113 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health

Sugar - A “tasty” addiction

Sugar is a common ingredient that everyone loves and even, at times, craves.  There is nothing wrong with having something sweet or eating it in moderation, but when your diet consists of mostly sugary foods and starches, a sugar addiction is more likely to be a factor or a potential problem.

Americans are consuming an average of 22 teaspoons a day, way above the American Heart Association’s recommended limits of 6 teaspoons a day for women and 9 teaspoons a day for men.  Teenagers are eating even more: on average they are downing 28 teaspoons of sugar per day!

Do you see the pattern in our health and how are bodies get sick?  Do you see the physical health issues and how our health relates to our food choices? We have many health issues and they seem to be on the rise.  People are not eating healthy. We are all about “convenience” and living the fast lane and have the get it now mentality.  We are so busy and on the go that we do not have (or make) the time to make meals, so we run through the fast food drive thru, we eat out at restaurants, or we buy frozen meals, anything quick and easy and whip it together.  Where are the good ‘ole days?  Everyone home, together at night, all sitting around the table eating a hot fresh homemade meal? I am not saying that nobody does that anymore, because my family still does, and many many families do, so understand the point I am trying to make.  For many of us, like myself, we want to eat healthy, we want to make healthy meals, and for many of us, it is hard to do financially. I understand! Food prices are outrageous and organic is so expensive. Sometimes we just have to sacrifice.  What are you willing to sacrifice?  Food companies do not help us out in eating healthy either, as so many food products are processed, enriched, loaded with sugars, contain high fructose corn syrup, etc.  YUCK!

I believe eating healthy and making healthy food choices is getting harder and harder.  (In one way it is easier, for the health conscience because we have many companies that are making organic, gluten free, dairy free items.  In that way, we are blessed and it is easy to find alternatives, unlike years ago). Bottom line, we must choose to eat right! Eating healthy can be a challenge, but when it comes to your health, it must become valuable and worth it to you! When it comes to me and my families health, I do not put a price tag on it. I do not worry about how much food costs or how much all natural products are.  I choose to focus on my families health and what goes in and on our bodies, as I know I will “pay” for it eventually, if I don’t choose wisely now.  At some point, illness or disease takes place and then you have to spend your money going to the Doctor and on whatever medicine(s) they subscribe. At that point when you are on medicine for an illness, you religiously take it and pay for it, no matter the cost. Why is that? Could some of these illnesses be prevented if we chose to make the right choices in terms of what we eat and drink?

