Is Sugar-Free Gum Wrecking Your Teeth?

Posted on 05/18/2012 by Clemmys
By Leah Zerbe, Rodale.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s little evidence to show that sugar-free sweeteners are better than sugar when it comes to your teeth

Moms and dentists have been drilling this idea into our brains for decades: Too much sugar will rot your teeth! It’s true—cavities do form when mouth bacteria convert sugars to tooth-enamel-eating acid. So moms around the world are right…eating less sugar is one way to reduce the risk of cavities.

So are sugar alternatives safer? That’s a big question mark, according to research just published in the British Dental Journal. The study authors conducted a systematic review of the literature on a class of commonly used sweeteners called sugar alcohol polyols, in particular xylitol and sorbitol. The review found that little evidence exists to show that sugar-free sweeteners are better than sugar when it comes to your teeth, and could even cause damage if ingested in combination with acidic additives like preservatives or flavorings.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the use of xylitol in gum for its tooth-decay-reduction properties, and even the European Union, known to be even more stringent on food safety, declared it to be “tooth friendly.” Xylitol is considered to be good for your teeth because it does not ferment into enamel-eating acid, it limits tooth-damaging bacteria in the mouth, and it bulks up beneficial salivary enzyme production, all good measures to reduce tooth decay.

Whatever questions remain, xylitol is better than its cheaper counterpart, the second ingredient studied. Commonly found in gum, sorbitol readily ferments into tooth-eating acid. So until scientists figure out a definitive answer regarding the best sugar-free gum, to be on the safe side, opt for one sweetened with xylitol. One major note of caution, though: Be sure to dispose of any xylitol-containing gum or food carefully and out of reach of your pets. Although considered pretty safe for humans, xylitol causes a deadly, rapid drop in pooches’ blood sugar.

Link: http://bit.ly/Jfyjhz

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Sugar can make you dumb, US scientists warn

Posted on 05/16/2012 by Clemmys
AFP – Yahoo News

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eating too much sugar can eat away at your brainpower, according to US scientists who published a study Tuesday showing how a steady diet of high-fructose corn syrup sapped lab rats’ memories.

Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) fed two groups of rats a solution containing high-fructose corn syrup — a common ingredient in processed foods — as drinking water for six weeks.

One group of rats was supplemented with brain-boosting omega-3 fatty acids in the form of flaxseed oil and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), while the other group was not.

Before the sugar drinks began, the rats were enrolled in a five-day training session in a complicated maze. After six weeks on the sweet solution, the rats were then placed back in the maze to see how they fared.

“The DHA-deprived animals were slower, and their brains showed a decline in synaptic activity,” said Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a professor of neurosurgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

“Their brain cells had trouble signaling each other, disrupting the rats’ ability to think clearly and recall the route they’d learned six weeks earlier.”

A closer look at the rat brains revealed that those who were not fed DHA supplements had also developed signs of resistance to insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar and regulates brain function.

“Because insulin can penetrate the blood-brain barrier, the hormone may signal neurons to trigger reactions that disrupt learning and cause memory loss,” Gomez-Pinilla said.

In other words, eating too much fructose could interfere with insulin’s ability to regulate how cells use and store sugar, which is necessary for processing thoughts and emotions.

“Insulin is important in the body for controlling blood sugar, but it may play a different role in the brain, where insulin appears to disturb memory and learning,” Gomez-Pinilla said.

“Our study shows that a high-fructose diet harms the brain as well as the body. This is something new.”

High-fructose corn syrup is commonly found in soda, condiments, applesauce, baby food and other processed snacks.

The average American consumes more than 40 pounds (18 kilograms) of high-fructose corn syrup per year, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

While the study did not say what the equivalent might be for a human to consume as much high-fructose corn syrup as the rats did, researchers said it provides some evidence that metabolic syndrome can affect the mind as well as the body.

“Our findings illustrate that what you eat affects how you think,” said Gomez-Pinilla.

“Eating a high-fructose diet over the long term alters your brain’s ability to learn and remember information. But adding omega-3 fatty acids to your meals can help minimize the damage.”

The study appeared in the Journal of Physiology.

Link: http://yhoo.it/IXcS09

 

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Breaking Your Sugar Addiction

Posted on 05/03/2012 by Clemmys

The 4-Week Plan to Stop Sugar Cravings

By Lauri Watson, Registered Dietitian

That white, powdery substance just makes you feel good. You can’t get it off your mind, and you keep coming back for more. The more you have it, the more you want it! But even when you try to stay away from it, it finds ways to sneak into your life almost daily. What can you do? 

We’re not talking about some dangerous or illegal drug here; we’re talking about sugar. Although it’s considered harmless in comparison, sugar, in excess, can cause a host of problems for a lot of us: cravings, binge eating, weight gain and heart disease among them. According to the USDA, the average American consumed 151 pounds of sugar in 1999—an all time high. Since then, consumption has dropped slightly and in 2010 the average American consumed 132 pounds. (To put that into perspective, consider that the number was just 4 pounds in the year 1700.) At least half of the sugar we consume comes from soft drinks, fruit drinks, and sports drinks. The rest sneaks into our diets in the form of ketchup, teriyaki sauce, chocolate milk and the obvious sweets like cookies, cakes, ice cream and even breakfast cereal. Surprisingly, some “healthy foods” such as yogurt and instant oatmeal can pack in 20-30 grams (5-7 teaspoons) of unnecessary added sugar! It seems like we’re drowning in sugar, and nobody is wearing a life vest. 

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that we limit our daily sugar consumption to 7% or less of our daily calorie intake—that’s about 6 teaspoons (100 calories) for women and 9 teaspoons (150 calories) for men. But that adds up fast. Just one 12-ounce can of regular soda contains 8-10 teaspoons of sugar and 130-150 calories. One glazed donut contains 6 teaspoons, and a half cup ice cream (the standard serving size, although most portions are much, much larger) contains 4 grams of added sugar! 

Why Should You Care? Is Sugar Actually Bad for You?

Well, aside from the increased bulge around the waistline, diets high in sugar are strongly linked to an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, elevated triglycerides, low HDL (good) cholesterol levels, and heart disease. Sugar intake has also been linked to depression, migraines, poor eyesight, autoimmune diseases (such as arthritis, and multiple sclerosis), gout and osteoporosis. 

Recent research has shown that a high intake of carbohydrates, including sugar, releases a feel good chemical in the brain called serotonin. Think of how you feel after indulging in a high sugar meal or treat—almost euphoric, right? The high of a sugar rush is temporary though. After a few hours—or even a few minutes—you start to crash and you become tired, fatigued and lethargic. 

