Dangers of Sugar - Part 1

Before I begin discussing the biochemistry and metabolism of dietary sugar, and before I outline the specific complications from over consumption, I’d like to briefly tell the sugar story: its history, production, usage, social and cultural significance.

A Very Brief History of Sugar
Sugar has been around for eons because of its many enjoyable effects on us. It is known to greatly enrich our food, satisfy our cravings, feed our hunger, calm our emotions and affect our moods. It is the central ingredient in nearly all celebratory meals and festivals and for these reasons, early humans searched for and cultivated plants with the highest sugar rewards.

The first known peoples to take advantage of that sweet plant were civilizations from New Guinea, who some 10 thousand years ago successfully domesticated sugarcane. That ‘plant knowledge’ moved across Asia and China until it reached India, which became the home of the first organized sugar production.

At the time of the Crusades, European warriors brought home a very expensive “sweet salt” which sparked interest amongst rulers and aristocrats. Because sugar could be made only after very labor intensive period in both growing and processing, it maintained its high price after traders managed to bring it back to Europe. The 14th and 15th centuries saw the rise of European made sugar, but because of demanding work, it was grown and produced primarily by colonial slaves.

European expansion to the Americas in the 16th century also brought with it the sugar growing industry. As work in the cane field was back breaking and very dangerous, only slave labor sufficed for its production. Over 3 million Native American and African slaves were killed in the production of this sweet stuff. The torturous work continued even after slavery was abolished in British Empire (including colonies) in 1838. The expansion of the slave trade to the Caribbean caused a plummeting of sugar prices signaling the end of the sugar trade between Europe and India. During this time, sugar became enormously popular, even managing to surpass grains in its popularity and value. New foods such as jams, coffee, tea, cocoa, candy, cookies, processed foods and countless others caused great changes in European and North American diets.

In the early 18th century, German scientists identified a new source of sugar in beet roots. Soon after, the first sugar beet processing factory was constructed in modern day Poland and beets became the primary source of refined sugar. Large scale production became more mechanized and efficient, mostly ending the need for hard labor workforce. With the help of steam engine, powered sugar mills started emerging all around the world, enabling machines to produce sugar 24 hours a day. By the end of 18th century, prices of sugar dropped to levels that it became more available for the commoner.

A recent and far reaching change came about in 1957 from the development of high-fructose corn syrup, which replaced sugar in many sweet products; most notably in sodas and sweetened drinks. Since that time, food production, marketing and advertising became fundamental driving forces for people to think of sugar as a deliciously innocent and virtuous product to enjoy as much as possible.

Today sugar has many different names and shows up in widely varying formulations. These synthesized products can be found in nearly every processed food you find in the grocery store. It is everywhere, and it is in everything.

US History of Sugar Consumption

At the start of this country, refined sugar consumption was only available to the truly wealthiest of Americans. Our first president, George Washington’s notable teeth issues are an excellent example of who were the ones amongst us that could afford it. The average American intake in the 1600’s was less than 5 pounds per year whereas the current standard American diet (abbreviated as SAD) is at (most recent estimates) over 120 lbs per year. That means on average, that it takes us less than 15 days to consume what our forefathers consumed in an entire year. The below graph shows the increase in sugar consumption in pounds per person per year, from the 1600’s to our current levels.

While there are some differing opinions on the overall impact on our health, there is no debate on the simple observation that we (as a nation) consume way too many calories in the form of simple sugars.

Today’s Situation
Here are some numbers reflecting the current health status of the United States which are impacted by the over consumption of sugar. The numbers are staggering.

• 30 million people with diabetes and 70 million with prediabetes at a cost of $250 billion
• 40 % Obesity Rate (over 30 BMI) in Adults
• 20 % Obesity Rate in Children under 20
• 1 Million Heart attacks/yr &1/2 Million deaths a year from Coronary Artery Disease (CAD)
• 1 in 4 die from Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
• $300 billion a year in health care costs for CVD
• 800 Million Americans suffering from Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
• Links between Cancer, Neurodegenerative Diseases and Inflammatory disease and the over consumption of sugars are well documented but difficult to put specific numbers on at this time.

What is clear from the above is that this most wonderful and delectably sweet substance now shows up in most of the foods we eat, and its over consumption has a significant health cost on all our lives beyond the obvious dollars; its impact on us physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually is profound.

Stay tuned for next week’s post where I’ll begin to sort though the biology and biochemistry along with the physiological and pathological changes that occur during sugar metabolism, as I promised last week.