The Tribune

By Dr Monique Thompson

I honestly thought that last week’s article was going to bring this not-so-sweet topic on the effects of added sugar to a close. However, I really do not want to rob you of information because as I said last week, knowledge is power, and with it we can change our circumstances.

As a quick note, added sugars are not only the sugar we actually put in our food like oatmeal, tea and coleslaw, but they include the sugars that are added to foods in processing or preparation such as those found in cereals, juices, syrups, snack bars, etc. They are not the naturally occurring sugars, like the fructose found in fruit.

A 2012 report noted that Americans consumed an average of 765 grammes of sugar every five days. That’s equivalent to 153 grammes or 38 teaspoons of sugar per day.

In 1822, this amount was nine grammes or about two teaspoons of sugar per day.

In fighting off these bad effects of sugar, moderation is key. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that women limit themselves to about six teaspoons of sugar a day, or about 100 calories. Men should aim for about nine teaspoons a day, or 150 calories.

A 12-ounce can of regular soda contains eight teaspoons of sugar – 130 calories. Women, we exceed our recommended intake of added sugar by drinking one can of soda.

Based on our health statistics here in the Bahamas, we know that as Bahamians we are consuming way too much added sugars.

Cancer

In continuing to explore the problems that can develop from high sugar consumption, I know that you knew the topic of cancer was not far behind. In the American Cancer Society Guidelines on Nutrition and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention they flat out tell you to limit the amount of sugar you take in because high intake indirectly leads to the development of cancer, especially those cancers that have been linked with obesity. After reading this short section it is going to seem as though “cancer” and “sugar” are synonymous terms. High sugar consumption:

• Leads to ovarian cancer, biliary tract cancer, and prostate cancer

• Produces cancer-causing compounds leading to colon cancer, which is among the more prevalent cancers here in the Bahamas.

• Can cause laryngeal cancer, cancer of the rectum, cancer in lining of the uterus (endometrium), renal (kidney) cell cancer, and liver tumours

• Plays a role in pancreatic cancer in women

• Increases the risk of gastric cancer and breast cancer. As we are aware, the occurrence of breast cancer in this country is on a rampage. Many factors fuel this but diet is a huge factor that is within our power to readily change.

• Can be a risk factor for gallbladder cancer and lung cancer

Minerals

We are dependent on numerous minerals for normal biochemical functioning. High sugar consumption interferes with how minerals react with one another. For example, calcium and magnesium tend to work hand in hand and really should be taken together, as well as zinc and copper. Sugar disrupts how we absorb magnesium and calcium, and can lead to chromium and copper deficiency which ultimately leads to imbalance. This may not seem like a big thing, but when you consider that magnesium alone is needed for ~300 metabolic processes in the body it begins to put this issue in perspective, right?

Neurological

problems

After seeing how increased intake of sugar affects children’s mental capabilities and behaviour it probably comes as no surprise that it worsens schizophrenia, and contributes to the development of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s. In addition to these deleterious effects, a high amount of added sugar in the diet contributes to mild memory loss. In the previous article I mentioned that sugar behaves like alcohol when consumed excessively, and one of the negative effects that can be observed in individuals with chronic alcoholism is varying degrees of memory loss.

Hopefully after exploring the issues in this article and looking at diabetes, heart disease, our children’s health, aging, addiction, and hormonal effects, we begin to see what all the fuss over eating sugar has been about.

Having said all that though, I want to leave you with this; we need glucose to live and it is our body’s preferred source of energy. Therefore, it is not bad. However, we consume way too much of it. Regardless of which sweetener you use – white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, agave, honey, etc – use a lot less of it and teach your children to do the same for their health’s sake.

• Dr Monique Thompson is the founder of Cornerstone Healing Institute, an integrative family medicine clinic that focuses on educating patients on healthier lifestyles, preventing & treating chronic disease. Contact 356-0083 or visit www.chibahamas.com for more information.