Chapter 4-3 of Healing Foods
by Walter Last
In some
form sweet foods can be beneficial but as commonly used, they tend to create a
lot of problems for our health
The main problem with sweet foods is that sugars are absorbed too
quickly. The body tries to maintain a fairly constant blood-sugar level close
to 100 mg of glucose per 100 ml of blood, and this becomes rather difficult
with the habitual consumption of sweet foods.
When we have a starch meal, it takes several hours until all the starch
is converted into glucose. The absorption through the intestinal wall is
gradual and the liver can easily regulate the blood-glucose level by forming
glycogen or fat from surplus glucose. It is equally safe to eat raw cabbage or
raw carrots that may contain equal amounts of sugar to a spoonful of honey.
Again, it takes hours for the glucose from raw vegetables to enter the
bloodstream while from honey or fruit juices it may take less than 30 minutes.
However, when sweet food is eaten during or after a protein meal, the
sugar is absorbed considerably more slowly. The same applies when sweet food is
combined with fat. Sweetened starches, on the other hand, cause digestive and
metabolic problems and are not recommended for habitual use.
In former centuries only limited amounts of sweet foods were commonly
available in middle and northern
Minerals required for metabolizing sugars are zinc as a component of
insulin and of several enzymes, chromium as part of the glucose tolerance
factor that allows glucose to enter the cells and manganese, as an important
enzyme factor. In addition to these trace minerals, we need sufficient
potassium and magnesium for producing energy from sugar. The vitamins most
important for producing this energy from glucose are B1, B2, nicotinamide and
pantothenic acid.
In contrast to former centuries, most people now suffer from vitamin and
mineral deficiencies that make good blood-sugar regulation nearly impossible
and severely weaken the energy metabolism. On top of this, large amounts of
sweet food are consumed almost daily, and all the work that many modern people
do after a sweet snack is raising a cup or staring at the television screen.
The combined effect of all these negative factors is a rather erratic
blood-sugar level. It rises higher and higher after the ingestion of sweet food
and falls steeper and lower shortly afterwards. Depending on our metabolic
constitution, this has different effects on different people.
If you look at the table below you will be surprised at the variety of
symptoms that may occur and the number of chronic diseases to which a weak
sugar metabolism contributes. The reason that sugar can cause such a very wide
range of problems is that glucose has a central position in producing our daily
energy requirement. If our cells cannot efficiently produce energy, basically
all organs and body functions are affected.
DIABETES
The disease most widely associated with a breakdown of blood-sugar regulation
is diabetes. When diabetes develops during childhood or in young adults, the
main problem is usually a deficiency of the hormone insulin that is produced in
the pancreas. Insulin is required to channel the blood glucose into the cells.
Therefore a deficiency of insulin leads to a rise in the blood-glucose level.
Currently accepted medical opinion does not see a connection between the
over-consumption of sweet food and the development of diabetes. However,
experiments have shown that the insulin response decreases with frequent use of
sweet food. Starting with a raw-food diet that excluded all sweet food as well
as other problem foods, I have been able to help diabetics of both types to
improve their blood-sugar regulation so that insulin injections or drugs were
no longer needed.
In so-called maturity-onset diabetes there is usually sufficient insulin
available but its effectiveness is greatly reduced. The main reasons for this
are the 'disaccharide effect' as explained below and a deficiency in chromium,
which is part of the glucose tolerance factor. Insulin and the glucose
tolerance factor work together like key and keyhole to let glucose into the
cells. A deficiency of chromium prevents glucose from entering the cells.
There are two main reasons for chromium deficiency: the habitual
consumption of, first, refined food and, second, sweet food. Refined food is
deficient in chromium, while eating sweet food raises not only the blood-sugar
level but also the blood-chromium level; this causes more chromium to be
excreted with the urine. The foods highest in chromium are brewer's yeast and
liver.
Another effect of chromium deficiency in diabetics and others is the
excessive formation of cholesterol after eating sweet food and the subsequent
development of arteriosclerosis. Furthermore, the same factors also lead to the
formation of cataracts. A diet high in fructose is especially implicated in
causing eye diseases in diabetics. Fructose and glucose are the two components
of sucrose - the normal household sugar - and also of honey. Fructose (best
from fruits only) can enter the cells without requiring insulin and thereby can
help to normalize the diabetic metabolism, but this is risky if mineral
deficiencies are not corrected at the same time, especially deficiencies in
magnesium, zinc and chromium.
