Steering clear of sugar
by Maya Anderson
With many of the latest health reports now focusing on carbohydrates and fats, it sometimes seems that sugar has been forgotten. So does sugar actually deserve the bad rap it has gotten in previous years? Natureco naturopath Samantha Warner said while sugar in itself is neither good nor bad, the issue is quality and quantity. “Sugar in the modern world has become evil purely due to its high availability and excess in processed foods,” she said. Most processed food does not contain many minerals and vitamins, which help the body to use the energy from sugar. “We must use our stored nutrients to help us digest and assimilate the sugars we are eating, leading to chronic deficiencies particularly magnesium, chromium, zinc and B vitamins,” Ms Warner said.
Too much sugar can also feed fungi and other pathogens in the blood, leading to candida and other bowel dysbiosis. “Sugar makes the blood sticky, potentially leading to clots, and blocks in small capillaries, leading to tissue and nerve damage,” Ms Warner said. Excess sugar can also cause free radical damage and oxidation in the vascular system, which can contribute to plaque formation in the arteries and cardiovascular disease.
While our bodies need a neutral or slightly alkaline environment for healthy cell function, sugar creates an acid environment which may promote the spread of cancer. “Cancer cells are able to produce their energy from sugar, and excess amounts will encourage cancer growth,” Ms Warner said.
Perth Diet Clinic dietitian Peggy Stacy said that sugary foods are often not filling and are high in kilojoules. “Many high sugar and fat foods will result in kilojoule intakes far higher than is required,” Ms Stacy said. “If you eat more than you burn up, then weight gain will result.” Excess sugar is often converted to fat, which can lead to other health problems. “Weight gain can cause hypertension and diabetes, which in turn can lead to kidney damage.”
While we need some sugar, our body can get sugar from carbohydrate, which is converted into glucose by the body with the aid of insulin. “We do not need sugar for carbohydrate as we obtain carbohydrate from breads, cereal, fruit, vegetables, milk and yoghurt – all healthier choices,” Ms Stacy said.
However, we may benefit from sugar in small quantities. “Sugar is the most efficiently broken down food for the energy needs of the body,” Ms Warner said. “In the right amount, sugar helps your cells create energy to do their work – building, repairing and breaking things down.” Sugar is also part of the connective tissue structure in the body. “A deficiency of sugar will lead to fatigue, immuno-suppression and poor cell functioning – in fact, the same outcome as too much sugar.”
So can eating too much sugar cause diabetes? Dietitian Sophie McGough, who is a diabetes educator for Diabetes WA, claimed it is a myth that excessive sugar causes diabetes. “There is no relationship between eating sugar and the development of diabetes,” Ms McGough said. “Becoming overweight and not being physically active enough are the modifiable reasons why someone may develop type 2 diabetes. There is no relationship between diet or lifestyle and the development of type 1 diabetes.” However she added that if a person eats a high sugar diet they increase their chances of being overweight, which increases their risk of type 2 diabetes.
There is currently no maximum recommended intake of sugar each day. “There is no current consensus worldwide on what the safe upper limit should be,” Ms McGough said. “The World Health Organisation recommends that less than 10 percent of a person’s energy intake should be coming from added sugars.” For the average adult, this would be equivalent to about 50 grams or 10 teaspoons of added sugar daily. “This would include added sugar in food products, beverages and actually adding table sugar to coffee and tea,” Ms McGough said. “To put into context, a 600ml bottle of soft drink has about 13 teaspoons of added sugar.”
Want a Sugar Fix?
Remember that moderation is key. “Have a healthy varied diet and limit sugar,” Ms Stacy advised. “If you are having something sweet, do so in a small quantity.” Or try alternatives for your sweet tooth – although Ms Warner said artificial sweeteners are not the answer. “Try rapidura sugar (dried, crushed cane juice) it is brown with an irregular crystal texture and sweet, but still contains all the nutrients that are usually removed with refining. Molasses is what is left after refining sugar so it is also a suitable sweetening agent in moderation.”
Ms Warner advised minimising your intake of processed foods and anything that has sugar labelled as one of the first few ingredients, as it is likely the product has a high sugar content, such as lollies, cakes, biscuits, white bread and other white flour products, low fat products where extra sugar has been added for taste and chips. Also cut back on high-sugar, energy-dense soft drinks, cordials and juices. Yoghurt or fruits such as berries may fix a craving for sweet things.
Excessive sugar may:
- Increase fluid retention
- Suppress the immune system
- Promote harmful cholesterol
- Cause kidney damage
- Cause tooth decay
- Cause headaches
- Increase weight gain
- Lead to hypertension
- Feed cancer cells
Maya Anderson is a full-time freelance journalist who specialises in health, fitness, nutrition and wellbeing issues. To contact Maya, email maya.anderson@hotmail.com