BlogHer - The Unsweet Side of Sugar - From Premature Aging to Diabetes - Comments

There is not one answer...

Catherine Morgan — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:22:13 -0500

Hi Melissa,

There is not just one answer here. As far as your diet goes...If there is any chance at all that you are suffering from any type of eating disorder, you need to see a doctor about that. Even if you think you are not suffering from Bulimia any more, it is still important that you talk to your doctor about this. Also, anorexia and bulimia can cause problems with your skin, and could be the cause of some or all of the symptoms you are having, but that again is something else you need to talk to your doctor about.

I know you said you went to a dermatologist. But when I say I think you should see a doctor, I'm not talking about a dermatologist. You need to see your family/medical doctor, or a doctor specializing in eating disorders. It could turn out that your symptoms are not due to an eating disorder, but your medical doctor needs to be the one to make that determination. Your doctor may also want to check for other medical conditions that could be responsible for your symptoms.

Eating a healthy diet is always a good thing...But it is not a replacement for sound medical advice from your physician.

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
also at Women 4 Hope and Informed Voters

Can I reverse the damage from my sugar binges and diet?

mrapp78 — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:58:11 -0500

Hi there,

I'm feeling very concerned! In the last 6 months, and especially in the last 3-4, I've suffered from eating disorders. I was bulimic for a few months, which I thought was causing some of the visible problems, but now I think it was more the overeating/binging and sugar intake. Now, I see some devastating symptoms of too much sugar, and am wondering how much might be reversible. The doctors told me it is not related to diet--but I think they are completely wrong. The dermatologist tried to tell me it was sun damage, just now coming out, but the changes have been so extreme, I know it is due to diet.

In the last month, I have had a ridiculous outbreak of:
-freckles/splotchy skin, moles
-red, raised dots on skin (broken blood vessels)
-red capillaries
-veins--all over my body--arms, legs, eyelids and under eyes, ankles, chest, some bulging (on arms/hands), or just green or purple colored through skin.
-thinning of skin in general, and more scaly
-hair thinning/loss (significant)
-wrinkles showing more (on forehead, eyes)--I'm only 28.

Is there any way I can look like my old self again? My skin really looks terrible compared to what it looked like just a few months ago!

Please advise... I'm worried none of these changes are reversible, which make me SO sad. I have probably aged myself 7-10 years in 4 months.

thanks,
melissa

Sugar and the immune system...

Catherine Morgan — Thu, 17 May 2007 10:36:20 -0500

I agree. As I also suffer with auto-immune problems, it troubles me when people take information such as this and imply that you may have never become ill, or you can somehow make yourself better with dietary changes. The problem with this thought process is, that it does not take into consideration the fact that most people are predisposed to developing these illnesses from birth. Plenty of people that eat healthy diets their whole life, still die of heart disease and cancer. Believe it or not, many people with lung cancer never smoked a cigarette.

I think these studies with food are beneficial in helping people make healthy choices with food. If you stop eating sugar for a few days, and feel much better than usual, then maybe sugar is having a harmful affect on you. If cutting back on fatty foods lowers your cholesterol, than that might be a good change for you to continue. But, I think you are correct, not everyone benefits or is harmed by certain diets. In the end it is up to the individual to figure out what works best for them.

Thanks for you comment.

