Part II: 124 Ways Sugar Ruins Your Health

By Nancy Appleton, PhDWell here it is. The second half of the list. Once again, think about what you feed your body. Does it make you look good, feel good or function well? The majority of what ails us can be linked to what we put in our mouths.

Oh p.s. the sources of each finding are listed at the bottom again. Read on...

66. Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.
67. Sugar is enemy #1 of the bowel movement.
68. Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness).
69. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
70. Sugar can make the tendons more brittle.
71. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraine.
72. Sugar plays a role in pancreatic cancer in women.
73. Sugar can adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders.
74. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves.
75. Sugar can cause depression.
76. Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer.
77. Sugar and cause dyspepsia (indigestion).
78. Sugar can increase your risk of getting gout.
79. Sugar can increase the levels of glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test over the ingestion of complex carbohydrates.
80. Sugar can increase the insulin responses in humans consuming high-sugar diets compared to low sugar diets.
81 High refined sugar diet reduces learning capacity.
82. Sugar can cause less effective functioning of two blood proteins, albumin, and lipoproteins, which may reduce the body’s ability to handle fat and cholesterol.
83. Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.
84. Sugar can cause platelet adhesiveness.
85. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance; some hormones become underactive and others become overactive.
86. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
87. Sugar can lead to the hypothalamus to become highly sensitive to a large variety of stimuli. 88. Sugar can lead to dizziness.
89. Diets high in sugar can cause free radicals and oxidative stress.
90. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.
91. High sugar diet can lead to biliary tract cancer.
92. Sugar feeds cancer.
93. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.
94. High sugar consumption can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration among adolescents.
95. Sugar slows food's travel time through the gastrointestinal tract.
96. Sugar increases the concentration of bile acids in stools and bacterial enzymes in the colon. This can modify bile to produce cancer-causing compounds and colon cancer.
97. Sugar increases estradiol (the most potent form of naturally occurring estrogen) in men.
98. Sugar combines and destroys phosphatase, an enzyme, which makes the process of digestion more difficult.
99. Sugar can be a risk factor of gallbladder cancer.
100. Sugar is an addictive substance.
101. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.
102. Sugar can exacerbate PMS.
103. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce. 104. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.
105. The body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch. 106. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.
107. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
108. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.
109. Sugar can slow down the ability of the adrenal glands to function.
110. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.
111. I.Vs (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to the brain.
112. High sucrose intake could be an important risk factor in lung cancer.
113. Sugar increases the risk of polio.
114. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.
115. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.
116. In Intensive Care Units: Limiting sugar saves lives.
117. Sugar may induce cell death.
118. Sugar may impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in living organisms.
119. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44% drop in antisocial behavior.
120. Sugar can cause gastric cancer.
121. Sugar dehydrates newborns.
122. Sugar can cause gum disease.
123. Sugar increases the estradiol in young men.
124. Sugar can cause low birth-weight babies.


