Sugar and carbohydrates are converted in the body to glucose to be used as energy for the cells. Problems arise when more sugar is taken in than the body is able to utilize through our daily activities. Our bodies store the excess sugar in our fat cells causing them to expand and multiply in unhealthy ways.
One hundred years ago the average American consumed 4 pounds of sugar a year. Today that number has risen to an astonishing 150-170 pounds of sugar per year. Also it is important to note the types of sugar we are consuming have changed over the past 100 years. Back then we were consuming our sugar from sugar cane, honey, or ferments. Sadly, these days most of that sugar is artificial and/or highly processed…. the worst kind!
Processed sugar, like high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and artificial sweeteners like Splenda, Equal or Aspartame, are relatively new inventions. The human body has not had thousands of years to evolve to effectively utilize the incredibly high amount of processed sugar we take in. All of this excess sugar is leading to high rates of obesity, diabetes, cancer and heart disease in our society. Our bodies are not designed to process that much sugar; very few of us burn off those empty calories as fast as we put them in. The excess sugar in our bodies causes systemic inflammation. Processed sugar is not easily processed by the pancreas and liver cells, and causes those organs to over react in an attempt to break down these new chemicals. All of this over activity in the cells is wreaking havoc on our health, causing systemic inflammation. Systemic inflammation is a condition where a large percentage of the cells in the body become irritated and inflamed.
Our cells are made of molecules that prefer to be energetically neutral by having or sharing an even number of electrons. When an electron is taken from one molecule that molecule becomes a free radical and is unstable. Free radicals and inflammation damage the cells. Once a cell is damaged its DNA production is altered and the cell will begin to produce faulty DNA. DNA tells the cell what to do. Faulty DNA leads to faulty cellular function and manifests as cancer or other autoimmune disorders in the body. Systemic inflammation affects the cardiovascular system by inflaming the blood vessels of the body causing them to develop small tears.
The body then tries to repair those tears by laying down cholesterol or fat over the tears as a sort of Band-Aid. Unfortunately, those “Band-Aids” are being made from inferior hydrogenated** fats from our current diet. 50+ years ago we consumed healthier saturated fats from healthy animals and certain plants (olives, coconuts, nuts, etc.). Now most of our fat consumption is from trans-fat and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. These fats are an evolution of industry and its ability to make an inferior product for cheap and sell it to the masses at a huge profit without regard to the health of the end consumer…you and me.