However, the main cause of decreased insulin production in
insulin-dependent diabetes is a chronic inflammation of the pancreas caused by
a hidden food allergy, in particular to cows' milk combined with an overgrowth
of the intestines with unfriendly microbes as explained in the section on Cows'
Milk & Lactose. In addition, a more recent epidemic increase in the
number of children diagnosed with this condition has been linked to
vaccinations. It has been concluded that this increase in the different age
groups correlated with the number of vaccines given in various countries.
While sugar may not directly cause insulin-dependent diabetes, it
greatly aggravates the seriousness of the condition. In animal experiments an
excessive intake of sugar resulted in greatly enlarged pancreas and pituitary
glands, both of which are involved in blood-sugar regulation. A group of
Aboriginal diabetics who lived for several weeks on bush food all quickly
returned to a normal blood-sugar regulation. Indians living in
The great majority of diabetics have type 2
diabetes. It used to be called maturity-onset diabetes because it commonly
started after the age of forty. However, now it is also common in overweight
children. It is mainly due to the reduced effectiveness of otherwise normal levels
of insulin. Type 2 diabetics are generally treated with tablets to lower blood
glucose levels.
As with insulin, also these hypoglycaemic drugs do
not protect the patients against the various harmful effects of long-term
diabetes, such as degenerative eye changes especially involving the retina,
degeneration of the peripheral nervous system and atherosclerosis especially
affecting the legs and heart. On the contrary, studies seem to indicate that
these drugs accelerate such degenerative changes.
Doctors W.A. Philpott and D.K. Kalita point out in
their book 'Victory Over Diabetes' (Keats, 1983) that the overwhelming evidence
of recent studies shows a shortened life expectancy and more serious
complications from using diabetic drugs. In fact, the death rate actually
doubled in those taking oral diabetic drugs. Most of these same drugs are still
in use now.
From a biochemical point of view this is only
logical and to be expected because if sugar levels are lowered without
converting them into energy, then they have to be converted into fat and
cholesterol that then cause many of these problems.
When the liver and bloodstream are already loaded
with lipids then it is difficult to convert excess glucose into more lipids.
Therefore, obese or overweight individuals have greatly decreased insulin
sensitivity, while insulin becomes much more effective if they lose weight.
Other studies show that the blood sugar regulation is best maintained with a
diet high in vegetable fibre, especially from legumes, while a high intake of
simple carbohydrates or sugars tends to make insulin less sensitive.
Sugar added to the diet of research animals or
increased in the diet of healthy volunteers has been reported to disturb the
glucose metabolism and cause diseases of the eyes, kidneys and blood vessels.
Even if combined with a high-fibre, low-fat diet added sugar still adversely
affects the glucose tolerance.
However, short-term studies may not show the
harmful long-term effects of sugar in the development of type 2 diabetes. This is
because household sugar or sucrose consists of one molecule of glucose and
fructose. Only glucose elevates the sugar level in the normal way while
fructose affects it only slightly. Therefore, in the glycaemic index, which
measures the effect of different foods on the blood glucose level, sucrose is
listed as a good food.
Instead, the danger of fructose lies in causing an
exaggerated insulin response, mainly when it is together with glucose in the
same meal, be it from sucrose, honey or even starches, but to some degree even
when ingested on its own as a sweetener. However, fructose in whole fruits is
generally fine, provided it is not ingested close to a meal containing
starches.
Lets look at the common habit of eating sweetened
starches as in bread with jam, marmalade or honey, cakes, biscuits, muesli or
breakfast cereals. The fructose contained in the meal causes a strong rise in
the blood insulin level. At the same time a large amount of glucose from the
breakdown of starches enters the bloodstream. The excess of insulin quickly
channels the glucose inside muscle cells, which are now overloaded with
glucose. Only a small amount is needed for energy production, the rest may be
converted to lactic acid, causing overacidity, or to body fat. Gradually cells
learn to protect themselves by becoming less responsive to insulin and making
it harder for glucose to enter.
Until 1980 the rate of obesity and type 2 diabetes
was fairly stable. However, when the health authorities in the
While an exaggerated insulin response and resulting
loss of insulin sensitivity is most pronounced in obese individuals, it
gradually develops also in others after prolonged use of sucrose. The damage is
the greater the more sucrose is eaten in a gorging pattern instead of in small,
spaced out meals.
Surprisingly, sucrose has a worse effect than
eating its two components, glucose and fructose, at the same meal. This is
called the 'disaccharide effect' and applies also to other sugars with two
components, such as maltose with two glucose molecules. A hormone in the
duodenum (G.P.I.) releases more insulin after ingestion of disaccharides than
after monosaccharides, such as glucose or fructose.
While increased insulin levels are desirable for
type I diabetics, with type II diabetes they just mean more glucose is converted
into fat and cholesterol. However, there is a way to increase insulin
sensitivity of muscle cells naturally - with regular aerobic exercise.