How Sugar Affects Your Health

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 can upset the body’s mineral balance.
3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, concentration difficulties, and crankiness in children.
4. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
5. Sugar can adversely affect children’s school grades.
6. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
7. Sugar contributes to a weakened defense against bacterial infection.
8. Sugar can cause kidney damage.
9. Sugar can reduce helpful high density cholesterol (HDLs).
10. Sugar can promote an elevation of harmful cholesterol (LDLs).
11. Sugar may lead to chromium deficiency.
12. Sugar can cause copper deficiency.
13. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
14. Sugar may lead to cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, and rectum.
15. Sugar can cause colon cancer, with an increased risk in women.
16. Sugar can be a risk factor in gall bladder cancer.
17. Sugar can increase fasting levels of blood glucose.
18. Sugar can weaken eyesight.
19. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitter called serotonin, which can narrow blood vessels.
20. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
21. Sugar can produce an acidic stomach.
22. Sugar can raise adrenaline levels in children.
23. Sugar can increase the risk of coronary heart disease.
24. Sugar can speed the aging process, causing wrinkles and grey hair.
25. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
26. Sugar can promote tooth decay.
27. Sugar can contribute to weight gain and obesity.
28. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
29. Sugar can cause a raw, inflamed intestinal tract in persons with gastric or duodenal ulcers.
30. Sugar can cause arthritis
31. Sugar can cause asthma.
32. Sugar can cause candidiasis (yeast infection).
33. Sugar can lead to the formation of gallstones.
34. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
35. Sugar can cause ischemic heart disease.
36. Sugar can cause appendicitis.
37. Sugar can exacerbate the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.
38. Sugar can indirectly cause hemorrhoids.
39. Sugar can cause varicose veins.
40. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraception users.
41. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
42. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
43. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity.
44. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
45. Sugar leads to decreased glucose tolerance.
46. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.
47. Sugar can increase total cholesterol.
48. Sugar can increase systolic blood pressure.
49. Sugar can change the structure of protein causing interference with protein absorption.
50. Sugar causes food allergies.
51. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
52. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
53. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
54. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
55. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA.
56. Sugar can cause cataracts.
57. Sugar can cause emphysema.
58. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.
59. Sugar can cause free radical formation in the bloodstream.
60. Sugar lowers the enzymes’ ability to function.
61. Sugar can cause loss of tissue elasticity and function.
62. Sugar can cause liver cells to divide, increasing the size of the liver.
63. Sugar can increase the amount of fat in the liver.
64. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.
65. Sugar can overstress the pancreas, causing damage.
66. Sugar can increase the body’s fluid retention.
67. Sugar can cause constipation.
68. Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness).
69. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
70. Sugar can cause hypertension.
71. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.
72. Sugar can cause an increase in delat, alpha and theta brain waves, which can alter the mind’s ability to think clearly.
73. Sugar can cause depression.
74. Sugar can increase insulin responses in those consuming high- sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.
75. Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon.
76. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance.
77. Sugar can increase blood platelet adhesiveness which increases risk of blood clots.
78. Sugar increases the risk of Alzheimer Disease.
79. Sugar can cause a increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves.
80. Sugar can cause depression.
81. Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer.
82. Sugar and cause dyspepsia (indigestion).
83. Sugar can increase your risk of getting gout.
84. The ingestion of sugar can increase the levels of glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test over the ingestion of complex carbohydrates.
85. Sugar can increase the insulin responses in humans consuming high- sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.
86. Sugar increases bacterial fermentation in the colon.
87. Sugar increases the risk of colon cancer in women.
88. There is a greater risk for Chron’s disease with people who have a high intake of sugar.
89. Sugar can cause platelet adhesiveness.
90. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance.
91. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
92. Sugar can lead to the hypothalamus to become highly sensitive to a large variety of stimuli.
93. Sugar can lead to dizziness.
94. High sucrose diet significantly increases serum insulin.
95. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.
96. High sugar diet can lead to biliary tract cancer.
97. High sugar diets tend to be lower in antioxidant micro nutrients.
98. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for- gestational-age (SGA) infant.
99. High sugar consumption can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration among adolescents with high sugar diets.
100. Sugar slows food’s travel time through the gastrointestinal tract.
101. Sugar increases the concentration of bile acids in stools and bacterial enzymes in the colon can modify bile to produce cancer-causing compounds and colon cancer.
102. Sugar is associated with a substantial decrease in normal time of gestation among adolescents.
103. Sugar can cause a depletion in chromium which is tied to the development and progression of nearsightedness.
104. Sugar can be a risk factor of gallbladder cancer.
105. Sugar is an addictive substance.
106. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.
107. Sugar can exacerbate PMS.
108. Sugar suppresses lymphocytes.
109. Decrease in sugar can increase emotional stability.
110. The body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.
111. Sugar can cause inappropriate behavior and decreased performance in children.
112. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit disorder (ADD).
113. The sugar in chewing gum can cause dental cavities.

Do yourself a favor and go through this long list and write out how many of the symptoms you have.  What sugar does to a body is pretty frightening.  Kind of hard to believe, to be honest with you.  Almost everything we eat contains sugar.  We wonder why we are so sick and have so many ailments.  The saddest part about it though is how many of us are willing to change our diets and limit our sugar intake.  It is a sacrifice, I know! I struggle with it and if we are honest, we all do! Who doesn’t love sugar?  It tastes so good! It is palatable to the taste buds. One of our taste buds is sweet after all.  

So, what do we do about this news on sugar?

First and foremost, you have to want to make a change in your diet and in your health.  If you don’t have a desire, the statistics won’t matter.  It will go in one ear and out the other.  It will just sound like a bunch of hog-wash. Again, I am NOT saying that we can never have sweets, or fast food, or eat out at restaurants, indulge from time to time! Please know I enjoy sweets and have my piece of pumpkin pie every Thanksgiving, enjoy ordering pizza for dinner on occasion, having dessert after dinner, etc.  Moderation is the key! Being able to say no to sugar is key!

There are many alternatives to white processed sugar! Honey is a great one!  An all natural, organic sugar that I use is called sucanat.  Others include, raw cane sugar, agave nectar, turbinado sugar, stevia, brown rice syrup, and many more.

Have sugar cravings and need help?  My suggestions:  Dill essential oil on the wrist, 1-2 oz. Ningxia Red juice daily,and Juicing are great to take the cravings away.

Thanks to Dr. Mercola for sharing the information.http://www.gjbinc.com/gsc_spirit/misc/113_Ways_Sugar_Can_Ruin_Your_Health.pdf 

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