ultimately leads to improvements in mood. Sugar also engages opiate receptors, which can lead to a sugar addiction. Sugar crav- ings can be a result of candida overgrowth in the gut. Think about that for a minute. Candida feeds on sugar and can cause you to crave sugar.
The Real Deal on Sugar By Suzanne Woomer, ND,
L.Ac I
t’s a good two months after the holidays, but many of us are still struggling with an addiction to sugar. High sugar intake can deplete your body of vital nutrients, increase your risk of disease, affect your mood, and suppress your immune function. Drinking 2 cans of soda, which contains approximately 20-24 teaspoons of sugar can suppress immune function for up to 5 hours after consumption! One of the main issues with sugar is that it competes with vitamin C in our immune cells, which lowers the ability to fi ght infection. Before we delve too far into our discussion about sugar, perhaps we should fi rst defi ne what sugar is and its implication in the diet.
There are three macronutrients required to sustain life: fats, proteins, and carbohy- drates. Sugar is a carbohydrate. The term sugar typically invokes the image of white refi ned table sugar (made from sugar beets and sugarcane), which contains empty calories. However, sugar is also found in the forms of glucose, galactose, lactose, fructose, sucrose and maltose.
Devoid of nutrients, sugar can actu- ally deplete the body of nutrients which are needed for sugar metabolism. The main nu- trients depleted by sugar include B vitamins, chromium, and magnesium. B vitamins are important for enzymatic reactions in the body and low levels can cause tiredness, numbness and tingling. Chromium is impor- tant for insulin regulation, and magnesium supports many enzymes in the body. Some food for thought; one molecule of sugar depletes 54 molecules of magnesium.
What types of conditions do you correlate with increased sugar consumption?
Typically, obesity, diabetes, cavities and metabolic syndrome to name a few. Other conditions caused by high sugar intake are cardiovascular disease, (which is caused by increased fat deposition), hormonal imbal- ances, cancer, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, hypertension and high triglycerides in the blood. How are all of these diseases
16 Natural Nutmeg - March 2018
related? The cell membrane is coated in a glycocalyx. The glycocalyx helps control the endothelial cells in blood vessels. When the endothelial cells are disrupted due to increased sugar consumption, sugar mol- ecules will covalently attach to protein or lipid molecules in blood vessels. This will compromise the glycocalyx, causing a fl uid imbalance. This imbalance results in edema and plaque formation - a cardiovascular risk.
What does that mean for us? Blood sugar is increased in the blood vessels causing increased glycation of endothelial cells, increased infl ammation, cardiovas- cular disease, obesity, and diabetes among other health concerns. The intake of refi ned sugar causes the initial spike in blood sugar, so the pancreas releases insulin. This can cause low blood sugar, which infl uences another reaction where the adrenal gland will release cortisol to increase low blood sugar and bring it back into balance. The cycle of insulin release and then cortisol released by the adrenal glands can cause chronic fatigue syndrome, adrenal fatigue, and menopause.
What causes you to crave sugar?
In the short term, increased consump- tion of sugar can increase L-tryptophan which is converted into serotonin. This
Candida is an organism usually found in the human body, where small quantities are normal and needed for our survival. If an imbalance in the fl ora occurs where good bacteria are lacking, candida can overgrow. “Good” bacteria keep “bad” bac- teria in check, preventing it from overgrow- ing, but when this system is upset, candida can fl ourish. The balance can be upset by the overuse of antibiotics (they destroy all bacteria, not just the “bad” guys) and by overconsumption of sugar. Without “good” bacteria to keep “bad” bacteria in check the “bad” guys can take over.
Does that mean all sugar is bad?
Not always. Natural sugars, like those found in fruits and vegetables, are good for you because they contain vital nutrients. One should try to avoid all refi ned and con- centrated sugars, such as white table sugar, high fructose corn syrup, maple syrup, processed honey and brown sugar. Artifi cial sweeteners such as aspartame (Nutrasweet) and saccharin should also be avoided. Ste- via is a good alternative natural sweetener which doesn’t contain calories. It has been shown to help regulate pancreatic function in diabetics to decrease blood sugar, as well as exhibit antimicrobial qualities.
Suzanne Woomer, ND,
L.Ac, is a naturo- pathic physician and licensed acupunctur- ist at Hart Acupuncture and Nutrition in Farmington, CT. She is also a certifi ed Reiki Master, and offers community acupuncture at West Hartford Yoga on select Saturdays. For more information or to schedule an ap- pointment call Hart Acupuncture and Nutri- tion at (860) 284-4406 or visit hartacu. com. See ad on page 7.
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