In February, I wrote about the toxic effects of sugar, especially how it can weaken your immune system and make it harder to overcome infections. Earlier this month, the news program 60 Minutes aired a segment called “is sugar toxic”, which exposed even more reasons why sugar is the last thing you want in your diet if you’re struggling with a chronic health challenge.
In one clinical study, people who ate high fructose corn syrup (the most common sweetener in processed foods) increased their risk factors for heart disease in just two weeks. Another study showed that a third of common cancers have insulin receptors and cancer cells feed on excess sugar in the bloodstream.
Most interesting, sugar has a similar effect on the brain as drugs like cocaine. Sugar stimulates the reward region of the brain and causes a euphoric “high”. The trouble is, sugar suppresses that reward region over time. So just like an addictive drug, you need more and more sugar to feel the same reward or “high” over time.
It’s encouraging to see the dark side of sugar getting such respected media attention. It’s also a good lesson that sometimes the simplest things can make the biggest difference in your health. That’s why I cover sugar and other important aspects of nutrition and how it relates to your overall MRSA or Staph strategy in my book. While reducing your sugar consumption may seem too simple and trivial, it may very well be a key factor allowing recurring infections and other health challenges to maintain a foothold.
To your health,
Michelle
