Sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and type II diabetes

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Sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and type II diabetes

Thursday, July 07, 2005 by: Jessica Fraser

 

 

 

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Sugar and refined carbohydrates are undeniably linked to diabetes.

Researchers around the world have come to the conclusion that the

consumption of refined sugar is detrimental to the health of people

without diabetes and disastrous for those with it. Furthermore,

excess sugar in the blood can cause the onset of type 2 diabetes.

First, however, what exactly is diabetes?

 

According to Bruce Fife ND, " Diabetes is all about sugar -- the

sugar in our bodies known as blood sugar or blood glucose. Every

cell in our bodies must have a constant source of glucose in order

to fuel metabolism. Our cells use glucose to power processes such as

growth and repair. When we eat a meal the digestive system converts

much of our food into glucose, which is released into the

bloodstream. The hormone insulin, which is secreted by the pancreas

gland, moves glucose from the blood and funnels it into the cells so

it can be used as fuel. If the cells are unable to get adequate

amounts of glucose, they can literally starve to death. As they do,

tissues and organs begin to degenerate. This is what happens in

diabetes. "

 

Obesity largely contributes to the inability of cells to obtain

sufficient amounts of glucose, according to " Green Tea " author

Nadine Taylor.

 

Taylor writes that too many fat cells crowd the other cells in the

body and make it difficult for insulin to reach its destination.

According to Ralph T. Golan, 90 percent of type 2 diabetes sufferers

are obese, a result directly linked to poor dietary choices and a

sedentary lifestyle.

 

Michael Castleman, author of " Blended Medicine, " says, " Type 2

diabetes is strongly associated with a lack of exercise and a poor

diet -- one that's low in fiber and high in sugar, fat and animal

products. It develops slowly, usually over several years, and rarely

produces dramatic symptoms. For this reason, many people with type 2

diabetes have no idea that they are sick. In fact, the American

Diabetes Association estimates that only half of Americans with type

2 diabetes have been diagnosed. "

 

Sugar is so detrimental to human health that many believe it would

fail the FDA approval process if such a hypothetical attempt were

made. Refined white flour would fare no better. Both are

nutritionally empty substances. According to Nancy Appleton, PhD,

author of " Lick the Sugar Habit, " there are 78 metabolic

consequences of consuming sugar. Since the Life Extension Foundation

estimates that the average American consumes more than 150 pounds of

sugar per year, those 78 metabolic consequences can be considerable.

 

Phyllis A. Balch, author of " Prescription for Dietary Wellness, "

says this excessive consumption of sugar, especially by today's

youth, has experts calling the recent dramatic rise in type 2

diabetes among adolescents an " emerging epidemic. "

 

In Balch's book, sports nutritionist Bill Misner says that sugar

is " devoid of vitamins, minerals and fiber. "

 

Furthermore, as a result of its deterioration of the endocrine

system, " major researchers and major health organizations agree that

sugar consumption in America is one of the three major causes of

degenerative disease. "

 

This is not surprising, considering that 150 pounds of sugar per

year breaks down to the intake of 550 to 650 calories a day in sugar

alone, according to Balch. In fact, the Tufts University Health and

Nutrition Letter states that Americans spent $21 billion on candy

alone in 2001, which is more than the gross national products of

Lithuania, Costa Rica, and Mozambique combined. That amount of money

can buy unimaginable amounts of sugar, which in turn does

unimaginable harm to the people who consume it.

 

Balch goes on to say, " One in twenty of the world's adult population

now has some form of diabetes, a disease associated with obesity,

poor eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle. More than half of

American adults are overweight. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention relates that the incidence of Type 2 diabetes has

risen by 33 percent in the past decade and three out of every 50

American adults currently have this diet-related condition.

 

Complications related to diabetes are the sixth-leading cause of

death in the United States. "

 

Diabetes, however, is really only one of the numerous consequences

of over-consuming sugar. Dr. John Yudkin, a leading authority on

dietary sugars, says that the detrimental effects of excess sugar in

the diet go far beyond rotting teeth and obesity.

