, that's just a few of the problems with sugar.