Sugar = Sugar = Sugar

Column #131

Sugar is essential for all animal life including humans. Glucose, a simple sugar, powers muscles, the brain, and all other body functions. Glucose comes from fruit, starchy foods (grains, beans, and potatoes), and your body creates it when needed.

Since our bodies require sugar, how can it be detrimental to our health? Folks know sugar is addictive. Most know it’s all energy (calories) without any other nutrients and that consuming too much can cause them to put on weight. Tooth decay is caused by acids produced by bacteria as it consumes sugar. And sugar feeds fungi residing in the body causing them to produce damaging mycotoxins. And recently people have been learning that sugar feeds cancerous growths. Yet America’s sweet tooth persists.

Sugar doesn’t directly cause any known diseases, not even diabetes. But hundreds of chronic diseases develop due to excessive sugar consumption. People who are overweight and have significant mycotoxin loads in their bodies are often saddled with numerous chronic diseases. The list of diseases associated with being overweight is extensive: heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, hypertension, lower back pain, chronic bronchitis, and many others. Being overweight is then magnified exponentially when their immune systems are compromised.

The average man on the street does not understood that many chronic diseases are caused by heavy mycotoxin loads produced by the body’s resident fungi. The list of these diseases is very long, if not longer, than the list of diseases caused by obesity. Most gut issues, arthritis, mental issues, joint pain, rashes, asthma, acne, and hundreds more are caused by damaging mycotoxins that are created when fungi are fed sugar.

Sugar is hard to avoid. Fruit, starchy foods, grains, seeds, honey, syrups, and molasses are significant sugar sources. Even some nuts and vegetables contain sugar. Since sugar is sugar is sugar, that means fruit can be a source of too much sugar. Steve Jobs died from pancreatic cancer. His fruit diet weakened his immune system and, after his cancer developed, the sugar in the fruit fed his cancer.

Since bodies require glucose and will produce it as needed, if sugar is not in the diet the body will convert protein and fat to sugar. Unlike most sugar sources, the Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) of meats is zero. This means proteins and fats won’t provide excess glucose spikes that fungi, cancers, and bacteria need to thrive. In addition, unless eaten excessively, it’s not likely that proteins and fats will contribute to obesity.

Should we avoid sugar?

It depends on overall health. If I had cancer I’d avoid every food with even a modest GI/GL level. At the same time I’d focus on strengthening my immune system which requires a 1:1 balance of Omega-6 to Omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) in the membranes of every cell in the body. This is a critical step since EFA ratios in excess of 4:1 are associated with autoimmune issues, inflammation, CHD, diabetes, and more.

Green leafy vegetables, grass-fed and Omega-3 meats, and wild-caught seafood are the best food choices for establishing and maintaining a 1:1 EFA ratio. Most Americans have ratios above 10:1 which are so high they usually require an Omega-3 supplement (fish oil) to get their ratios down quickly.

One advantage of a powerful immune system is that it provides better protection against mycotoxins. Foods of choice that strengthen the immune system are low glycemic. But as one’s EFA ratio approaches 1:1, a little sugar now and then may not have the same inflammatory consequences that occur with weak immune systems.

I deliberately minimize my sugar intake. I eat fruit sparingly and avoid the so-called good sweets such as honey and coconut syrup. But there is one honey that could be an exception. It’s called Manuka Honey. Apparently manuka is a more powerful antifugal than tea tree oil. So Manuka Honey (with a KFactor 16 or higher rating) is theoretically a source of sugar that even Crohn's disease suffers can use.

My EFA ratio is below 2:1. Yet I can still have bouts of inflammation if I drink an after dinner liqueur or eat a sugary treat. Maybe I’m ultra sensitive. On the positive side, I do not have inflammation issues when I eat only grass-fed and Omega-3 meats, wild-caught seafood, and green leafy vegetables.

To your health.

Ted Slanker

Ted Slanker has been reporting on the fundamentals of nutritional research in publications, television and radio appearances, and at conferences since 1999. He condenses complex studies into the basics required for health and well-being. His eBook, The Real Diet of Man, is available online.

For additional reading:

Where to Buy Raw Manuka Honey (with a KFactor 16 or higher rating)

What’s the Scoop on Fungus?

Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Inflammation and Autoimmune Diseases by Dr. Artemis P Simopoulos

Honey vs. Sugar: Is Honey Really Better for You?

Honey vs. Sugar Digestion

Healthy? No, Honey Can Be Worse for You than Sugar

Scientists Use Super Honey to Fight Fungal Infections

Is Manuka Honey Good For Yeast Infections?

Effect of Manuka Honey and Sulfasalazine in Combination to Promote Antioxidant Defense System in Experimentally . . . by Ajay Prakash, et. all

Meet the Real Villain of High Blood Pressure—Sugar by James J. DiNicolantonio, PharmD

A Search for Fat Turned into Glucose