Sugar, Harmful to our Health

A recent study that Dr. Stan Gardner featured on his website, along with his comments ( www.stangardnermd.com ), refers to a study that concludes that sugar is as addictive as heroin, and potentially even more harmful, because of its far-reaching effects and its deceptive acceptance in our diet. That entry drew more than 42 comments from his readers, many of them begging for help to get off the sugar habit


According to Dr. Gardner, “High blood sugar levels also cause an immune system deficiency. The phagocytes, which are the cells in the body which chew up foreign material including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and break-down products, are not as effective when high blood sugar levels are found in the blood stream.

A major problem with sugar and refined carbohydrates in the mouth is it feeds Candida infection, which may be found anywhere: from the mouth, esophagus, down through the large intestine and rectum. Because Candida uses sugar for metabolism and energy, Candida is better able to divide, multiply and morph into a more toxic form with sugar as fuel.
One last problem with sugar ingestion before it gets into the stomach where absorption takes place is the neurochemical changes that sugar triggers in the brain. These are related to actual tongue stimulation, which sets off immediate changes in the brain. The brain, unfamiliar with this type of onslaught, evidences behaviors that are not uncommonly seen in children, such as hyperactivity, anxiety, crankiness, diminished concentration and depression. All of these can significantly affect school performance. Some people experience drowsiness instead of hyperactivity. Interestingly, recently presented data at a neuropsychopharmacology conference demonstrated that some of these neurochemical changes are the same changes that occur in people ingesting alcohol and other addictive substances. Clearly, sugar is one of those addictive substances.”