The Toxic Effects of Sugar

Rosario Colomba MAT, CSCS

Personal training Manager - Xanadu Health Club

Those of us with children know that every study or news article regarding the latest research on children’s health catches our attention.

It’s out of love, and I am guilty of it as I assume you are! While doing research for this article I stumbled upon the work of Robert Lustig, a specialist on pediatric hormone disorders and the leading expert in childhood obesity at the University of California’s School of Medicine. I will share his findings with you and I believe that they will definitely catch your attention as they did mine. With that being said here is the sensational, over- the- top headline . . . Sugar Causes Cancer. Well, maybe. It has also been connected to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. Most are aware that the over-consumption of sugar is linked to these life-threatening diseases, but cancer has never been connected with sugar, which is why the topic warrants further consideration. I will explain how the body breaks down sugar and provide insight into how this makes it so toxic - especially for our children.

Lustig uses the word sugar when referencing both sucrose (beet & cane sugar, whether white or brown) and high fructose corn syrup. The body metabolizes these differently than glucose which is a by-product of starchy carbohydrates and breads. Glucose is metabolized by every cell in our body, whereas sucrose and high fructose corn syrup is broken down primarily by the liver. When our livers are forced to metabolize sugar it is put through a great amount of stress, and instead of breaking it down it converts it to fat. This process is expedited when the sugar is refined and consumed through processed fruit juices, soda, & candies because the speed and volume at which it enters the liver is increased. When our liver begins to store fat, the body develops insulin resistance. This resistance to insulin reduces our ability to metabolize the food we consume and therefore will lead to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. Over time, despite our resistance to insulin, our bodies will still have an elevated level of insulin which researchers call insulin-like growth factor. The reason for this is that our pancreas is working in overdrive to meet the demand of metabolizing the high content of sugar. Insulin- like growth factor has the same autoimmune effect on our cells that cancer does. It over feeds them and allows them to grow and become more needy than they were designed to be.

So how does this relate to our children? Studies have shown that in order for insulin-like growth factor to do its dirty work, it must have time. A child consuming a diet high in sugar has plenty of time for this to run its course. That is why it is so important to rid your cupboards of all foods & beverages high in sugar. Now you may be wondering about fruit. Fruit does contain fructose but in its natural state. Fruit also contains valuable nutrients and fiber that our bodies need. Need more reasons to get rid of all that junk? Keep reading!

UPDATE: According to a recent study out of Leiden University in the Netherlands, high blood sugar levels were also correlated to aging. They took pictures of over 600 men’s & women’s faces, aged 50-70 years old. Those with higher blood sugar levels were perceived to look older. A reason for these findings included the low nutrient content in sugar which robs your body of vitamins that are essential for healthy skin. Another more detailed study published by the American Aging Association took other factors into account including gender, body mass index, insulin levels, and whether the person is a smoker. Still, the findings indicated that higher blood glucose correlated to the older looking person. Maybe that handful of almonds doesn’t sound so boring after all.

(Adapted and updated from my previous article in Windsor Body Magazine )