During the ‘80s and ‘90s the fitness community was obsessed with fat; more specifically, why we should consume less of it. Now the attention has focused on carbohydrates – and with good reason. Government estimates indicate that one out of three children born today will develop diabetes, and one reason is our overconsumption of sugar.
An excellent book I recently discovered is called Suicide by Sugar: A Startling Look at Our #1 National Addiction (Square One Publishers, 2009). The author, Nancy Appleton, completed her undergraduate degree in clinical nutrition at UCLA and earned a PhD in health services at Walden University. Throughout her book Appleton provides many excellent reasons to kick the sugar habit. Here are 10 of them:
1. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses and return them to fasting levels slower in oral contraceptive users.
2. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
3. Sugar can lower the amount of Vitamin E in the blood.
4. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA.
5. Sugar can make tendons more brittle.
6. Sugar increases estradiol (the most potent form of naturally occurring estrogen) in men.
7. Sugar can lead to prostate cancer.
8. Sugar can contribute to mild memory loss.
9. Sugar can cause brain decay in pre-diabetic and diabetic women.
10. Sugar can cause endometrial cancer.
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