Although sweet foods are tempting and delicious to most people (blame Mother Nature for that!), the more sugar you eat, the higher your tolerance becomes. So if you have a strong sweet tooth or intense cravings for sugar, chances are not that you were born that way, but that your dietary habits and food choices created the sugar monster you may have become. 

Fortunately, we can reverse this tolerance in just a couple of weeks by cutting out sugar. Once you have decreased your threshold, something that tasted perfectly sweet a few weeks ago, will begin to taste too sweet to eat, and that can help you reduce your intake of the sweet stuff. 

Cutting Out Sugar: A 4-Week Action Plan


While the occasional sweet treat won’t make or break your weight loss or your health, many people have trouble stopping after a sensible portion or saying no to sugar when it’s available. If you feel out of control around sugar, then a sugar “detox” is a great way to reduce your cravings, eat better, and bring sugar back to where it belongs: as an occasional treat that you consciously choose to eat in a mindful manner, not a daily treat occurrence that controls you.Follow this month-long plan to break your sugar addiction!

Week 1: Identify Sugar and Where It’s Hiding

The first step in conquering your sugar habit is to rid your pantry and refrigerator of added sugar. Some things (think ice cream, cookies and candy) are obvious, but most of us need to look closer at where the sugar in our diets is coming from. This will require a bit of label reading in the beginning, but after a while, it will become easier.In order to cut back on hidden or added sugar, scan the ingredients list of a food label. If you see any of the following terms listed, then sugar has been added to the product in one form or another and it is best left on the shelf at the store—especially if that sugar shows up within the first five ingredients of any food product. 

Agave nectar
Agave syrup
Barley malt
Beet sugar
Brown rice syrup
Brown sugar
Buttered syrup
Cane sugar
Cane juice
Cane juice crystals
Carob syrup
Confectioner’s sugar
Corn syrup
High fructose corn syrup
Corn sugar
Corn sweetener
Corn syrup solids
Crystalized fructose
Date sugar
Dextran
Dextrose
Diatase
Diastatic malt
Evaporated cane juice
Fructose
Fruit juice
Fruit juice concentrate
Glucose
Glucose solids
Golden sugar
Golden syrup
Grape sugar
Grape juice concentrate
Honey
Invert sugar
Lactose
Malt
Maltodextrain
Maltose
Maple syrup
Molasses
Raw sugar
Refiner’s syrup
Sorghum syrup
Sucanat
Sucrose
Sugar
Turbinado sugar
Yellow sugar 

This first week is about awareness. Reading labels before you buy—or bite. How many of your favorite foods contain hidden sugars in the top of their ingredients lists? 

Once you have identified the sources of sugar in your diet, clean out your kitchen. Throw out or donate all of the products that contain hidden or added sugars, including any juice, soda, candy, sweets and seemingly healthy snacks like granola bars, fruit and grain bars, instant oatmeal and sports drinks. This may sound drastic, but stay with me!

Remember, you don’t have to throw away everything that is sweet! Natural sugar, like the kind you find in whole fruit, contains vitamins, minerals and fiber, which are lost in the processing of juice. Milk contains naturally occurring sugars, but also provides calcium, vitamin D and protein. So unlike soda, fruit juices and other processed foods, whole fruit and dairy products provide us with essential vitamins and minerals that our bodies need. Be wary of certain fruit- or milk-based products that contain added sugars though: flavored milk, many yogurts, fruits canned or jellied in added sugar or syrups, and the like. Opt for unflavored skim or 1% milk, plain yogurt or Greek yogurt, and whole pieces of fruit. Remember, we are trying to cut out the 151 pounds a year of added sugar, not the naturally occurring sugar found in whole foods. 

Week 2: Stock Your Sugar-Free Kitchen

In one week, you’ve probably found lots of sugar in your diet. Some of it may have been obvious, like those frozen waffles or lattes from the local coffee joint. But others might not have been so clear, as sugar tends to lurk in many “diet” foods and lower-fat foods, added by manufacturers to make their low-cal offerings taste better.

Now that you know what to look for (and avoid), it’s time to replace the products you tossed with sugar-free counterparts. For example, replace high-sugar cereals with a whole grain cereal that contains little to no added sugars. Sweeten it naturally with fresh berries or half of a diced banana. Instead of snacking on candy or cookies, reach for a handful of nuts or some raw veggies and hummus. Replace sweetened yogurt with Greek yogurt or plain yogurt. Look back at week one and the foods you used to eat that contained sugar. Can you find no-sugar oatmeal? A healthier snack than a sugar-sweetened smoothie (how about a whole piece of fruit)? A more filling afternoon treat than that sugary “protein bar” (such as peanut butter on whole-grain crackers)?

When choosing a refreshing beverage to quench your thirst, keep in mind that you want to eat your calories, not drink them. Choose ice cold water flavored with a squeeze of fresh lemon or an orange slice. Or flavor unsweetened iced tea with fresh mint, crushed raspberries, or a squeeze of citrus.

One tip to help you avoid added sugar at the supermarket is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store as much as possible. Think about the general layout of a grocery store: The outside is home to fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, dairy products, and whole grain breads and the inside aisles are stocked with cookies, chips, soda, fruit juice, cake mixes, and other processed foods. Spend most of your time on the outside and only go down the inner aisles for specific products, like whole-grain pasta.

Never shop on an empty stomach and always shop with a list. Shopping while hungry can lead you to adding all kinds of snacks and impulse buys to your cart. Meal planning can be a tricky task at first, but following a meal plan is an important part of breaking the sugar addiction. It will help to keep you on track and help prevent stopping for fast food when you don’t have a game plan for dinner. Spend a little time on Sunday afternoons jotting down some meal ideas for throughout the week. Make a list of the food items you will need to make the meals you wrote down and stick to it! 

Week 3: Stop the Cravings

Now you really start to put your plan into action. You’ve identified the sources of added sugar in your diet and replaced those foods with healthier and more wholesome alternatives. Your kitchen is now set up for success!

This week’s focus should be on making a conscious effort to avoid sugary foods. When a craving strikes, try going for a walk or simply drinking a glass of water. Take a hot bath or get lost in a good book. Typically any craving will pass if you wait it out long enough. But it’s important to begin understanding the difference between true hunger and food cravings. If you are truly hungry, a handful of nuts or some raw veggies dipped in hummus will sound appetizing, so go ahead and eat one of your healthy snacks. But if you’re craving something sweet or a specific sugary food, use a distraction technique.

