Sugar- A Controlled Substance? by Robyn Stoetzel RN

Posted: 2/11/2012 1:04:29 PM
By: Paul Stoetzel | with: 0comments

Sugar has been in the news recently and I couldn’t be happier. Sugar is silently killing our society. As our patient’s, you have heard us preach on this for years! Now researchers from The Department of Pediatrics at The University of California, SanFrancisco are recommending it be regulated as alcohol and tobacco are. Here is why.

The researchers stated, "Last September the United Nations declared that for the first time in human history, chronic non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes pose a greater health burden worldwide than do infectious diseases, contributing to 35 million deaths annually." They go on to say that this is directly related to the increase use of SUGAR as a society and the unregulated use of the most toxic sugar source, fructose.

The main problem with sugar in general is that it causes inflammation. Inflammation is at the core of every single disease process and is the number one food risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, bowel disease and cancer. Sugar creates an acidic environment that allows disease processes to thrive and progress. So when you are consuming a diet high in sugar, you are going to be more susceptible to developing these diseases as well as contributing to mood alterations, anxiety, depression and hyperactivity.

The number one source of sugar in our diets today comes from CORN not cane sugar. High fructose corn syrup dominates as the number one source of sugar today. Other sugars that come from corn products are corn syrup solids, hydrolyzed corn, maltodextrin to name a few. High Fructose Corn Syrup is in 90% of packaged food available and is 20% sweeter than natural sugar. Manufacturers use this because it is cheap. Shockingly, a study published in Environmental Health in 2009 found mercury contaminations in 1 out of 3 HFCS sources, which means the more HFCS products one consumes, the more mercury we get and as you know mercury is a neurotoxin and poison.



The other problem with fructose is that, unlike glucose that is metabolized in the blood stream, fructose is metabolized by the liver. "The medical profession thinks fructose is better for diabetics than sugar," says Meira Field, PhD, a research chemist at United States Department of Agriculture, "but every cell in the body can metabolize glucose. However, all fructose must be metabolized in the liver. The livers of the rats on the high-fructose diet looked like the livers of alcoholics, plugged with fat and cirrhotic tissue." This causes fat deposits in the liver and some know this as a “fatty liver” or "non-alcoholic liver disease", which leads to insulin resistance causing diabetes, heart disease, and promotes tumor growth. The researchers go on to state that this is causing a healthcare crisis just as smoking, passive smoking and alcohol have increased human fatalities. Therefor, they state that fructose should be placed in the same category of controlled substances. Until this happens, which is highly unlikely due to the profitability of the product, consumers need to be reading every label and avoiding these toxic sugars all together.

One nutrition myth is that sugar free is better. The use of artificial sugars in our food supply have sky rocketed over the last 20 years with the introduction of the chemical sweeteners Aspartame and Splenda. There are more than ninety-two health side effects associated with aspartame consumption, including brain tumors, birth defects, diabetes, headaches, emotional disorders, and epileptic seizures. Although there are class-action lawsuits against aspartame, it is well protected by the FDA and remains on the market today. AVOID IT!

Splenda (sucralose) claims it is more natural because it comes from sugar. It may not cross the blood brain barrier like aspartame but there are many problems with this so-called sugar too. The problem is, it starts off as sugar but then goes through chemical reactions and changes it’s form. Research shows this creates chlorine, which is a known carcinogen(causes cancer). The company that manufactures this product even admits that they are unsure of the amount of the body that is absorbing it and if it is being flushed out. So you should pray, cross your fingers and hope that its not happening when your consuming it? Th fact is it is a CHEMICAL and not natural occurring in our environment. Splenda may cause all of the same side effects as aspartame. Avoid it!

The truth of the matter is, our bodies are not designed to get our energy source from sugar but Americans are addicted to it. Our energy should come from carbohydrates like vegetable, fruits and healthy grains. We should eat a minimal amount of healthy whole grain carbohydrates and avoid refined carbohydrates such as white bread, white pasta and white rice. If the label says bleached, refined or enriched put it back on the shelf. Most of these contain fructose as well. It’s in ketchup, spaghetti sauce, juice and even baby formula. Look for labels that read sprouted, whole-grain, or stone ground. You can use safe alternatives to sugar like Stevia and Xylitol. For more information on how to keep your family healthy follow the Maximized Living Nutrition Plan book available on our site. www.stoetzelchiro.com

^ a b Forristal, Linda (Fall 2001). "The Murky World of High-Fructose Corn Syrup". Weston A. Price Foundation.

Ouyang X, Cirillo P, Sautin Y et al (June 2008). "Fructose Consumption as a Risk Factor for Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease". J. Hepatol. 48 (6): 993–9. doi:10.1016/j.jhep.2008.02.011. PMC 2423467. PMID 18395287.

American Association of Occupational Health Nurses Journal: The Potential Toxicity of Artificial Sweeteners

Nature 482, 27–29 (01 February 2012) | doi:10.1038/482027a