Catherine Morgan
Women 4 Hope and Be The Change You Want To See In Yourself

Can sugar suppress the immune system

Rosalind Joffe — Thu, 17 May 2007 10:09:17 -0500

Catherine, I think this information is valuable. But (and I find that there's always a but when talking about food), having lived with auto immune diseases for 30 years, my back arches when I hear that certain foods are bad for you. I've heard about more diets that I can count over the years of living with multiple sclerosis. And those I tried never made a difference in my symptoms - that I could see. Sometimes, I even felt worse. But that's not to say they wouldn't help someone. I remember when in my first pregnancy, 23 years ago, research showed you should gain a "lot" (35 lbs.+) of weight and not drink any coffee. In my second pregnancy, 3 years later, research was saying one cup/day was okay. Twenty years later, my niece was told to keep weight gain down to 30 pounds. When I had ulcerative colitis, people (nutritionists, patients) suggested one "reputable" diet after another. Everyone told me not to eat raw vegetables. But I never saw a correlation - and I desperately wanted to see one so that something, other than drugs and surgery, would help. So, sugar? No doubt, it can be harmful and even addictive for some. I'd like to suggest,however, that not everyone needs to "give it up" but that we need to treat this information respectfully but with caution. I think it's important that each of us be aware of what works best for us--mentally and physically. Our goal should be to learn and listen to new research and see what we can take for ourselves from this.

Link Textwww.KeepWorkingGirlfriend.com Women,work and chronic illness

Giving Up The Sugar...

Catherine Morgan — Wed, 16 May 2007 13:09:04 -0500

Hi JoLynn -- I agree with you 100%. I too have given up sugar completely off and on for over 15 years. And most definitely, when I do, I feel soooo much better (and lose weight). I also find the first few days extremely hard...but then it seems like I just stop wanting it after a couple of days. I'm able to pass on all the stuff I love (ice-cream, cookies, brownies, and on and on...)

One time I was able to give it up for almost a whole year. But, once I give in and have even in tiny bit...I am hooked all over again. I just started a "A Plan To Take it Five Pounds at a Time" - I plan to get off sugar again with this as well. I am going to post an update once a week on Monday's at my Be The Change You Want To See In Yourself blog.

Thanks for your comment,

Catherine.

Catherine Morgan
Women 4 Hope and Be The Change You Want To See In Yourself

Are You Addicted To Sugar?

jb108 — Wed, 16 May 2007 12:31:49 -0500

Hi Catherine!

Thanks very much for recommending my post "Are You Addicted To Sugar?". Ever since reading "Sugar Blues" when I was a teen I knew that I had a problem with it but of course, I didn't want to cut it out (why would I, I love it and cannot stop eating it once I start!). ;)

I have been sugar-free for extended periods since 2004, however have had lapses which led to weight regains because I cannot have "just one". Recently I began an experiment (May 4) which I've called "Ban the Refined Sugar Experiment". I have not only eliminated all refined sugars, but also sugar alcohols (i.e.: one is mannitol, found in "sugar-free" gum).

I'm updating my readers on my progress each Friday for 4 weeks, and so far I'm extremely pleased because once I got past the first couple of days, I have had no physical cravings for sugar, and no obsession about it at all. This is saying a lot for someone who cannot moderate refined sugar consumption.

Thanks again for the link and for spreading the word on this dangerous and highly addictive substance.

All the best,

JoLynn

Thanks for all the additional information...

Catherine Morgan — Wed, 16 May 2007 11:19:11 -0500

Thanks Margalite -- Thanks for all the additional information, I'll have to check out some of those links.

Catherine Morgan
Women 4 Hope and Be The Change You Want To See In Yourself

Thanks for mentioning my

margalite — Wed, 16 May 2007 10:17:57 -0500

Thanks for mentioning my blog, Catherine.

There's a lot about sugar that is not obvious to the general public. At my blog http://diabetesdietdialogue.wordpress.com I really try to get into all the nooks and crannies of the larger "issues", for everyone's Health, not just diabetics'.

I feel there is one scientific researcher and spokesperson who clarifies the realm of Health vs Disease very succinctly, and whose own research shows the foundational root of Health or the lack of it.

The "partial" view research of other scientists is incomplete and at times mis-leading.

The scientist of whom I speak is microbiologist Dr. Robert O. Young, PhD, D Sc, ND.

Dr. Young's work builds on the work of eminent 19th Century French scientist Antoine de Beauchamp, a contemporary of Pasteur, and actually the pre-eminent scientist at the time, rather than Pasteur.

As many do not know, Pasteur recanted his whole "germ theory of disease", on his deathbed, and acknowledged that Beauchamp was correct --- Health depends on the 'fitness' of one's internal body condition, one's Bio-terrain.