SOURCES
66. Ibid. fluid retention 67. Ibid. bowel movement 68. Ibid. nearsightedness 69. Ibid. compromise the lining of the capillaries 70. Nash, J. "Health Contenders." Essence. Jan 1992; 23: 79_81. 71. Grand, E. "Food Allergies and Migraine."Lancet. 1979:1:955_959. 72. Michaud, D. "Dietary Sugar, Glycemic Load, and Pancreatic Cancer Risk in a Prospective Study." J Natl Cancer Inst. Sep 4, 2002 ;94(17):1293-300. 73. Schauss, A. Diet, Crime and Delinquency. (Berkley Ca; Parker House, 1981.) 74. Christensen, L. "The Role of Caffeine and Sugar in Depression." Nutrition Report. Mar 1991;9(3):17-24. 75. Ibid. 76. Cornee, J., et al. "A Case-control Study of Gastric Cancer and Nutritional Factors in Marseille, France," European Journal of Epidemiology. 1995;11:55-65. 77. Yudkin, J. Sweet and Dangerous.(New York:Bantam Books,1974) 129. 78. Ibid, 44 79. Reiser, S., et al. "Effects of Sugars on Indices on Glucose Tolerance in Humans." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1986:43;151-159. 80. Reiser,S., et al. "Effects of Sugars on Indices on Glucose Tolerance in Humans." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1986;43:151-159. 81. Molteni, R, et al. "A High-fat, Refined Sugar Diet Reduces Hippocampal Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor, Neuronal Plasticity, and Learning." NeuroScience. 2002;112(4):803-814. 82. Monnier, V., "Nonenzymatic Glycosylation, the Maillard Reaction and the Aging Process." Journal of Gerontology. 1990;45:105-111. 83. Frey, J. "Is There Sugar in the Alzheimer’s Disease?" Annales De Biologie Clinique. 2001; 59 (3):253-257. 84. Yudkin, J. "Metabolic Changes Induced by Sugar in Relation to Coronary Heart Disease and Diabetes." Nutrition and Health. 1987;5(1-2):5-8. 85. Ibid. 86. Blacklock, N. J., "Sucrose and Idiopathic Renal Stone." Nutrition and Health. 1987;5(1-2):9- Curhan, G., et al. "Beverage Use and Risk for Kidney Stones in Women." Annals of Internal Medicine. 1998:28:534-340. 87. Journal of Advanced Medicine. 1994;7(1):51-58. 88. Ibid 89. Ceriello, A. "Oxidative Stress and Glycemic Regulation." Metabolism. Feb 2000;49(2 Suppl 1):27-29. 90. Postgraduate Medicine.Sept 1969:45:602-07. 91. Moerman, C. J., et al. "Dietary Sugar Intake in the Etiology of Biliary Tract Cancer." International Journal of Epidemiology . Ap 1993;.2(2):207-214. 92. Quillin, Patrick, "Cancer’s Sweet Tooth," Nutrition Science News. Ap 2000. Rothkopf, M.. Nutrition. July/Aug 1990;6(4). 93. Lenders, C. M. "Gestational Age and Infant Size at Birth Are Associated with Dietary Intake among Pregnant Adolescents." Journal of Nutrition. Jun 1997;1113- 1117. 94. Ibid. 95. Bostick, R. M., et al. "Sugar, Meat.and Fat Intake and Non-dietary Risk Factors for Colon Cancer Incidence in Iowa Women." Cancer Causes & Control. 1994:5 :38-53. 96. Ibid. Kruis, W., et al. "Effects of Diets Low and High in Refined Sugars on Gut Transit, Bile Acid Metabolism and Bacterial Fermentation." Gut. 1991;32:367-370. Ludwig, D. S., et al. "High Glycemic Index Foods, Overeating, And Obesity." Pediatrics. Mar 1999;103(3):26-32. 97. Yudkin, J and Eisa, O. "Dietary Sucrose and Oestradiol Concentration in Young Men". Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. 1988:32(2):53-55. 98. Lee, A. T. and Cerami A. "The Role of Glycation in Aging." Annals of the New York Academy of Science. 1992; 663:63-70. 99. Moerman, C., et al."Dietary Sugar Intake in the Etiology of Biliary Tract Cancer." International Journal of Epidemiology. Ap 1993; 22(2):207-214. 100. "Sugar, White Flour Withdrawal Produces Chemical Response." The Addiction Letter. Jul 1992:4. Colantuoni, C., et al. "Evidence That Intermittent, Excessive Sugar Intake Causes Endogenous Opioid Dependence." Obes Res. Jun 2002 ;10(6):478-488. Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Society, Toronto, June 17, 2001. Www.mercola,com/2001/june/30/sugar.htm 101. Ibid. 102. The Edell Health Letter. Sept 1991;7:1. 103. Sunehag, A. L., et al. "Gluconeogenesis in Very Low Birth Weight Infants Receiving Total Parenteral Nutrition" Diabetes. 1999 ;48 7991_800. 104. Christensen L., et al. "Impact of A Dietary Change on Emotional Distress." Journal of Abnormal Psychology .1985;94(4):565_79. 105. Nutrition Health Review. Fall 85. changes sugar into fat faster than fat 106. Ludwig, D. S., et al. "High Glycemic Index Foods, Overeating and Obesity." Pediatrics. March 1999;103(3):26-32. 107. Pediatrics Research. 1995;38(4):539-542. Berdonces, J. L. "Attention Deficit and Infantile Hyperactivity." Rev Enferm. Jan 2001;4(1)11-4 108. Blacklock, N. J. "Sucrose and Idiopathic Renal Stone." Nutrition Health. 1987;5(1 & 2):9-17. 109. Lechin, F., et al. "Effects of an Oral Glucose Load on Plasma Neurotransmitters in Humans." Neurophychobiology. 1992;26(1-2):4-11. 110. Fields, M. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. Aug 1998;17(4):317_321. 111. Arieff, A. I. Veterans Administration Medical Center in San Francisco. San Jose Mercury; June 12/86. IVs of sugar water can cut off oxygen to the brain. 112. De Stefani, E."Dietary Sugar and Lung Cancer: a Case_control Study in Uruguay." Nutrition and Cancer. 1998;31(2):132_7. 113. Sandler, Benjamin P. Diet Prevents Polio. Milwakuee, WI,:The Lee Foundation for for Nutritional Research, 1951. 114. Murphy, Patricia. "The Role of Sugar in Epileptic Seizures." Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients. May, 2001. Murphy Is Editor of Epilepsy Wellness Newsletter, 1462 West 5th Ave., Eugene, Oregon 97402 115. Stern, N. & Tuck, M. "Pathogenesis of Hypertension in Diabetes Mellitus." Diabetes Mellitus, a Fundamental and Clinical Test. 2nd Edition, (PhiladelphiA; A:Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000)943-957. 116. Christansen, D. "Critical Care: Sugar Limit Saves Lives." Science News. June 30, 2001; 159:404. 117. Donnini, D. et al. "Glucose May Induce Cell Death through a Free Radical-mediated Mechanism."Biochem Biohhys Res Commun. Feb 15, 1996:219(2):412-417. 118. Ceriello, A. "Oxicative Stress and Glycemic Regulation." Metabolism. Feb 2000;49(Suppl I):27-29. 119. Schoenthaler, S. The Los Angeles Probation Department Diet-Behavior Program: Am Empirical Analysis of Six Institutional Settings. Int J Biosocial Res 5(2):88-89. 120. Cornee, J., et al. "A Case-control Study of Gastric Cancer and Nutritional Factors in Marseille, France." European Journal of Epidemiology 11 (1995):55-65. 121. "Gluconeogenesis in Very Low Birth Weight Infants Receiving Total Parenteral Nutrition. Diabetes. 1999 Apr;48(4):791-800. 122. Glinsmann, W., et al. "Evaluation of Health Aspects of Sugar Contained in Carbohydrate Sweeteners." FDA Report of Sugars Task Force (1986) 39. 123. Yudkin, J. and Eisa, O. "Dietary Sucrose and Oestradiol Concentration in Young Men. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. 1988;32(2):53-5. 124. Lenders, C. M. "Gestational Age and Infant Size at Birth Are Associated with Dietary Intake Among Pregnant Adolescents." Journal of Nutrition 128.1998:1807-1810