The first week of saying no to sugar will be the hardest, but the more diligently you stick to your plan, the better you’ll fare in the end. Even a tiny taste of sugar during this time period can lead to setbacks.

After a couple sugar-free weeks, your sugar threshold will start to decrease and you will find that you no longer crave sugar or sweets as you once did. As with any lifestyle change, the first couple of weeks are the hardest. Eventually, it will become habit to reach for a mint tea or piece of fruit instead of juice and candy. 

Week 4: Game Plan for Life

Now that you have yanked that sweet tooth, it’s time to devise a plan to prevent a sugar relapse. Although sugar isn’t necessary for health and it’s perfectly fine if you want to continue avoiding it, it probably isn’t realistic for most people to avoid all forms of sugar forever.

So if you want to allow a little sweetness back into your life, that’s OK. Moderation is key. Don’t let sugar and sweets become a daily habit. Instead, consider them to be special occasion treats only. With your lowered threshold for sweetness, that shouldn’t be too hard. But if you begin to indulge too often or overindulge over a short period of time (such as a weeklong vacation), you could find yourself back in trouble with sugar all over again.

If you slip up, don’t beat yourself up over it. Accept your action and decide to make a better decision next time and move on. Continue to experiment with your new, healthy foods and recipes. You’d be surprised at how many ways you can make treats healthier and use far less sugar than a recipe suggests.

And remember: It generally takes about 3-4 weeks for a new behavior to become habit, the most important thing is to stick with it.

 

Link: http://bit.ly/IB1dol

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HOW TO BREAK THE SUGAR HABIT

Posted on 05/02/2012 by Clemmys
 Livestrong.com  Sarah Dray
 
 
 According to the USDA, the average American consumes more than 20 tbsp. of sugar a day. That’s double the recommended maximum amount. Consuming too much sugar can lead to a multitude of health problems, including diabetes, obesity, migraines, hyperactivity or anxiety. A sugar overload can also lead to other, less-obvious symptoms. These include asthma, blurred vision, depression and candida. Cutting down on sugar might be difficult if you’re used to eating lots of it. You might need to wean yourself off of it slowly.

Step 1

Make a list of all the sugars you eat. Keep a food diary where you can jot down everything you eat that contains sugar. Note all the obvious sugars, like sweets, baked goods, dairy desserts and candy; but also add any products that might have added sugars in them. High-fructose corn syrup, a form of sugar, is used in a multitude of products, including fruit drinks, cereals, yogurt, baked beans and salad dressings.

Step 2

Go through the list and figure out how to eliminate or replace as many of those products as you can. Read nutrition labels and choose brands that are sugar-free. Buy replacement foods you enjoy, so the transition won’t be as difficult. If unsweetened cereals are too big of a change, try one with less sugar than the one you normally eat. After a few weeks, find another that’s even lower.

Step 3

Write a new list of all the times when you tend to crave sugar. If it happens when you’re tired, stressed or sad, then you need to come up with alternatives for things to do when the craving strikes. If you’re tired, try taking a five-minute nap or drink a cup of coffee. If you crave sugar when you’re stressed or sad, do something else that makes you feel good, such as getting a massage or taking a walk. If you stop thinking of sugar as a feel-good solution, you’ll have an easier time kicking the habit.

Step 4

Eat regular meals. If you skip meals, your blood sugar will plummet, increasing your appetite and causing you to crave sugars and carbohydrates. Instead, eat three meals a day with a small snack in between to keep your blood sugar stable and help you control sugar cravings.

 

Link: http://bit.ly/JRCLSx

 

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Break the Sugar Habit

Posted on 04/30/2012 by Clemmys

The average American is sugar-logged, consuming more than 140 pounds of added caloric sweeteners per year, according to the United States Department of Agriculture — that’s a 20 percent increase since 1970. There doesn’t appear to be a single, conspiratorial cause — some point to technology, which allows us to refine thousands of tons of barley, corn, fruits, rice, and sorghum into concentrated sugars available year-round; others speculate that the low-fat trend swung our nutritional pendulum in the direction of sugar. The results of our collective sweet tooth, though, are unmistakable: Sugar’s abundance is jeopardizing our health.

Bringing your body and mind back into a balanced relationship with sugar can help you maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk of illness, boost your energy, and even out your mood. And it doesn’t have to be a course in misery. Our three-week sugar-reduction plan is designed to help you break the sugar habit gradually and painlessly. You’ll still have plenty of sweet — fruit, whole grains, and milk all contain naturally occurring sugar. “Cutting back on the added sugar in your diet while eating whole, naturally sweet foods will give you the physiological balance you need for long-term health,” says Dr. Jana Klauer. Best of all, what initially might feel like deprivation may eventually become a bonanza. By stemming the deluge of added sugars that usually overwhelm your taste buds, you’ll awaken your palate, allowing naturally sweet flavors to come alive.

Are you a sugar addict? Take our quiz. Ready to start the process? Week 1.

Our experts: Dr. Jana Klauer, author of “How the Rich Get Thin”; Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons, author of “Potatoes Not Prozac”; Kate Gilday, an herbalist who pracitces in upstate New York; Dr. Darna Dufour, a nutritional anthropologist at the University of Colorado.

Week 1: Raise Your Sugar Consciousness
During the first week, your goal is simply to become aware of your relationship to sugar — without changing your diet at all. By scanning ingredients lists and keeping a food diary, you’ll discover where the added sugars are hiding in your diet and notice when you succumb to sugar-laden foods.

Search For Sugars
Be aware that sugar has many guises — in fact, there are dozens of varieties of added sugar. Although it is unlikely you’ll remember all of them, you can keep some of the most common in mind (see “Sugar Glossary” at bottom of page). Familiar sweeteners like cane sugar, honey, and molasses are easy enough to spot; other common sugars include dextrose, fructose, fruit-juice concentrates, maltose, and sucrose.

High-fructose corn syrup is especially abundant in processed foods — and especially problematic. Its use has directly paralleled the rise in obesity in America, says Klauer. Derived from corn and inexpensive to produce, high-fructose corn syrup is a very concentrated sweetener. “Also, because fructose is metabolized through the liver,” says Klauer, “consuming high-fructose corn syrup strains the liver and has been linked to increased levels of triglycerides and total cholesterol.”

In your hunt for sugars, don’t search just in the expected places; also check breads, cereals, sauces, soups, and yogurts — in short, anything with a label. Nutrition labels don’t delineate added sugars — “sugars,” listed in grams, includes naturally occurring sugars — so it’s hard to determine how much you’re getting.