The French continued the research; few others joined the search and most remained with the Germ Theory, even though it has no merit. Germs only live where they are "welcomed", like any other living thing does, and germs can only live in acidic pH environments.

Germs do not "cause" the disease and disrupted biochemistry, in Beauchamp's and Young's opinion, rather germs are bystanders and the acidic biochemistry causes our cells to wither and die, thereby ultimately killing us in one way or another (a cascade of events now named a "disease" by our physician).

All dis-ease stems from over-acidity in our cells and tissues, Beauchamp and Young postulate. Everyday testing shows it's true.

pH is essential to one's Health and is an important foundational aspect of one's Bio-terrain. Dr. Young and Beauchamp have determined it is the key. Many things disprupt body pH and sugar has a profoundly delterious affect because sugar is highly acidic and acid-forming, when we really want and need our body slightly alkaline, instead, with a pH just a little over 7, which is "neutral" pH.

Many aspects of life keep pushing us out of alkaline and beyond neutral pH and into the acid pH realms --- natural daily metabolism end-products, sugar, most prescription drugs, alcohol, smoking, stress of body and mind, too strenuous exercise etc. Does this new Theory now help explain to you why all these behaviors are causing us such problems?

So, how do we turn it all around? How do we get well and remain well?

The way we need to neutralize the deleterious acid pH and return to being alkaline pH at the end of each day is to understand which life-style choices and foods "help". Also, use highly alkaline water like Evamore (which has a pH of 9), take time to bring calmness and only exercise gently and think positive thoughts.

Most of us have such a severe accumulation of acid in our tissues, and that is causing the aberrant chemistry of diabetes, cancer, obesity etc. Dr. Young has explained the whole process very well in several books he's written and in the scientific papers and commentary on his websites.

I have taken several classes from him, and I am convinced that this cellular acidity is the root cause of biochemical imbalance that disrupts the Bio-terrain of our personal biochemistry. To reverse it all takes awhile and needs discipline to get back to neutral pH and then be able to become alkaline each day.

Over the years, I have watched Dr. Young and his wife Shelley glow with greater and greater Health, and they are the only teachers of any Health Program that I know this is true for, to the degree I've seen, anyway.

Being alkaline each day is an essential life-choice in Okinawan and Japanese thinking (without it being spoken of in these exact terms), and it may be one reason why the Okinawans and Japanese were so healthy on their traditional diet.

The journey to alkalinity can be done in a pleasant way --- not feeling hungry or abused. Meals can be tasty and of reasonable size. And, once you start eating in this most-healthy way, you will be surprised that you will not even want these health-robbing, man-made "foods" like sugar and more.

I hope this takes your readers in a new and valuable direction, Catherine, as I believe this is the most complete scientific theory to Health, and other scientists like Barry Sears, PhD of "The Zone" diet, have partly hit on some of it (that's the reason The Zone does work well in clinical trials for diabetics and everyone else).

But, there's still a hit-and-miss of the foods one self-chooses on The Zone diet and life-style choices, and that is why one can still be "acidifying" one's tissues even when we are supposedly eating "healthily".

It's complex, but easy to understand once you read more, and then it is simple! Like any Journey, it starts with the first step --- please learn more.

References: (Books)
The pH Miracle by Dr. Robert O. Young
The pH Miracle for Diabetes
The pH Miracle for Weight Loss

References: (websites)
www.phmiracleliving.com
www.articlesofhealth.blogspot.com

Best to all ---
Margalite

P.S. Please visit me at: http://diabetesdietdialogue.wordpress.com
"Everyone knows someone who needs this information!" (TM)

thanks for the info

laurie — Tue, 15 May 2007 11:00:54 -0500

I will look at it closely.