For more related information go to her website

http://www.nancyappleton.com/

Pre-View Kid Outdoor Bootcamps

If you have an active kid who likes creative challenges, you gotta get a hold of me.
Well... maybe I should back up. Inactive kids who need to get out and get movin' creatively are very welcome as well.
This summer I am launching the kid version of my traveling bootcamps. Traveling as in, we meet at different parks, playgrounds, fields, hills, tracks and such. No gym memberships. Just me, the kids and the great outdoors as our "workout place."
Here's a little taste of what the advanced kids would do (I do modify activities for each individual's ability).







This bootcamp for kids will attract kids who want to have a fun workout like this.

The adult one hour Saturday morning camp starts April 17th at 8AM (this weekend) and only goes for 5 weeks this spring. Contact me via text or e-mail or facebook to sign-up and find out where the first location will be.

Fitness During Pregnancy

This topic is so big and so very important that I recruited an expert to guest write. Erin is a nutritionist as well as a nurse and proud mother of a charming 1 yr old.

Erin Blackwell Igo

Fitness in pregnancy can be challenging thing. You are not only responsible for your own well-being, but now you are entrusted with the sole responsibility of growing another human being. For some people, pregnancy can be a very difficult time. We spend our entire adult lives trying to be "fit" and maintain an ideal weight. Then one day, we wake up pregnant and are told we must gain weight, let our abdomens grow so we can't see our toes, and buy new HUGE clothes. This can be a struggle in two different ways:

1. We are so excited for it to be socially acceptable to gain weight that we take "eating for two" literally and gain too much.
   

or

1. We know that we are supposed to gain weight, but have such a hard time giving up our normal jean, that we decide to restrict our diets which can cause substantial harm to the baby.
   

   
   

   The International Organization of Health has set the following pregnancy weight gain guidelines:
   Underweight women- 28 to 40 lbs
   Normal weight women- 25-35 lbs
   Overweight women 15-25 lb
   Obese women 11-20 lbs (although, this is under scrutiny as many studies are showing that obese women can have healthy babies without gaining any weight).
   

   
   This weight should not all be gained in the first week. We shouldn't pull out the ice cream claiming we need to gain 35 lbs. In fact, in the first trimester weight gain should only be about 2-5 lbs and caloric intake does not need to be increased. If you are hungry- you are lucky! Eat! But continue to make wise choices. Because calcium and protein needs are greater during pregnancy (protein needs increase to 60 g/day), choose to have a glass of skim milk or opt for a protein snack. After the first 16 weeks, weight gain should average one pound per week and you can increase your calorie intake 300 calories per day. Once again- this shouldn't be seen as opportunity to eat a candy bar everyday because there are 300 extra calories to consume. Add two healthy snacks a day- yogurt, cottage cheese, a handful of nuts, or even a tablespoon of peanut butter.
   