Keep in mind, though, that ingredients are listed in order of quantity, so if any type of sugar is listed in the first few ingredients, the food is most likely high in added sugars.

Start A Food Diary
For the next three weeks, keep a food diary to track the foods and beverages you consume every day. Beside every meal, snack, or drink, record the time of day and your mood, and keep note of any impulsive eating behaviors and food cravings. For the first week, keep close track of all sugar-containing foods, without trying to cut down at all. Read labels, and don’t forget the small servings — the teaspoon of sugar you add to your coffee or the mint you eat after lunch.

After a few days, you may notice a relationship between your eating patterns and your energy level — for example, an afternoon lull in energy followed by an intense craving for chocolate, or a sluggish feeling after eating sugary cereal for breakfast. Knowing your patterns will help you prepare for the weeks ahead.

Take it to the next level - Week 2.

Week 2: Prepare for the Sugar Cleanse
During the second week, you’ll focus on balancing your diet with healthy foods and timely meals. Before eliminating sugar altogether, says DesMaisons, “it’s critical to balance your body chemistry by eating the right proportion of healthy foods.” For some people, cutting out sugar “cold turkey” can cause withdrawal symptoms, such as headaches and irritability.

Eat Breakfast, Lunch, And Dinner
Skipping meals results in low blood-glucose levels, which can lead to impulsive eating, often of sweets. Try to eat every three to four hours, says Klauer, and keep healthy snacks on hand. Breakfast is particularly important, since your body has been fasting all night; skipping breakfast can trigger late-morning cravings for sweetened foods. And be sure to eat a breakfast that contains adequate protein. Protein will balance your blood sugar and make you feel full, leaving you less susceptible to quick-energy cravings. So get up in time to make yourself eggs, or have a piece of whole-grain toast with almond butter.

Focus On Whole, Unprocessed Foods
Processed, refined foods are a double whammy when it comes to sugar: They often contain added sugar, and they’re low in vital nutrients that help your body metabolize sugar. Whole foods, however, contain a complement of fiber, minerals, vitamins, and water, all of which help stabilize blood sugar.

This week, choose foods that are as close to their natural state as possible: brown rice rather than white rice, whole wheat bread instead of white, an apple instead of apple juice, and home-cooked soup over canned.

Nutrients such as B vitamins, calcium, chromium, copper, magnesium, vitamins C and E, and zinc are particularly important for healthy sugar metabolism. Foods rich in these vitamins and minerals include high-fiber whole grains, such as barley, oats, quinoa, and long-grain wild rice; protein-rich foods such as free-range chicken, eggs, fresh fish, legumes, tempeh, and unsweetened yogurt; fruits and vegetables; and healthy fats such as avocados, flaxseed oil, olive oil, nuts, and seeds.

Balance Each Meal
Balance your meals by eating complex carbohydrates in the company of proteins and healthy fats. The proteins and fats will help stabilize your blood sugar levels and keep you satiated longer, says Klauer. So rather than eating an apple or a cookie on its own, combine it with a handful of nuts or a piece of cheddar cheese. If you have spaghetti for dinner, choose whole wheat pasta and top it with roasted chicken.

Try These Healthy Choices:
Choose Healthier Oils
Make Spicy Tomato Soup
Make a Spring Vegetable Salad
Make Quinoa with Toasted Almonds

Ready for the final step? Week 3.

Week 3: Go Sugar-Free for a Week
During the third week you’ll eliminate all added sugars. This means no chocolate or cookies, no sugar in your coffee or tea, no sweetened cereals, and no packaged foods that contain added sugar. Taking a hiatus will help cure your sugar cravings, break the habit of always reaching for something sweet, and reset your palate. When the week is over, you’ll be ready to reintroduce sugar in a healthier way: as an occasional treat, rather than a constant companion, and as a choice, rather than a compulsion or craving.

Clean House
You can’t eat what’s not there. Rid your fridge, freezer, pantry, and office drawers of tempting sweets. For some, this step may be the hardest. “Sweetened foods have become a source of comfort for many people,” claims Dianne Sullivan, a psychotherapist in Hartford, Connecticut, who works with clients on food-addiction issues. “Eliminating those comfort foods can feel like losing a close friend.”

Keeping up the good habits you focused on last week will help, says Klauer. “By eating nutritionally balanced meals and healthy snacks, and not allowing yourself to become overly hungry, you may find that your cravings disappear.” Remember that healthy foods that contain natural sugars aren’t the target — they may, in fact, help stem your cravings. So go shopping for fruits such as apples, dried apricots, bananas, figs, and mangoes and vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes. In addition to sweet fruits and veggies, be sure to have cheeses, nuts, seeds, and plain yogurt on hand.

Quell Your Cravings
“Initially, when eliminating sugar, you may feel an intense craving for it,” Klauer says. Sugar cravings, although not true hunger, can be overpowering. They signal an imbalance and have been linked to diminished beta-endorphins and serotonin levels in the brain. Succumbing to the sugar craving will initially raise the levels of these chemicals but ultimately leave you in a sugar “deficit,” only to crave again. When you feel a craving, try Klauer’s suggestions:

1. When the craving begins, set a timer for 15 minutes. Most cravings last only eight to 14 minutes.
2. Drink a full glass of water. Thirst is often mistaken for hunger, says Klauer.
3. If the sugar craving persists, eat a protein-rich snack, such as handful of almonds or walnuts, some unsweetened yogurt, or a piece of cheese.

Certain herbs, available in tea form in natural-foods stores, can help balance blood-sugar levels and cravings, according to Gilday. Look for teas made with blueberry leaf, holy basil (also called tulsi), or nettles, says Gilday, who suggests adding a pinch of powdered cinnamon for added potency. You also can try Sweet Tamer, an herbal tea designed by Gilday (who does not profit from its sale) to balance blood sugar, improve the function of the pancreas, and support the nervous system.

Pique Your Palate
Humans recognize five distinct tastes — bitter, pungent, salty, sour, and sweet. The American diet, however, places heavy emphasis on sweet and salty foods. But it is the bitter-tasting foods, an important part of many cultures’ cuisines, that can help balance sugar cravings, suggests Dr. Andrew Weil. “If you crave sweet,” he says, “add arugula, radicchio, endive, or chicory to your diet.”

Other sources of bitter include broccoli rabe, collard greens, kale, and mustard greens. Bitter foods might taste unfamiliar to you at first, but they can help bring your tastes back into balance. Once that happens, the flavors of natural sugars, such as those found in apples, carrots, and even milk, may become much more pronounced.