 

" For example, " Yudkin says, " Sugar causes irregularities in the

insulin response; Sugar causes diabetes-like damage to the kidneys;

it contributes to degeneration of the retina; it raises blood fat

levels and it increases the stickiness of the blood platelets, a

common precursor of heart trouble. "

 

" Alternative Cures " author Bill Gottlieb writes, " Excess sugar in

the blood damages the arteries and veins and can lead to fatal heart

disease and stroke. The death rate for middle-aged people with type

2 diabetes is twice that of middle-aged people who do not have it. "

 

Gottlieb adds, " The glut of sugar can also cause kidney disease, eye

problems, and severe nerve damage to the lower limbs and other parts

of the body. "

 

Heart and kidney diseases indicate a weakened immune system, which

is damaged by excessive sugar intake. The damage doesn't stop at the

immune system. The negative effects of a sugar-filled diet spread to

the nervous system as well.

 

" Food Swings " author Barnet Meltzer says, " White refined sugar is

also a culprit in everything from common colds and flu, bronchitis,

sinus infections and digestive difficulties to breast cancer,

Alzheimer's disease and Candida.

 

By weakening the immune system, it increases the risk of

degenerative illnesses and infections. In addition to imbalancing

the pancreas and liver, it also attacks the central nervous system.

It kills brain cells. "

 

While heart trouble, kidney disease, and the flu are bad enough

conditions to suffer through, far more dire consequences await

diabetics who do nothing to control their disease. " Fat Land " author

Greg Crister explains, " The obese diabetic may first notice strange

things happening to his or her feet; they may tingle, or they may be

numb.

 

When they are bruised or scratched, they may take a long time to

heal. This is because excess sugar in the blood has damaged vital

nerve endings and, in the worst case, caused atherosclerosis,

leading to reduced blood flow to the limbs. The consequent numbness

can mask a severe injury, which can become infected, eventually

leading to gangrene and amputation. " Gottlieb writes in " Alternative

Cures " that more than 50 percent of the lower limb amputations in

the United States each year are performed on people with diabetes.

 

On a somewhat different end of the spectrum of health matters

implicitly associated with diabetes are sexual drive and

performance. In " Food and Healing, " author Anne Marie Colbin states,

 

" There is some evidence that a high consumption of sugar-sweetened

foods may lead not only to impotence and premature ejaculation, but

to unrealistic sexual attitudes and expectations, strong urges,

strange fantasies and even crimes of sexual violence. "

 

Since the tendency to consume sweet, sugary foods in large

quantities is so deeply ingrained in the eating habits of Americans,

a quick answer for diabetics and those at risk of developing the

disease seems to be sugar-free artificial sweeteners, such as

NutraSweet or Equal. However, the Life Extension Foundation states

in " Disease Prevention and Treatment " that consuming aspartame poses

a potential health hazard, although the matter is highly debated.

 

" Sugar-sweetened soft drinks and confections are not permissible

for prediabetic or diabetic patients, but the alternative,

artificially sweetened beverages and foodstuffs, may not be either.

 

Allegations have implicated aspartame as a potential risk factor for

several disorders…Many artificial sweeteners marketed as a sugar

substitute may actually contain sugar, masquerading as dextrose and

maltodextrin. "

 

Today, while products containing artificial sweeteners touted

as " sugar-free " line U.S. grocery shelves, the problem in the 1980s

and 1990s came in the form of " fat-free " and " low-fat " products.

Atkins says that because the fat had been either completely or

partially removed from the products, they no longer tasted good.

 

To compensate for the lack of fat, companies packed their " fat-

free " or " low-fat " products full of sugar. Where sugar is consumed,

obesity is soon to follow, and diabetes will be on obesity's heels.