HYPERACTIVITY AND ADD
Much more widespread than diabetes or hyperglycemia is the opposite
condition - low blood sugar or hypoglycemia. The most common milder form is
reactive hypoglycemia in which the blood-sugar response after eating non-sweet
foods is normal. However, when sweet food is eaten, including sweet fruits, too
much insulin is released and glucose floods the cells.
Glucose cannot be stored in cells and has to be metabolized. Which way
this happens depends on the condition of the metabolism. The first stages are
easy and result in the glucose molecule being split in half. This process is
anaerobic: it does not require oxygen. However, oxidizing enzymes are necessary
for the next stage and these are usually deficient in adults with this
condition. Children, on the other hand, often still have a reasonable supply
and are able to convert most of the glucose to energy.
This creates an energy burst that just has to be used, whether it is
needed or not. The result is extreme restlessness: the muscles must move to use
the surplus energy, and the brain is racing as well. When the straw fire of
excess energy is used up, not enough glucose is left to sustain normal activity
and attention. Mental and physical exhaustion follows until a sweet snack
lights another straw fire of hyperactivity.
This temporary speeding-up of the energy cycle is exaggerated, and in other
cases triggered off, by various factors that cause stress on the nervous and
hormonal systems. The most frequent cause of such stress is a hidden allergy to
food additives and to common foods such as wheat and cow's milk products.
Usually children's favorite foods are also to blame. Additional triggers may be
fluorescent lighting, television viewing, strong electromagnetic radiation,
petrochemical fumes, tobacco smoke and emotional stress.
In adolescents and adults such energy bursts, especially when combined
with dietary allergens or stimulants, lead to periods of uncontrolled violence.
Many studies, involving thousands of institutionalized male juvenile
delinquents, have shown a large drop in the incidence of antisocial behavior in
those on diets low in sugar and allergens. While the average improvement rate
was almost 50%, repeat offenders improved by more than 80% and the suicide rate
fell 100%.
Females, because of their lower adrenaline levels, tend less towards
violent behavior. Instead, the effects of the strong blood-sugar fluctuations
after ingesting sweet food are more internalized. In sensitive individuals,
emotions closely follow the blood-sugar levels, often up and down in quick
succession, alternating between elation and depression.
PROBLEMS OF HYPOGLYCEMICS
The speedy metabolism that results in hyperactivity and violent behavior
explains why the name 'fast oxidizer' has been coined for those who burn sugar
too quickly. 'Fast oxidizer' and 'hypoglycemic' mean basically the same thing:
someone with a speeded-up glycolysis (the breakdown of glucose inside the
cells), which ultimately results in a lower than normal blood-sugar level.
Contrary to hyperactive children, most adult hypoglycemics have a
shortage of oxidizing enzymes and this interrupts the normal energy that is
produced at the end of glycolysis. Instead of energy, lactic acid is produced
in a final anaerobic stage. Thus only 20% of the total energy is produced that
would be available if glucose was completely oxidized to carbon dioxide and
water.
This results in overacidity and chronic lack of energy, which is typical
of hypoglycemics who are on sweet diets. Additional energy is required to
remove the lactic acid via the kidneys. Lactic acid must be partly neutralized
and this depletes the body of positive ions, especially calcium. A further
result of overacidity is a high histamine level, which makes us susceptible to
strong allergic reactions and frequent inflammations, while the skin becomes
oversensitive to stings and all forms of irritation.
High histamine levels together with a calcium deficiency cause low blood
pressure, which contributes further to a lack of energy and poor circulation,
with cold hands and feet. Calcium is withdrawn from the blood vessels,
resulting in varicose veins. Calcium deficiency also creates menstrual problems
and weakens the eyes, making us shortsighted.
Shortsightedness or myopia actually results from a deficiency of two
minerals, and both are induced mainly by a high consumption of sugar. Chromium
deficiency arises from eating much refined food that lacks this mineral, and
also from increased excretion of chromium in the urine, which occurs after
eating sweet food when the blood levels are raised in response to high levels
of insulin.
The ciliary muscles in the eyes need chromium to accommodate the lens
for near-vision focus. If the ciliary muscles become fatigued from a
combination of chromium deficiency and prolonged close-focus activity, then the
eye relieves this muscle strain by increasing the intra-ocular pressure; this
pressure in turn leads to an elongation of the eyeball and thus to myopia.
Increased intra-ocular pressure, however, leads to an elongation of the
eyeball only in those of younger years when the body has a high requirement for
calcium and a relatively soft tissue structure. With increasing age, the
tissues become more and more calcified and rigid. In this situation the eyeball
cannot expand with increased intra-ocular pressure and may glaucoma result.