Avoid The Artificial
Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose are best avoided this week. Don’t add them to your coffee or tea, and check labels on “sugar-free” foods.

Although they do not have the same effects as sugar on the body, artificial sweeteners swing the palate in the direction of sweet and stimulate parts of the body’s sugar response. “They stimulate the cycles of sugar cravings without giving the body calories,” explains Klauer.

Sleep — And Rest
Preliminary studies have suggested that chronic lack of sleep can lead to a hunger for sugary foods. “Resting replenishes the adrenal glands, which grow fatigued in a culture of high sugar, over-stimulation, and overdoing,” adds Gilday. When you’re tired, she says, avoid “pushing through” with the help of sugar and caffeine. Instead, honor your body’s need to rest, be it with a nap, meditation, or a walk. After three weeks, you can slowly reintroduce added sugar in a healthy way. Stay conscious of its presence, keep reading labels, and celebrate sweetness sparingly. “Instead of eating large quantities of processed sugar,” suggests Klauer, “savor a small piece of flavonoid-rich dark chocolate or a warm cup of cocoa.”

You won’t see results overnight. But over time, you’ll make a profound nutritional shift, says Dr. Nancy Appleton, author of “Lick the Sugar Habit.” “Little by little, your cravings will diminish, and reducing sugar will get easier and easier.” We’ve built our sugar habit over many years. One gram at a time, we can help turn this habit back in the direction of natural sweetness. Success, in the end, lies in a bigger vision. “Reducing your sugar intake is not a revolutionary process,” says Appleton. “It’s an evolutionary one.”

Learn to tell the good sugars from the bad.

Do You Know?

-About 46 percent of Americans’ added sugar intake comes from beverages.

-Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup rose 1,000 percent from 1970 to 1990. Americans consume an average of 12.5 teaspoons daily.

-To burn off the average number of sugar-related calories consumed in a month, you’d have to walk 52 miles.

-A can of cola contains about 10 teaspoons of sugar. A bottle of sweetened iced tea may have up to 8 teaspoons.

-According to the USDA, we should consume no more than 10 teaspoons of added sugar daily. The average American consumes 20 teaspoons daily.

Sugar Glossary

Are All Added Sugars The Same?
Some would argue that the body cannot distinguish between a refined and an unrefined sugar. Others claim important nutrients, necessary for the digestion of the sugar, are lost in the refining process. Either way, a glut of any kind of sugar can cause health complications, so use all sweeteners sparingly. Sugar alcohols, or polyols, occur naturally in plants and are added to foods for sweetness. Compared with sugar, they’re less caloric and their effect on blood sugar is less dramatic; they can, however, cause stomach upset.

More-Refined Sugars
Brown sugar, confectioners’ sugar, corn sweetener, corn syrup, crystalline fructose, dextrose, glucose, granulated (table) sugar, high fructose corn syrup, invert sugar, maltodextrin, maltose, malt syrup, polydextrose, sucrose, syrup.

Less-Refined Sugars
Agave nectar (sweet cactus nectar), amasake, barley malt, blackstrap molasses, brown-rice syrup, cane juice, date sugar, demerara, fructose, fruit-juice concentrate, honey, lactose, maple syrup, muscovado, raw sugar, sucanat, turbinado sugar.

Sugar Alcohols
Erythritol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (HSH), isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol.

From Whole Living Body & Soul
Link: http://bit.ly/JXLyTS
 
 
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8 Surprising Foods That Contain More Sugar Than a Twinkie

Posted on 04/14/2012 by Clemmys
In Life by Wendy Michaels
 
food

 

High Sugar Foods to Avoid

If you’re trying to eat healthier these days, take note that not all of those foods that are marketed as “healthy” are any better than eating a Twinkie.

In fact, HuffPost Food compiled this list of 8 foods that have more sugar than a Twinkie.

Yogurt

Yogurt seems healthy, right? Sugar content in yogurts can be very high, however, as Keri Glassman, R.D. told the Early Show that yogurt naturally has about 12 grams of sugar per 6 ounce serving. The fruit flavored yogurts that most people eat actually have about 32 grams of sugar.

Look to Greek yogurt for less sugar instead.

Tomato Sauce

Tomato sauce? You would think that a vegetable sauce would be pretty low in sugar, but keep in mind that many brands add sugar to their recipe, and that ups the count to 11 or 12 grams per half-cup serving.

Read those labels — ideally, you should be able to find brands that have no additional sugar in the ingredient listing.

Granola Bars

Granola bars always seemed like a solid pick, but some brands pack them with sugar, and depending on the brand and size, you could be looking at between 11 and 22 grams of sugar.

It may be better to find a healthier alternative to granola bars instead.

Fat Free Salad Dressing

Consumers got so conditioned to thinking that fat free products were good for them (no fat, right?) that they may have overlooked the fact that companies pump sugar into fat free dressings to give them some taste.

Check the labels and do some comparison shopping to find dressings with less fat (not necessarily fat free) and less sugar.

Muffins

When you break muffins down to their lowest common denominator, you’re really looking at a chunk of cake that you’re eating for breakfast. And don’t be fooled into thinking that bran muffins are healthier, because they’re usually loaded with sugar, too.

You’re better off skipping muffins entirely.

Canned Fruit

This one seems a little sneaky because you think that because it’s fruit, it’s healthy, but a lot of canned fruit is packed in a sugary syrup. Even light syrup can stack up 32 grams of sugar per cup serving!

Look for those packed in natural juices, and if you can, fresh fruit is always best.

Smoothies

Smoothies appear to be that perfect health food, but watch out for extra sugar in commercially prepared smoothies that have sugar listed early in the ingredient listing. They can have between 38 grams and 70 grams of sugar (some over 100).

It’s always best to make these at home where you have control over the ingredients — mainly fresh fruit and nonfat plain yogurt.

Cereal

We all know about those sugary cereals on the shelves, but even some of the healthier options may reveal a load of sugar when you closely inspect the nutrition info.

Good old Cheerios are always a top pick among low sugar, whole grain cereals.

Link: http://bit.ly/HIPF5X
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Sugar: the public health crisis that won’t go away

Posted on 04/10/2012 by Clemmys

Evidence is mounting on the dangers of sugar consumption, linking the sweet stuff beyond obesity to heart disease and cancer. The catch: Our fate can be prevented if we seriously cut back on sugar. Is America headed toward a great political sugar debate?

Should government reduce sugar consumption?