 

Joseph L. Pizzorno and Michael T. Murray, authors of " The

Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, " sum the problem up nicely: " The

human body was not designed to handle the amount of refined sugar,

salt, saturated fats, and other harmful food compounds that many

people in the United States and other Western countries feed it. "

 

You might wonder how people can possibly consume so much sugar, but

it's not difficult, according to William Duffy, author of " Sugar

Blues. "

Duffy says, " Man-refined sugar is eight times as concentrated as

flour, and eight times as unnatural -- perhaps eight times as

dangerous. It is the unnaturalness that deceives the tongue and

appetite, leading to over-consumption. Who would eat five pounds of

sugar beets a day? Yet the equivalent in refined sugar is a mere

five ounces. "

 

If refined sugar is so dangerous, even in small amounts, what can

diabetics and obese people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes do

to avoid it? First, turn to natural sweets like fruit. The natural

sugar found in fruit and honey is fructose, which is much healthier

than refined white sugar. However, commercially sold fructose,

better known as high-fructose corn syrup, should be avoided, as it

can contain up to 55 percent sucrose, which requires insulin to

metabolize.

 

Earl Mindell and Virginia Hopkins, authors of " Prescription

Alternatives, " blame our nation's sharp rise in diabetes on

increased consumption of high-fructose corn syrup and the resulting

depletion of chromium in the body. Chromium is important in helping

glucose pass from the bloodstream into the cells.

 

Mindell and Hopkins say that studies done at the US Department of

Agriculture's Human Nutrition Resource Center reveal that consuming

fructose in this form causes chromium levels to drop, in turn

raising LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and impairing immune

system function.

 

" As our consumption of high fructose corn syrup has risen 250

percent in the past 15 years, our rate of diabetes has increased

approximately 45 percent in about the same time period, " said

Mindell.

 

" Reversing Diabetes " author Julian Whitaker warns that consuming

some natural sweeteners still poses a threat to diabetics. " You

might think that replacing white sugar with honey, molasses, and

other 'healthy' sweeteners is the way to go.

 

Unfortunately, just like refined white sugar, almost all natural

sweeteners have a high glycemic index and provoke a sharp glucose

release. Unfortunately for diabetics, sugar in almost all its forms

can pose problems.

 

Balch offers the following advice in " Prescription for Dietary

Wellness " : " The risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer

can be reduced through the simple act of substituting whole grains

for refined grains. Refined foods such as white flour and white rice

are stripped of the fiber and nutrients that whole grains still

possess. The first word on the label must be whole -- don't be

fooled by artificial brown or caramel coloring. "

 

In addition to avoiding all refined sugars and flours, " Graedons

Best Medicine " authors Joe and Dr. Terasa Graedon recommend that

diabetics and obese people avoid fats. " Fat, especially saturated

fat, may be as dangerous for diabetics as sugar.

Frequent small meals and the use of olive oil instead of butter or

cheese may help control blood sugar and cholesterol levels. " Laurie

Deutsch Mozian recommends in " Foods That Fight Disease " that

diabetics and obese dieters eat small, healthy meals more

frequently. " People with diabetes should eat at least three meals a

day at regular intervals to keep their blood sugar levels within

normal range. Meals and snacks that combine carbohydrates with

proteins or fats will have the longest-lasting effects on blood

sugar levels because protein and fat take longer to raise blood

sugar than carbohydrates do. "

 

According to James Howenstein, author of " A Physician's Guide to

Natural Health Products that Work, " " Diabetes was a very rare

illness in the United States in 1880, with only 2.8 persons out of

every 100,000 having diabetes. Now at least 10 percent of the

populace has diabetes, and when you look for early signs of

diabetes, that number is certain to be much higher. " Mindell and

Hopkins illustrate America's problem with obesity and diabetes by

comparing the U.S. to countries that rely on natural, unrefined food

sources.

 

" In countries where people eat a diet low in fat and sugar and high

in whole foods such as unrefined grains and fresh fruits and

vegetables, diabetes is almost nonexistent. When they move to the

U.S., their diabetes risk skyrockets. Tragically, as

Western " nutrition free " processed and fast foods…are introduced to

Third World countries, their rates of diabetes are rapidly rising.

It is estimated that by the year 2010, some 40 percent of Americans

65 or older will have adult-onset diabetes (type 2 diabetes). "

 

To attain enhanced states of health, diabetics and people at risk of

developing it must learn to drastically cut back, or completely

eliminate, their sugar and refined white flour intake by being

conscious of the ingredients in the products they consume and

knowing how those ingredients effect their bodies.