I certainly didn't think you implied that women with breast cancer have done something to cause it but I do appreciate the clarification.

laurie
www.notjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com

dark chocolate

laurie — Tue, 15 May 2007 10:59:24 -0500

About dark chocolate, its helpful properties have nothing to do with its sugar content, and as chocolates go, I think it has the least amount of sugar. If dark chocolate didn't have some sugar most people wouldn't be able to tolerate it taste wise.

This is something I have not given up. I have dark chocolate several times a week, with my naturopaths blessing. You're right, the amount of sugar is relatively small and dark chocolate has many health benefits.

Finally - something I love that is actually good for me!

laurie
www.notjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com

Hi Laurie, this is what I found...

Catherine Morgan — Tue, 15 May 2007 10:42:08 -0500

Hi Laurie,

I couldn't find too much additional information, but I was able to find an article discussing the study. It seems there is a link between younger women with breast cancer and "blood sugar" levels. However, I want to point out that these results are regarding "blood" sugar levels, which can be an indication that there is also an underlying problem such as infection or other illnesses.

I'm pointing this out because I don't want there to be any confusion that would cause a woman with breast cancer to think that it is somehow her fault. I do not believe that ingesting too much sugar could cause breast cancer, and I hate it when doctors or anyone else try to connect a patients behavior or choices to their disease. I believe the study is still important because finding any kind of commonality in a disease can also lead researchers to develop additional treatments and diagnostic tools.

With that said...here is the study I found on the topic:

Feb. 27, 2007 -- Women with high blood sugar may be more likely to develop cancer, even if they don't have diabetes, a Swedish study shows.

High blood sugar (hyperglycemia) wasn't tied to men's overall cancer risk.

But when researchers looked at specific types of cancer, they found that both men and women with the highest blood sugar levels were more likely to have pancreatic cancer, urinary tract cancer, and malignant melanoma (the most deadly type of skin cancer) than those with the lowest blood sugar levels.

Keeping blood sugar levels within the normal range "may reduce cancer risk," write the researchers, who included Par Stattin, MD, PhD, of Sweden's Umea University Hospital. -- read full article

Study's Results

The researchers followed participants for eight years, on average.

Overall, women with the highest blood sugar levels upon joining the study were more likely to be diagnosed with cancer before its end, compared with women with the lowest blood sugar levels.

Also, cancer of the lining of the uterus (endometrial cancer) was more common in women with the highest blood sugar levels, compared with those with the lowest blood sugar levels.

Breast cancer was more common for women younger than 49 with high blood sugar levels, compared with those with the lowest blood sugar levels, the study also shows. -- read full article

Catherine Morgan
Women 4 Hope and Be The Change You Want To See In Yourself

Scary but mostly true

Nordette — Tue, 15 May 2007 10:25:35 -0500

I've been hearing this for a while now. Most of the research I've read seems to focus on refined white sugar and high fructose corn syrup as the bad guys, but considering that most commercial products contain both makes this serious and scary information. Just read labels at the grocery store and you'll wonder why so many items at the store contain HFCS.

Thanks for posting this.

About dark chocolate, its helpful properties have nothing to do with its sugar content, and as chocolates go, I think it has the least amount of sugar. If dark chocolate didn't have some sugar most people wouldn't be able to tolerate it taste wise.

Sugar seems to be addictive, but I find if my food plan includes more foods such as fruit that contain natural sugars, I'm less likely to want the junkie foods that contained refined sugars. Stay away from it long enough and you can train yourself to dislike it.

I think parents can help their children avoid the sugar addiction by starting children out with natural treats like fruit and steering clear of convenience sweets as much as possible. I did something similar with my kids for whole milk. I grew up drinking whole milk and as a result skim milk lacks appeal to me (I don't drink milk period now). When my children started drinking milk, I went with skim milk. Today they both think whole milk taste odd.

I wouldn't be surprised if we limited our children's intake of refined sugar that they would grow up thinking certain convenience sweet foods we like taste funny or way too sweet.

One book that made me more aware of sugar's connection to aging was The Perricone Prescription.

"Love is liquid. Brew and be drunkards!" ~~Nordette And here's a link to the blog.

thank you

laurie — Tue, 15 May 2007 08:45:05 -0500

for an interesting and timely post.