Eliminating sugar from the typical American diet—or even a healthier diet—is shaping up to be the next big political battle. Remember when the government attempted to reduce fat in the 1970s? The result: heart disease and obesity rates skyrocketing, because when the fat was removed, sugar and HFCS was added back in for flavor. Sugar consumption has actually declined more than 70 percent since 1970—but HFCS has more than made up the difference because it is cheaper to produce.

Some sort of sugar is now found in everything from breads to sauces and yogurt to peanut butter. Americans consume 133 pounds of sugar per person per year. That’s one-third of a pound every day, according to 60 Minutes.

Under the umbrella that researchers have opened, even healthier processed food offerings that have organic cane sugar or alternative, caloric sweeteners are still sugar sources—and because “sugar is sugar” say researchers, none is better for you than another.

The Sugar Association’s take

Also featured in the 60 Minutes segment was the Sugar Association, which cautioned that eliminating sugar wrongly vilifies one food, and that we should instead work toward a long-term solution of moderation and exercise.

In a response to the program’s airing, the Sugar Association wrote: “We are extremely disappointed that 60 Minutes missed a teachable moment to provide a balanced segment and help inform its viewers and American consumers about the role all-natural sugar plays in healthy diets… 60 Minutes overshadowed the fact that total caloric intake remains the fundamental cause of a myriad of illnesses facing Americans.”

Interestingly, in her five-year study highlighted on 60 Minutes, molecular biologist Kimber Stanhope found that “a calorie is not a calorie anymore.” In her study, young, healthy people were observed in a hospital for weeks at a time and fed controlled meals to determine the effect of sugar on the body. Those subjects who were given too much fructose converted some of it to fat, which then became small-dense LDL, the bad cholesterol associated with heart attacks.

The Sugar Association went on to say that: “The assertion that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and all-natural sugar are the same and treated by our bodies the same is inaccurate,” but did not give evidence to back up this statement. Even nutritionist and food policy advocate Marion Nestle, who doesn’t want to see more HFCS sold, has said that there is no meaningful biochemical difference between the two.

Regardless of the HFCS vs. sugar debate, one thing is clear: the sweet stuff is harmful to our health. Are we headed toward another great political battle or will the issue die, only to resurface in another year? For all the emphasis and vilification placed on meat consumption, it’s scary to think that sugar could be just as bad for our health as a cheeseburger.

Should government step in and mandate decreased sugar content in our food? 

 

Caren Baginski, newhope360
Link: http://bit.ly/Hv78sI
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9 Sneaky Sources of Sugar

Posted on 04/09/2012 by Clemmys
Mens Health Magazine, Eat This, Not That! – Dave Zinczenko

 

9 Sneaky Sources of Sugar

Who’s the scariest supervillain of all time? Darth Vader? The Joker? Bruce Jenner’s plastic surgeon? All pretty nasty, it’s true. But let me nominate an evil force with greater powers. A villain who can be both solid and liquid, who can be as fine as dust or as hard as rock, and who lives inside of almost everything you eat. I’m talking, of course, about sugar.

I’ve yet to meet a person who doesn’t occasionally crave something sweet—ice cream, cookies, candy. We think to ourselves: “One brownie won’t kill us. It’s harmless.” And that’s true—one brownie is harmless. But it accounts for only a fraction of the sugar you’ll eat in a day.

According to the American Heart Association, Americans down about 22 teaspoons of the sweet stuff every day. (Imagine choking that down all at one time.) And most of that comes from less-than-obvious sources. Manufacturers today put sugar in everything from the bread in your pantry to the turkey on your table. That makes sweet ol’ sugar the ultimate supervillain—or at the very least a driving force behind heart disease and diabetes.

So let’s put this into perspective. If you’re currently taking in more than 120,000 sugar calories each year—as is the average American—then you’re adding 35 pounds of sugar-induced flab to your body annually. But here’s the good news: Every dark thriller has a path to salvation. To help you find the way, I’ve identified the most nefarious sources of sugar currently crouching in the dark shadows of your diet. Start dodging these villains today and you’ll earn a body worthy of a sequel.

 

 

9. #9: Asian Sauces:

Asian sauces—or at least American versions of Asian sauces—are notorious sources of hidden sugars. The viscous liquids that give us sesame chicken, sweet and sour pork, and beef teriyaki aren’t all that dissimilar from pancake syrup. Check the nutrition label for ingredients like corn syrup and high-fructose corn syrup, and watch out for anything that ends in “-ose” (dextrose, maltose). These are all forms of sugar. Then be prepared to do some math—most bottled sauces list nutrition information for impractically small serving sizes. Who uses only 1 tablespoon of sauce?

EAT THIS!

La Choy Stir-Fry Teriyaki Sauce & Marinade (1 Tbsp)

10 calories, 0 g fat, 1 g sugars

 

 

8. #8: Fruit Spreads:

Jams, jellies, and preserves seem like healthy breakfast alternatives to butter and cream cheese—and they are if they contain only fruit. But many fruity toppings house a shocking amount of added sugar. Smucker’s, for instance, packs three different sweeteners into its classic Strawberry jam. Why three? Because if the company used only one, it would have to list “sugar” as the first item on the ingredient statement. By spreading the impact over three sweeteners, it can push fruit to the top of the ingredient list and hide the sweeteners below. It’s a common trick used by food processors to make their products look healthier than they are. Just remember that fruit is its own natural sweetener. Opt for an unadulterated version like Polaner’s All Fruit spreads, which—true to name—contain nothing more than fruit and fruit juice.

EAT THIS!

Polaner All Fruit with Fiber, Strawberry (1 Tbsp)

35 calories, 0 g fat, 6 g sugars

 

 

7. #7: Salad Dressing:

You’ve likely heard that fat-heavy dressings like ranch and blue cheese can convert a salad from fresh to fattening, but you may not be aware of the other salad saboteur lurking in your pantry. When the so-called “light” dressings take out fat, they often add sugar in its place. Take Ken’s Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette, pictured here. It contains as much sugar in each serving as some ice creams do in each scoop. And what’s worse, it’s laced with food starch. Although technically not sugar, it reacts in your body in almost exactly the same way. That means that in addition to the 12 grams of sugar on the label, you’re also taking in a heavy dose of blood-sugar-spiking starch. Let’s call this dressing what it really is: salad frosting.

EAT THIS!

Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan (2 Tbsp)

40 calories, 2 g fat (0 g saturated), 3 g sugars

 

 

6. #6: Spaghetti Sauce:

There’s no need to add sugar to tomato sauce because tomatoes are naturally sweet. So why do processors insist? Because instead of using fresh olive oil and vegetables, they’re often making their sauces from cheaper vegetable oils, dehydrated veggies, and other subpar ingredients. Sugar is a quick fix: It makes everything taste like candy! To that point, Francesco Rinaldi lists sugar as the second ingredient in this sauce, which brings the total impact to nearly 3 teaspoons of sugar in each serving. Your best bet? Go with a no-sugar-added option like Ragu’s Tomato Basil. It contains just tomatoes, onions, and spices. And be sure to also look out for the sugar count of barbecue sauces—another tomato-based sauce notorious for sneaky sweeteners.

EAT THIS!

Ragu Light No Sugar Added Tomato Basil (1/2 cup)

50 calories, 0 g fat, 8 g sugars

 

 

5. #5: Oatmeal:

Oats have been linked to heart health, weight loss, and cancer prevention, so it’s natural to assume that oatmeal is always a nutritious breakfast choice. But many food producers spoil the whole-grain goodness by flavoring their oats with artificial ingredients and loads of sugar. Quaker’s Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal Express, for example, takes its name very seriously—it contains as much sugar as two Pillsbury cinnamon rolls! A touch of sugar is one thing, but unless you want to eat dessert for breakfast, go with a lower-sugar option. Or better yet, make your oatmeal from scratch so you can control the sugar load. (Tip: Berries are the perfect way to sweeten naturally.)

EAT THIS!

Quaker Lower Sugar Instant Oatmeal Maple & Brown Sugar

120 calories, 2 g fat (0 g saturated) , 4 g sugars   

 

 

4. #4: “Wheat” Bread:

Studies have shown that whole grains improve your heart health, keep you full, and help you lose weight, but not all bread products labeled “wheat” are true whole grains. Restaurants and supermarket aisles are rife with whole-wheat imposters containing enriched flours and sugars intended to improve the taste of wheat products. So even though you don’t typically file bread under the “sweets” category, your daily sandwich could be loaded with refined carbs and sugars. The best example of the whole-wheat bait-and-switch is the “Honey Wheat” bread Arby’s uses on its Market Fresh sandwiches. First, it’s not whole wheat (enriched flour is the first ingredient). And second, there are 15 grams (!) of sugar in every two slices. That’s more sugar than you’ll find in a Hostess Ho Ho!

EAT THIS!

Arby’s Cravin’ Chicken Sandwich (Roast)

370 calories, 12 g fat (2 g saturated), 9 g sugars

 

 

3. #3: Yogurt:

Yogurt is low in calories and high in protein, which is why a recent Harvard study found that regularly consuming the stuff helps you lose weight. The problem? Many producers pump their “fruit flavored” yogurts with sugar. Case in point: The cups in Yoplait’s Original 99% Fat Free line pack as much sugar as a bag of peanut M&M’s. Unless yogurt is your weekly diet splurge, go with a less dessert-y option like Dannon Light & Fit, or opt for plain yogurt and add your own healthy toppings like fresh fruit and nuts.

EAT THIS!

Dannon Light & Fit Peach (6 oz, 1 container)

80 calories, 0 g fat, 11 g sugars

 

 

2. #2: Frozen Dinners:

The idea of a frozen meal packed in a nuke-able box probably doesn’t get your taste buds giddy with anticipation. Food manufacturers are aware of this fact, so they go heavy on the sugar and/or salt. Some of the worst offenders? Low-cal or otherwise “light” entrées. When food companies remove fat or carbs from their items, they usually replace those calories with excessive doses of sugar or sodium. Take Lean Cuisine’s Roasted Turkey Breast entrée, for example. Chances are you don’t think of turkey as dessert, but with 7 teaspoons of sugar, that’s exactly what you’re getting if you pop one of these babies in the microwave. Again, it’s all in the nutrition label. Don’t just focus on fat and calories; make sure to look out for sneaky sugars and sodium as well.

EAT THIS!

Smart Ones Bistro Selections Slow Roasted Turkey Breast (1 entrée)

200 calories, 7 g fat (2 g saturated), Sugars <1 g

 

 

1. #1: Bottled Tea:

In recent years, tea has received a lot of good press for its impressive antioxidant properties, and beverage companies have taken advantage by flooding the market with options. But the taste of plain herbal tea doesn’t draw in the crowds, so many drink purveyors pump their teas with high-fructose corn syrup and other cheap sweeteners to boost flavor. Before you buy a bottle, flip it over and read the nutrition label. If you’re looking at Arizona’s Green Tea, you’ll notice that it has more sugar than a Snicker’s bar.

DRINK THIS!

Honest Tea Jasmine Green Energy Tea (16 oz. bottle)

34 calories, 0 g fat, 10 g sugars


Link: http://eatthis.menshealth.com/slideshow/9-sneaky-sources-sugar

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How to Remove Sugar From Your Diet

Posted on 02/06/2012 by Clemmys
 By Stefanie Reubell, eHow Contributor

 

Sugary dessert

Whether you want to cut back on sugar or eliminate everything sugary from your diet, there are steps you can take to ensure success. Sugar is found in some obvious sources like ice cream and candy, but there are also hidden sources where sugar lurks. Remove sugar from your diet by reading labels obsessively, retraining the way you think about food, and distracting yourself when sugar fix is calling.

 

 

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions:

Things You’ll Need:

A notebook for keeping a food diary and/or meal plans Fresh vegetables, meats and other healthy low-sugar foods Low-sugar or sugar-free cookbooks or recipe websites.

  1. Look over the labels on your food. Sugar by any other name is still sugar. Search for ingredients ending in “ose,” such as fructose (fruit sugar), sucrose (table sugar), maltose (malted sugar, such as in beer), galactose, and even lactose (milk sugar). In the latter case, milk can have 14 g of sugar in an 8 oz. glass. Many fat-free or low-fat foods compensate for their lack of fat (which our taste buds recognize) with extra sugar. Decide how much sugar you want to consume in a day and then plan your meals accordingly.
  2. Discover sugar in all its hidden forms. A chocolate bar may be an obvious place where sugar features itself, but other foods are sneaky, cosseting sugar secretly. If you are eliminating all sugar from your diet, don’t forget “the other white stuff.” White potato starch is quickly converted to sugar in your body, as is white flour, white pasta, and white rice. Fruit is a healthy source of vitamins and, according to some studies like one from researchers in Canada, may offer protections against some types of cancer. However, if you need to eliminate all sugar from your diet, fruits and fruit juices may need to go.
  3. Toss temptations or, even better, donate them to a local food pantry. If you need to remove all sugar from your diet, but know you can’t live without marshmallows or orange juice, make them scarce.
  4. Retrain the way you think about what you eat. Many people celebrate special occasions with a rich, sweet dessert. Enjoy fruit instead, focusing on food as a body-nourishing tool to be used for health rather than a self-satisfying obsession to be consumed. If you’re eliminating all sugar, reward yourself with a new activity, hobby, outfit or short trip. Make sugar less of a priority and bettering your health a prominent goal.
  5. Distract yourself in the inevitable moments of weakness. If you are wondering, “Why am I doing this anymore?” or “Is a handful of cookies really going to hurt?” leave for a walk, call a friend, mow the yard, catch up on e-mail, do research on the negative effects of our modern diet, or even start an online group for people trying to live healthfully.
  6. Supply your body with the vitamins and minerals it needs. Purchase fresh vegetables, meats and whole grains. Decide where and how you are going to supply what your body needs. Take a multivitamin, especially if you are eliminating all foods with any sugar in them, but understand that a multivitamin cannot make up for a poor diet.

