Now That We Have Discussed Why Toxic Vegetable Oils are Number One on my Don’t Eat List
Let’s move on to number two which is another ubiquitous product: Sugar. There is some good news here if you have already decided to cut vegetable oils and the products that contain them. Then you are already cutting down on your sugar intake since processed foods made with vegetable oils are also typically loaded with sugar. Still, grocery stores are full of foods that raise blood sugar, that most wouldn’t expect, so people eat more sugar than they realize. Carbohydrates, even “good carbs”, will raise blood glucose (sugar) levels. This is because carbohydrates, once ingested, are broken by our bodies into glucose which gets stored as glycogen in our muscles and liver. This means if foods contain carbohydrates they cannot be considered “sugar-free”. Take “sugar-free” ice cream for example, since ice cream contains carbohydrates it should be labeled as no sugar added and not sugar-free.
Why we Need Some Sugar, but Too Much Creates a Sticky Situation
It is clear, we need sugar in our bloodstream to stay alive. Glucose is the primary fuel for the brain and the only fuel that red blood cells can use. So, what’s the problem? The amount of sugar we now consume, our human metabolism is simply not prepared for the 150-plus pounds of added sugar the average American consumes yearly.1 What makes this sickly-sweet substance so bad, especially in such high amounts? To start, sugar is sticky which is why high blood and tissue levels have toxic effects. Our bodies know that sugar is toxic and will release hormones to regulate it. Over time, this disrupts our normal hormonal function.
Sticky Sugar Accelerates the Aging Process
How does it do this? By disrupting multiple basic cellular functions. Sugar binds to hormone receptors, coating them, causing us to become insensitive to the hormone insulin. Once insulin resistant, blood sugar levels rise, leading eventually to diabetes and all its related disorders, including weight gain and circulatory and sexual dysfunction. Sugar also clogs nutrient channels, slowing neural communication, which can impair mood and memory possibly leading to dementia and other disorders.2 While these are happening, sugar attaches itself to collagen in our tendons, joints, and skin.3 This causes the collagen to stiffen causing arthritis and premature wrinkling while disrupting the production of new collagen throughout the body. Want more, sugar also changes the surface markers of white blood cells, needed to distinguish our bodies native cells from pathogen invaders, opening the door to cancer and infection.
How Does Sugar Cause so many Disastrous Health Consequences?
At this point, you may be asking yourself this question. Glycation would be the answer you’re looking for. Glycation is the bonding of a sugar molecule to a protein or lipid molecule without enzymatic regulation. In other words, it’s the process by which sugar sticks to stuff. Glycation reactions are reversible unless exposed to certain amounts of heat and/or enough time. The temporary bonds of glycation reactions then become permanent due to oxidation reactions. These permanent bonds are called Advanced Glycation End Products,4 or AGEs. This is a very ironic acronym since AGEs make you age unnaturally fast. AGEs cross-link (interconnect) normally mobile proteins. This hardens our cells and tissues, making them stiff and brittle. Fortunately, when we have normal blood sugar levels these reactions occur slow
Sugar Hampers our Circulatory System by Impairing Cellular Activity
Your blood vessels are busy places where many coordinated events take place in line with each other. This incredible multitasking is what makes a muscle contract, a sweat gland produce sweat and your brain function. When too much sugar creates cross-links between moving parts, all cellular activity is impaired. Glycation reactions between sugar and protein can cross-link the endothelial cells (blood vessel lining cells). This will block tiny spaces that white cells use to get where they are needed. If white blood cells can’t get where they are needed immune function is impaired.
AGEs, A Major Reason Diabetics Develop Circulatory Problems
For the reason behind this, we must look at the life of a red blood cell which is about 3 months or so. The protein rich red cell collects sugar like a sponge, growing stiff and bloated. This blood cell will then pass through the spleen and its maze of gradually narrowing corridors. If a cell is too puffed up with sugar it gets destroyed. When our sugar levels are high all the time, the spleen can’t remove all the bloated cells quickly enough. These sponge like red blood cells end up clogging tiny capillaries. This can explain why diabetics go blind and develop numbness or infections in their feet. That all for this week, come back next week for more reasons why I do and you should cut down on our sugar intake.enough that the cleanup crews of white blood cells break them down and keep them under control. When blood sugar is high these cleanup crews are overwhelmed and many problems follow.