   Some people follow another train of thought. Instead of "I get to gain 30 pounds??? Bring on the bacon!" they think "I have to be fat and gain how much??" This is normal. In my first trimester I gained 5 lbs, couldn't fit in to any of my clothes, and felt like a fat slob. I knew that the fetus weight was about an ounce at this point and had a really hard time justifying how large I was getting so quickly. But, this is how the weight gain plays out by the end:
   

   
   8 lb of baby
   3 lb of amniotic fluid and placenta
   2 lb of uterus
   4 lb of extra blood
   3 lb of extra breast tissue
   5-10 lb of "maternal stores"
   

   
   So even though that fetus is 1 oz and you have gained 5 lbs, that is 5 lbs of extra fluid and tissue that is being laid down to appropriately create and develop another organism. The hardest part to swallow is the 5- 10 lbs of "maternal stores." It is a pleasant way of saying "fat." This is necessary, though (unless you are already overweight or obese.) The belief used to be that this fetus was a parasite- it took everything first and mom got the leftovers. This is true in terms of vitamins and minerals, but not calories. Studies have shown that if mom doesn't have a high enough body fat percentage, the baby will break down mom's muscle tissue to use as energy while mom's body uses the calories consumed to increase her body fat. This is not good for your baby's developing brain. While you aren't looking forward to laying down 5-10 lbs of fat, it is good for your baby. Also, if you cautious not to lay down more than that- you will be able to easily get rid of it by breastfeeding and chasing your baby around within the first year.
   
   The last thing is exercise. It is important to exercise during pregnancy, but I cannot stress enough that every person is different. Some women can run marathons while pregnant (although, I don't recommend it), while some can't find the energy to walk down the block. I am an avid runner and before I was pregnant I ran about 20 miles per week. By the 4th month, I had stopped all together. I was TIRED, and the extra weight made me feel like I was running through mud. So, I switched it up. I walked a lot, I did prenatal yoga, and most importantly- I did what felt right. If your body is screaming, "Stop! This is too much!" then it probably is. As you gain weight, the activities you do burn more calories. Therefore, you can take it down a notch and still have an equally as effective exercise routine. Also remember, the point of exercise during pregnancy is not to lose weight- it is to be healthy.
   

Monty Moran's Notes

Thanks Erin. In addition, I would recommend the protein intake increased to at least 60 g and up to 120 g per day depending on your lean body weight. More lean body mass requires more protein. Go with whole milk, there is a reason why it started out that way… more proteins and healthy fats that all work together to nourish the body. Obviously omit if milk allergies are an issue and those with diabetic conditions definitely need to stay away from skim milk because it's basically white colored sugar water. Healthy fats are vital for baby's development and NO – healthy fat in meals does not beget fat moms.

After bouncing some theories off of Aaron Jones (a chiropractor here in the Fargo-Moorhead area) we agreed I should address a few more things. With exercise, I wouldn't recommend starting a running routine during 2^nd trimester and on. However if you are a runner, keep these things in mind as you progress through your pregnancy term:

You will gain weight which obviously adds a form of resistance training to your running.
Your center of balance will change which will change your running mechanics.
Like Erin said, you may not have the energy to run like you did and may need to either cut the mileage back or cut the frequency down to recover between runs.
There are other options or complimentary activities such as yoga, Pilates, strength training, biking and so on.
With strength training, the same issues apply. Weights may not be as heavy but higher reps can suffice. Certain exercises will not be comfortable to perform for obvious reasons.
Luckily, maintaining a fitness routine is somewhat easy as it is a way of your life, your body changes gradually and fit people are more in tune with their bodies and know what works or as Erin said, "I did what felt right."

As far as taking vitamins & minerals consult somebody who knows what they're talking about, mega vitamins are not the answer. Quality, absorbable, well balanced, non-toxic vitamin/mineral supplements should be sought after – with that said, by all means don't go shopping in the Wal-Mart aisles for anything health related.

If you are not in a fitness routine and want to start (even during pregnancy) consult your OB/GYN and a competent fitness professional to put you on the right track and monitor your progress.

Parent / Child Workout Sessions

I am excited to introduce a new program I am offering - Parent / Child Workout Sessions. These sessions will help build a bond with your child while getting fit. The workouts will be scheduled every Saturday.

I am holding a Trial Session on Saturday, February 7, 2009 from 10:00 am - 11:00 am. Stop by when you can, workout, and get more information on this new program. Regular sessions will begin February 14, 2009. Check out the flyer below for more information on age levels and rates.

These workout sessions will be held at the Sports Center in Fargo and in a safe workout environment.

Stay fit this year and get your child in the groove of working out!