 

Link: http://bit.ly/wokiKL

 

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124 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health

Posted on 02/03/2012 by Clemmys

Contributed by Nancy Appleton, Ph.D., www.nancyappleton.com
Author of the book “Licking The Sugar Habit”

In addition to throwing off the body’s homeostasis, excess sugar may result in a number of other significant consequences. The following is a listing of some of sugar’s metabolic consequences from a variety of medical journals and other scientific publications.

  1. Sugar can suppress the immune system
  2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body
  3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and   crankiness in children
  4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides
  5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases)
  6. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat the more elasticity and function you loose
  7. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins
  8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency
  9. Sugar leads to cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostrate, and rectum
  10. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose
  11. Sugar causes copper deficiency
  12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium
  13. Sugar can weaken eyesight
  14. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine
  15. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia
  16. Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract
  17. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children
  18. Sugar mal-absorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease
  19. Sugar can cause premature aging
  20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism
  21. Sugar can cause tooth decay
  22. Sugar contributes to obesity
  23. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis
  24. Sugar can cause changes frequently found in person with gastric or duodenal ulcers
  25. Sugar can cause arthritis
  26. Sugar can cause asthma
  27. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections)
  28. Sugar can cause gallstones
  29. Sugar can cause heart disease
  30. Sugar can cause appendicitis
  31. Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis
  32. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids
  33. Sugar can cause varicose veins
  34. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users
  35. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease
  36. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis
  37. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity
  38. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity
  39. Sugar can lower the amount of Vitamin E in the blood
  40. Sugar can decrease growth hormone
  41. Sugar can increase cholesterol
  42. Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure
  43. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children
  44. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs) (Sugar bound non- enzymatically to protein)
  45. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein
  46. Sugar causes food allergies
  47. Sugar can contribute to diabetes
  48. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy
  49. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children
  50. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease
  51. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA
  52. Sugar can change the structure of protein
  53. Sugar can make our skin age by changing the structure of collagen
  54. Sugar can cause cataracts
  55. Sugar can cause emphysema
  56. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis
  57. Sugar can promote an elevation of low density lipoproteins (LDL)
  58. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in the body
  59. Sugar lowers the enzymes ability to function
  60. Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson¹s disease
  61. Sugar can cause a permanent altering the way the proteins act in the body
  62. Sugar can increase the size of the liver by making the liver cells divide
  63. Sugar can increase the amount of liver fat
  64. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney
  65. Sugar can damage the pancreas
  66. Sugar can increase the body’s fluid retention
  67. Sugar is enemy #1 of the bowel movement
  68. Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness)
  69. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries
  70. Sugar can make the tendons more brittle
  71. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraine
  72. Sugar plays a role in pancreatic cancer in women
  73. Sugar can adversely affect school children’s grades and cause learning disorders
  74. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves
  75. Sugar can cause depression
  76. Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer
  77. Sugar and cause dyspepsia (indigestion)
  78. Sugar can increase your risk of getting gout
  79. Sugar can increase the levels of glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test over the ingestion of complex carbohydrates
  80. Sugar can increase the insulin responses in humans consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets
  81. High refined sugar diet reduces learning capacity
  82. Sugar can cause less effective functioning of two blood proteins, albumin, and lipoproteins, which may reduce the body¹s ability to handle fat and cholesterol
  83. Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer¹s disease
  84. Sugar can cause platelet adhesiveness
  85. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance; some hormones become underactive and others become overactive
  86. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones
  87. Sugar can lead to the hypothalamus to become highly sensitive to a large variety of stimuli
  88. Sugar can lead to dizziness
  89. Diets high in sugar can cause free radicals and oxidative stress
  90. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion
  91. High sugar diet can lead to biliary tract cancer
  92. Sugar feeds cancer
  93. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant
  94. High sugar consumption can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration among adolescents
  95. Sugar slows food’s travel time through the gastrointestinal tract
  96. Sugar increases the concentration of bile acids in stools and bacterial enzymes in the colon
  97. Sugar increases estradiol (the most potent form of naturally occurring estrogen) in men
  98. Sugar combines and destroys phosphatase, an enzyme, which makes the process of digestion more difficult
  99. Sugar can be a risk factor of gallbladder cancer
  100. Sugar is an addictive substance
  101. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol
  102. Sugar can exacerbate PMS
  103. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce
  104. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability
  105. The body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch
  106. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects
  107. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
  108. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition
  109. Sugar can slow down the ability of the adrenal glands to function
  110. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases
  111. I.Vs (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to the brain
  112. High sucrose intake could be an important risk factor in lung cancer
  113. Sugar increases the risk of polio
  114. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures
  115. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people
  116. In Intensive Care Units: Limiting sugar saves lives
  117. Sugar may induce cell death
  118. Sugar may impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in living organisms
  119. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44% drop in antisocial behavior
  120. Sugar can cause gastric cancer
  121. Sugar dehydrates newborns
  122. Sugar can cause gum disease
  123. Sugar increases the estradiol in young men
  124. Sugar can cause low birth weight babies

Here are a few more dangers of sugar:

121. Sugar can lower the amount of Vitamin E in the blood.
122. Sugar can cause free radicals in the blood stream.
123. Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.
124. Sugar given to premature babies often produces high blood sugar, causing them to lose precious sugar, water and salts through the urine, putting them at risk for dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.
125. Sugar given to premature babies can also affect the amount of carbon dioxide premature infants produce, exacerbating problems for those with lung disorders.
126. High sugar diets are linked to violence in prisoners.

 

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