Is Sugar Poisoning You?

You have just finished savoring the last chunk of your favorite chocolate and you are unaware of the dangers of sugar that were involved in every bite that you took. On an average, every American consumes two to three pounds of sugar in a week. Does this surprise you? Well, sugar is taken in as bread, breakfast cereals, peanut butter, your favorite ketchup and gallons of juices that you take to keep yourself hydrated. Actually, sugar consumption has increased in the last twenty years. I don't think you are even aware that sugar is a chemical and an addictive drug. Trying to stop intake or reducing intake can lead to withdrawal symptoms as serious as those in alcohol withdrawal.

One of the most unknown dangers of sugar intake is its effect on the immune system. Sugar suppresses white blood cells and reduces their number, thereby, bringing about a suppression of the immune system. Thus the person is more prone to infections and diseases. The effect is more profound in children than adults. Type 2 diabetes is another danger of sugar. Constant presence of sugar in the diet would increase the secretion of insulin and the pancreas is fatigued by this continuous action. Thus they burn out, leading to diabetes.

Common Dangers of Sugar

o Tooth decay
o Obesity
o Sugar rush or hyperactivity in children
o Chronic fatigue
o Increase in pre-menstrual symptoms
o Depletion of minerals and vitamins
o Mood swings and depression
o Increased growth of Candida
o High cholesterol
o Chromium and copper deficiency
o Anxiety and panic attacks
o Adrenal gland depletion
o Increase risk of ulceration colitis
o Upset body's mineral balance
o Produce acidic stomach

Refined sugar has no nutrients. It is just an empty calorie food. For being assimilated, sugar requires help from vitamin and mineral reserves of the body thus depleting them in the process. Therefore, the body is at a nutritional disadvantage in digesting sugars.

Thus, a combination of sugar and caffeine is lethal for the body. The early morning sugary coffee which gives most of us a high is just a starter of the sugary cravings to hit us in the next twenty four hours. The dangers of caffeine on the heart are well known, add to it the legalized recreational drug sugar and there is no limit to the highs that can be obtained. We would experience fluctuations of highs and lows never thinking what we are doing to our bodies.

Try stopping it and the real danger of sugar consumption would hit you then. Sugar is present in everything you eat from soups to even salt thus getting rid of it seems impossible. But try, if you can. Read labels of food that you buy. Slow and eventual reduction of sugar intake can make you successful in reaching a sugar free diet. There is no right amount of sugar that can be consumed.