Sweets, who says sweets are safe ?

Who says sweets are SAFE ????

By Dr. Alan Kadish

There is no question that many folks appreciate a sweet taste to their food. Our culture is oriented to association of sweets, with positive reinforcement. When we refer to sugar, please remember to include nutritive sweeteners (sugars) in the diet include honey, maple syrup, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, fructose, and fruit juice concentrates.

Most patients fail to appreciate the destructive effects of sugar ingestion, until a pre-diabetic, cardiac, gross obesity or an outright diabetic situation is present. Currently there is an overwhelming medical situation developing, termed dysglycemia and syndrome X. This syndrome is the precursor to the above diseases. To visualize what takes place consider the resistance by our cells, to accept blood sugar. Think of these phenomena as a door that instead of remaining fully open, is partially closed. The sugar in no longer efficiently cleared from the blood stream. This results in damage to many proteins, especially our enzymes as the blood sugar rises and remains in contact for extended periods. Enzymes are the glue that allows us to build and function on a cellular level. When the sugar binds to the protein the shape changes. All of our proteins have unique shapes, very much like a key, and will not function once the shape has changed. Hence the key no longer fits the lock and fails to open the door…

We now have a number of advanced testing methods to determine if indeed, your experiencing the problems of elevated sugar. You can assess your risk up to 10 years before you actually have one of these disorders. At the Center, we use home loans of a glucometer, a device to check your blood sugar as well as blood testing. Additionally a test known as a Metabolic Dysglycemia panel can determine a whole set of markers that are associated with these problems. We have extensive handouts for our clients.

The preferential method of diet and sweetness issues should ideally revolve around the inherent sweetness of whole natural foods. Not the use of additional agents to disguise the real taste. There are a number of excellent books that are available regarding this subject. Consider the original and still one of the best books, "Sugar Blues" by William Dufty and "Licking the Sugar Habit" by Nancy Appleton Phd.. As a note, we carry copies of these books at the Center.

FYI, sugar has been extracted from two major sources, sugar cane and beets. For additional information regarding sugar, you might want to consult the sugar industry site at, http://www.sugar.org/. Please keep in mind that many of the referenced sites are sponsored and provided by the manufactures, of the respective sweetener.

There are a number of options available that may be more appropriate for those of you in a transition period, between sweet tooth cravings that lead to junk sweets being consumed vs more natural, less destructive options.

Some options to the use of Sugar:

Stevia Root: Powder and liquid forms

Claims of 100 times sweeter than sugar. Unique to this product is the fact that it is completely non-nutritive. It fools the taste buds into believing that the taste is sweet. No blood sugar influences take place, making this an appropriate substitute for diabetics.

You can cook with this product as well as use it at room temperatures. A slight after taste is present and somewhat dependent on the product form used. I have found that the clear liquid in alcohol or in glycerin is preferable. A reasonably useful cookbook, "Stevia Sweet Recipes" by Jeffrey Goettemoeller is available at the Center.

Spleda™ : (sucralose) Powder and liquid forms. Claims of 600 times sweeter than sugar. Currently Splendia™ is available only in Canada and via the net. It is FDA approved and should become available in the US during the next number of months. Surolase, a chlorinated sucrose derivative, is a non-digestible sugar. This means that we lack the enzymes necessary to breakdown this product. No blood sugar influences take place, making this an appropriate substitute for diabetics. However, it is reported that pre-approval research showed that sucralose caused shrunken thymus glands (up to 40% shrinkage) and enlarged liver and kidneys. This will need to be a wait and see situation, as long-term human exposure studies are not yet available. For additional information regarding potential toxicity issues reference this site, http://www.holisticmed.com/splenda/ . The industry site is at http://www.sucralose.com/ .

Sweet and Safe™ / Sunnett®: (acesulfame potassium) Powder and liquid forms. This chemical is claimed to be 200 times sweeter than sugar. There are some VERY questionable issues surrounding this product. Until these issues are resolved, one should exercise caution and consider other sweeteners. The Sunnett®: site is located at http://www.acesulfame-potassium.com/.

Nutrisweet™ : (Aspartame) Powder and liquid forms. This almost ubiquitous product has racked up the most complaints of any food additive with the FDA. I have a number of patients in my practice who react violently to the product with a number of symptoms., generally head aches. I do not recommend its ingestion. A good site for further reference is located at http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame. The Nutrisweet ™ site at http://www.aspartame.org/science.html is the manufactures response to the safety issues.

Saccharin™ : Powder and liquid http://www.saccharin.org This very old 1896 discovery has been in commerce for greater than 100years. The safety issues as well as my perceived after taste have prevented me from recommending this product. There appears to be a substantial body of evidence mounting that suggests that the original rat studies and bladder cancer association may have been misleading. At their web site, you can derive a substantial amount of information. If your faced with a choose between the Nutrasweet ™ or Saccharin ™ , I recommend the latter.

Remember that the key to the proper diet remains moderation, with the MAJORITY or your intake consisting of whole natural, preferentially organic Vegetables, Beans, Grains, Fruits, Non-fat Dairy products and Meats. This list is intended to be used with the first item emphasized and the last in minimal use. Also recall that adequate fluid intake, especially water is a prerequisite to good health.

You're individual reactions to foods (ex. Food Allergies) along with your current health status, coupled with your gender and age, will play an important part in determining your optimal intake of proper nutrients. When all of these factors are considered, you will enhance your longevity and decrease your potential to become dis-eased.

Eat well and use common sense, to enhance life.