Sugar and the body

The average American — this includes every man, woman, and child — consumes approximately 32 teaspoons of sugar each day. If the sugar were taken in a natural form, this would amount to over 90 feet of sugar cane to chew. Most people are unaware of the amounts of sugar found in ordinary pastries, desserts, drinks and snack foods. Listed below are a few of the common foods and the actual amounts of sugar hidden in them.

A high sugar intake is implicated in elevation of triglycerides and the serum lipoprotein, which is just as bad, if not worse, than high cholesterol in the production of heart disease. Sugar consumption has also been associated with dental caries, gallbladder disease, diabetes, acne, and indigestion. In the book Counsels on Diet and Foods, page 321, the following statement appears: “The less of sweet foods…eaten, the better; these cause disturbances in the stomach, and produce impatience and irritability in those who accustom themselves to their use”.

Another important fact about sugar has to do with disease resistance. The white blood cells with segmented nuclei increase in numbers in the blood stream when the body has a bacterial infection. These cells destroy bacteria. They are the body's soldiers. However, when the blood sugar level goes up, these cells get sluggish and cannot destroy as many bacteria. (This study was done on common table sugar; honey and syrups had a similar effect, but fresh fruits and fruit juices did not affect the ability to kill bacteria.)