Scientific studies have shown that the excretion of calcium in urine
increases up to fourfold in those with a strong insulin response when given
large amounts of sugar; this is because plasma-calcium levels are increased
after eating sugar. The most common sources of the calcium excreted are the
bones and teeth; this contributes to osteoporosis and caries. In elderly
individuals high plasma-calcium levels also accelerate irreversible bonding
with collagen and elastic protein structures, leading to increased rigidity and
bone deformations as in arteriosclerosis and arthritis.
A high calcium concentration in the urine leads to an increased risk of
kidney stones as well as kidney damage from the calcification of the filtration
mechanism. A scientific study revealed that young men had increased levels of
female sex hormones on a high sugar intake.
Lactic-acid formation that occurs after eating sugar contributes to
strong inflammations such as in rheumatoid arthritis and gingivitis
(inflammation of the gums). Normally the saliva is nearly neutral, which is
less favorable for the growth of plaque bacteria than the acid saliva of
hypoglycemics. Sugars are the only energy source of these bacteria. When we are
strictly on non-sweet diets, plaque bacteria are denied energy and they cannot
multiply. This effectively prevents caries.
Giving up sweet food, however, is extremely difficult for our children
and for many adults, because they are thoroughly addicted to it. This addiction
is in principle the same as later addictions to stimulants and drugs. A main
feature of addictions is a weakening of the adrenal glands.
Another effect of general overacidity is an inability to alkalize the
gastric content when it enters the duodenum. This makes the pancreas enzymes
inefficient, which require an alkaline medium, and in time may lead to
deficiencies and digestive problems.
SYMPTOMS
OF ALLERGY AND BLOOD-SUGAR PROBLEMS
Allergies
and blood-sugar problems reinforce each other, and can cause the same symptoms,
or contribute to the same chronic diseases
|
abdominal
pains addictions
adrenal
exhaustion aggressiveness
alcoholism
anemia
anxiety angina
arthritis
asthma
auto-immune
disease backache bloating
blurred
vision burning
eyes cancer
caries
chest
pain chronic
coughs chronic
indigestion cold
hands and feet colitis
colds confusion
conjunctivitis
constipation
convulsions crying
spells depression
|
diabetes diarrhea distended
veins digestive
problems dizziness eczema emotional
instability epilepsy exhaustion eye
weakness fainting fatigue forgetfulness gall
bladder pain gastric
pain/ulcer glaucoma hemorrhoids hay
fever headache heart
attacks heartburn hyperactivity hypertension immune
deficiency indigestion infections inflammations insomnia irritability |
joint
pains low
blood pressure migraine mouth
ulcers mucus
congestion muscle
cramps muscle
pains myopia nervousness neuralgia neuroses nose
bleeding numbness obesity edema palpitations phobia poor
circulation rashes respiratory
problems schizophrenia sinusitis skin
problems sweating tachycardia underweight varicose
veins vomiting weakness |
FRUCTOSE AND THE DISACCHARIDE EFFECT
It has been estimated that about half of all ingested carbohydrates in
the
Fructose is metabolized more slowly than glucose and also induces a much
stronger insulin response, especially in the presence of glucose. This means
that reactive hypoglycemia occurs mainly when fructose is part of a meal.
Another effect of habitually high insulin levels is a gradual decrease
in the sensitivity of blood-glucose levels to insulin. Higher insulin levels
also cause an increased loss of chromium in the urine. The result is the
gradual onset of maturity-related diabetes.
The higher the insulin levels, the more are sugars converted into fat
and cholesterol. Biopsy samples of the human liver showed that fructose was
converted into fatty acids at rates 3 to 24 times faster than glucose. Fat
levels after fructose consumption rise especially high in those who have a
tendency towards atherosclerosis; this can lead to diabetic complications and
cardiovascular diseases.
These negative effects of a high fructose intake also occur after eating
sucrose. Other health problems arising from the fructose component in sucrose
are raised blood pressure, caries, elevated uric-acid levels and obesity.
Controlled experiments with various species of animals as well as with
human volunteers revealed significant rises in blood pressure not only after
long-term ingestion of sugar but even after a single dose. If taken on an empty
stomach the blood pressure rose 9-10 mm Hg for one to two hours.
After sucrose ingestion there is also an increase in uric-acid levels.
Uric acid is produced in the liver from breakdown products of fructose. A
raised uric-acid level in the blood is a feature of gout, some forms of
arthritis and also of heart disease. Men generally produce more uric acid after
eating than women.
