Dangers Of Sugar

by Dr. Brett L. Lukert, DC

Does it sound crazy to suggest that sugar could be just as dangerous, if not more so, than a recreational drug like marijuana? You may snicker at this notion, but when you consider that sugar is addictive, destroys our health over time, rots our teeth, disrupts normal brain function, promotes heart disease, wreaks havoc with our immune and endocrine systems, and causes obesity and heart disease, it shouldn’t seem so farfetched.

Although we would probably deny it, most Americans are addicted to sugar, as evidenced by the change in our diet through the years. Sweetened cereals, processed foods, candy and soft drinks seem to be the norm now, as opposed to fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Research has shown that the average American now consumes 135 pounds of sugar every year, an average of 2-3 pounds of sugar a week! This is a 26-pound increase over the past 20 years. When you consider that just over 100 years ago the average annual sugar intake was only 5 pounds, it is obvious that we are skyrocketing out of control.

By far, the number one source of sugar in our diet is soft drinks. On average, Americans drink 54 gallons of soda a year! There are more than 10 teaspoons of sugar (150 calories) in one 12-ounce can of soda.

Increasing sugar in the bloodstream triggers the release of insulin, which the body uses to regulate blood sugar at a safe level. When sugar is a constant in our diet, our pancreas has to constantly produce insulin. If this continues long enough, the pancreas eventually wears out and can no longer remove sugar from the blood, often resulting in diabetes.

Insulin also promotes storage of fat, which is why the increase of dietary sugar (and thus, our insulin levels) is associated with rapid weight gain and elevated triglyceride and cholesterol levels. This is how sugar correlates with diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

To give you an idea of how sugar intake affects weight gain throughout the course of a year, let’s assume we consume the exact number of calories we need for our bodies each day (which would be an impressive feat in itself). To “reward ourselves,” we drink one can of soda a day. One soda means an additional 150 calories, which amounts to 54,750 calories in 365 days. Since 3,500 calories equals approximately 1 pound, that one soda a day will result in a 15.64 pound increase in one year…scary stuff!

Other consequences of excessive sugar include chronic fatigue, anxiety/hyperactivity, loss of tissue elasticity, premature aging, headaches, osteoporosis, and an increase in blood pressure.