Sugar Consumption Itself Has Become a Disease

Looking into statistics, we can see the average American consumes an astounding 2-3 pounds of sugar each week. This might surprise you if not considering that highly refined sugars in the forms of sucrose (table sugar), dextrose (corn sugar), and high-fructose corn syrup are being processed into so many foods such as bread, breakfast cereal, mayonnaise, peanut butter, ketchup, spaghetti sauce, and a plethora of microwave meals.

Sugar consumption itself has become a disease. An influx of sugar into the bloodstream upsets the body's blood-sugar balance, triggering the release of insulin, which the body uses to keep blood-sugar at a constant and safe level. Insulin also promotes the storage of fat, so that when you eat sweets high in sugar, you're making way for rapid weight gain.

Balancing the blood sugar is an important part of regaining energy and health. Refined sugar, because so many nutrients are removed from it, is believed to be more likely to produce diseases than unrefined sugarcane, which is rich in the glucose tolerance factor, chromium.

Over-consumption can lead to hypoglycemia, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and chronic tiredness. Sugar can affect your health by suppressing the immune system. It can contribute to hyperactivity, anxiety, depression and concentration difficulties. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium leading to acute dental problems.

There is some evidence that a high consumption of sugar-sweetened foods may lead not only to impotence and premature ejaculation, but to unrealistic sexual attitudes and expectations, strong urges, strange fantasies, and even crimes of sexual violence.

Valerian D is a freelance writer specialized in health issues affecting men such as premature ejaculation

Reuters - Obese people with diabetes are just as likely to go undiagnosed as their slimmer peers with the disease, Harvard Medical School researchers report.

AFP - Teams of doctors on Sunday said they had uncovered genetic flaws that separately boost the risk of a common form of leukaemia and bowel disease in children and may also influence obesity and fertility.

HealthDay - WEDNESDAY, Aug. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Fat cells in obese people are "sick" compared to those in lean people, a new study shows.

Reuters - Researchers studying people with a rare genetic disorder have identified a brain chemical that may play a role in appetite and obesity, a finding they say could lead to new drugs to help some obese people.

Reuters - Metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and diabetes, in extremely obese patients can be cured by gastric bypass surgery, according to the findings from a new study.

Reuters - An epilepsy drug being tested for use in treating addiction can help obese rats shed weight, U.S. government researchers said on Wednesday.

AFP - Scientists have found two genetic triggers for producing healthful "good" fat in mice, pointing the way to a new treatment for obesity, according to a pair of studies published Thursday.

Reuters - A new understanding of the origins of brown fat cells -- the "good" kind of fat that burns energy and keeps us warm -- may lead to new treatments for obesity, two research teams reported on Wednesday.

HealthDay - TUESDAY, Aug. 19 (HealthDay News) -- The obesity epidemic in America has gotten worse -- not better -- in the last year, despite public service campaigns warning about the health risks posed by carrying too much weight, a new report found.

HealthDay - FRIDAY, Aug. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Statins reduce the perils facing obese people after they have the bypass surgery that restores blood flow to an endangered heart, a study finds.

Reuters - People who are both obese and have diabetes are highly likely to develop heart disease during their lifetime, a new study shows.

Reuters - Armchair athletics may not be an Olympic sport but it's the most popular activity in China this month, fuelling concerns about rising obesity rates.