Experimental studies on animals and humans have shown that sucrose is
possibly the most caries-producing substance in our diet. Plaque bacteria
convert sucrose to polymers that stick to the teeth. Some individuals have
inherited fructose intolerance and must avoid all fructose and sucrose; they
have been found to have substantially less tooth decay than the general
population.
Various animal and human studies have also shown that a diet high in
sucrose can lead to a greater accumulation of fat deposits in susceptible
individuals - generally those with a strong insulin response. Monkeys fed a
diet high in sucrose had produced three times as much deposited fat than those
fed an equal amount of glucose.
Surprisingly, eating a certain amount of sucrose produces a stronger
insulin response than eating the same amount of mixed fructose and glucose. The
same is true for maltose, which consists of two molecules of glucose and other
disaccharides. Disaccharides are composed of two simple sugars. The increased
insulin effect of disaccharides compared to that of their component simple sugars
is called the disaccharide effect. The reason for this effect seems to be that
disaccharides liberate about twice the amount of a gastric hormone called GIP
(gastric inhibitory polypeptide) than that of simple sugars.
In practical terms this means that it is harmful for most of us to have
fructose and glucose at the same meal. Examples are: having honey, dried fruit
or fresh fruit for sweetening cereals or starches; as dessert; as muesli; or as
sweetened coffee or tea after meals. Most harmful are the sweetened starches,
such as cakes, sweet biscuits and sweetened breakfast cereals. Beware
especially of mixing fructose with starches if you want to lose weight.
NATURAL SWEET FOODS
Unfortunately natural sweet foods such as honey, dried fruits or fruit juices
are no better for diabetics or hypoglycemics than food sweetened with white
sugar. It only seems to matter how much sweet food is used and how quickly it
can enter the bloodstream. Fruits that are acid as well as sweet may be even
worse, especially for hypoglycemics, than plain sugar because the fruit acids
reinforce the existing overacidity. However, by neutralizing fruit acids with dolomite, they can become
beneficial , and eating the whole fruit is better than drinking the fruit
juice only. Also, raw honey has a high concentration of the beneficial
starch-digesting enzyme amylase, which is lacking in heated commercial honey.
Likewise, sun-dried fruit are healthier than heated commercial dried fruit.
While fructose from fruits can be helpful for diabetics, with
hypoglycemics it only increases the lactic-acid overload. Lactic-acid
overproduction from the combined effect of strong muscle activity and sweet
food is also responsible for reported cases of allergic reactions after
jogging. The resulting overacidity simply brings already existing hidden
allergies into the open. Cancer cells have lost the ability to use oxidizing
enzymes. They produce their whole energy simply by converting glucose
anaerobically into lactic acid. Apart from the loss of calcium, another side
effect of lactic-acid build-up is a tendency to anxiety neuroses, phobias and
even panic attacks.
It is preferable to have sweet food only occasionally and with a protein
snack or meal. Removing the sweet taste from the tongue as quickly as possible
helps minimize the insulin over-reaction. Alternative sweeteners such as the
sugar alcohols manitol, sorbitol and xylitol are not recommended either. In
larger amounts they may cause diarrhea or, if absorbed, may contribute to the
development of cataracts or simply fuel the glycolysis. Also, they keep the
craving for sweetness alive and will in time lead to another binge on sweet
food.
This is also a problem with the herbal sweetener Stevia. Its leaves are
15 to 30 times as sweet as sugar and an extract can be 300 times as sweet. It
is not known if large amounts over long periods cause unacceptable side
effects, nevertheless, I regard it as for safer than aspartame or other
artificial sweeteners. It should be all right to use occasionally in small
amounts but not to use it in an addictive way instead of sugar.
Other sweeteners such as saccharine and aspartame or nutrasweet may
cause allergies or worse. Theoretically, sweeteners based on sweet amino acids
should be harmless, but often they are not. Fructose is the sweetest sugar,
followed by sucrose. Glucose and maltose are less sweet but somewhat safer for
most people, especially combined with starches. Maltose is available as barley
sugar. Preferably use maltose instead of sucrose for sweetening starches.
Those who have a low fasting blood-sugar level - possibly feeling weak
or dizzy on an empty stomach - must be more strict than reactive hypoglycemics
and are advised to avoid all sweet food for several years so that the sugar
metabolism has time to recover.
As a general rule, for most individuals it is best to reserve sweet food
as a rare treat for special occasions rather than use it as an everyday food.
However, if you do not have a craving for sweet food, then it is not likely to
be a problem for you.
Chapter
4: PROBLEM FOODS AND FOOD PROLEMS
·
Cow’s Milk Products and Lactose
·
Chemicals and other Food Problems