On the advice of my naturopathic doctor, I have drastically reduced (notice that I have not said 'given up', as that would just make me obsess) refined sugar. I already feel much better.

I would love to know more about the study done linking breast cancer in women under 49 and sugar....

laurie
www.notjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com

Thanks for posting this!

Kalyn Denny — Tue, 15 May 2007 07:12:36 -0500

Thanks for posting this. I was amazed when I stopped eating sugar (on the South Beach Diet) how my energy increased and mood swings pretty much went away. Now that I've been limiting it for a few years, when I do give in to my dark side and eat things with sugar, it sometimes sets me off on a sugar binge that can last for days. It really is addicting. Personally, I know I'm better off without it.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

The Unsweet Side of Sugar - From Premature Aging to Diabetes

Catherine Morgan — Tue, 15 May 2007 02:23:26 -0500

Sugar Makes You Sick and Look Old -- So Why Do We Continue To Eat So Much Of It?

I was just flipping through the channels last week, and on one of the morning shows they were talking about foods that make you look old. Apparently, sugar tops the list. Why did that come as such a surprise to me? I'm sure it has something to do with turning forty, but I guess that's another post. Anyway, I wanted to find out more about this sugar phenomena. Could it really be true that sugar causes premature aging? It turns out, yes.

Most people do not realize this but excess sugar is considered one of the main causes of premature aging. The more sugar we eat, the more sugar we have entering our bloodstream. Over time, this can result in a process known as glycation, which is when a glucose (sugar) molecule damages a protein molecule by sticking to it. The new molecules formed are called advanced glycation end-products, or AGEs. AGEs damage collagen in skin, cartilage, and ligaments and promote a loss of elasticity. Wrinkles form and skin begins to sag. -- see full article

Sugar accelerates aging...

It even contributes to that telltale sign of aging: sagging skin. Some of the sugar you consume, after hitting your bloodstream, ends up attaching itself to proteins, in a process called glycation. These new molecular structures contribute to the loss of elasticity found in aging body tissues, from your skin to your organs and arteries. The more sugar circulating in your blood, the faster this damage takes hold. -- read more

Can sugar suppress the immune system?

Sugar is known to suppress the immune system, mess up your digestive system and cause a long list of side effects that are harsh enough to cause havoc all over your body. -- read more

Raise your blood pressure?

Sugar may be as big a villain in raising blood pressure as salt, says Harry G. Preuss, M.D., of Georgetown University Medical School. And the typical American diet, packed with both salt and sugar, is worst of all, he says. In animal studies, he finds salt and sugar together boost blood pressure more than either alone. Sugar appears to disrupt the metabolism of insulin, a hormone that helps regulate blood pressure. Also, heavy consumption of sugar induces salt and water retention. -- read more

Cancer?

The study, which looked at 64,500 people over the course of 13 years, linked high blood sugar with cancers of the pancreas, skin, womb, and urinary tract. High blood sugar was also linked to breast cancer for women under 49. -- read more

This is only scratching the surface. The list of reasons not to eat sugar goes on and on.

Addicted?

The Fit Shack did a post wondering if we could be addicted to sugar? I think I might know the answer to that one. Once I start eating sugar, it's almost impossible for me to stop.

And, you can't talk about the problems with sugar and not mention Diabetes.

BlogHer has several great blogs by women living with Diabetes. Amy Tenderich has Diabetes Mine and then there is Diabetes Dialogue, and also Living With Diabetes, to name a few.

A few weeks ago I did a post on Childhood Obesity and Type II Diabetes at Women 4 Hope.

I also came across a post by Denise with information on the symptoms and diagnosis of Diabetes.

And since it's always nice to end on a positive note...

There is one bit of positive information coming out on sugar. Studies are showing a connection between dark chocolate and a decrease in blood pressure. -- see post

Contributing Editor Catherine Morgan
also at Women 4 Hope and CatherineBlogs.com