1. EMPTY NUTRITION
MYTH
The complaint about sugar is that it contributes only calories
but no nutrients to the diet . "Empty calorie" myth is really
an empty complaint. Sugar is never eaten alone It is almost
always consumed as an essential Or enhancing ingredient
in a wide varieties of other nutritious foods .Sugar is
a 100% utilizable carbohydrate Another way to look at this
issue is to ask whether there is any reason for Concern
that sugar actually contributes to any nutrient deficiencies
in population .The answer is no , A recent study concluded
.There is no evidence that continuing to eat the present
level of sugar will result in inadequate micro-nutrient
nutrition
2. SUGAR
AND DIABETES
Diabetes "mellitus" is a disorder of the body's metabolism
.The carbohydrates which a normal person eats are converted
into glucose which is absorbed into the blood stream and
is used by the body for energy .The diabetic person cannot
utilize carbohydrates efficiently .as a result blood has
higher than normal amount of glucose and it is often present
in urine Though all the causes of diabetes are not known
,genetic factors play a major part in the development of
this disease The question of whether sugar consumption is
related to diabetes has been exclusively examined through
epidemiologic surveys and experimental data The consensus
of the scientific community is that sugar consumption is
not Related to onset of diabetes . Many studies shows that
the risk of diabetes is inversely related to carbohydrates
and sugar consumption .That is people who develop diabetes
have found to eat less sugar than healthy people .These
people found to eat more fat and consume more total calories
than healthy people increasing there likelihood of becoming
obese and risk of developing diabetes . Once a person develops
diabetes the intake of sugar and other simple carbohydrates
is usually restricted .However there is little actual evidence
to support this practice research now indicates that not
all starches and sugars are alike in there effect on blood
sugar .For example carrots can produce a higher blood sugar
then a candy bar and honey has a greater effect than sucrose
.Eating modest amounts of sucrose as a part of regular meals
does not leads to higher amount of blood sugar as has been
commonly supposed .The dietary recommendations of the American
dietary association (ADA) Are in most respect the same as
non-diabetic person and are based on sound principal of
nutrition . Eating a modest amount of sugar is acceptable
says (ADA) council of nutrition as long as metabolic control
is maintained .
3. SUGAR
AND CORONARY HEART DISEASE (CHD)
The researches say that sugar is not a cause of coronary
heart disease .The issue has been thoroughly studied in
recent years because of one scientist's widely publicized
theory of the 1960 that heart disease is linked to excessive
sugar intake .The medical community has resoundingly rejected
this theory . The prevailing view point is reflected in
one scientist's conclusion after reviewing the literature
that the evidence available does not support the view that
the sugar in the level present in diabetes afflicted persons
is a causative factor in the development of (CHD) The American
society of clinical nutrition in (1979) stated there is
no consistent and independent relationship between intake
of sucrose or other carbohydrates and incidence of prevalence
of (CHD) In an attempt to pin down the various risk factors
involved in (CHD )many studies of the lifestyle and diets
of different population have been conducted .A recent review
of three major studies -the Framingham study the Honolulu
heart study the Puertorico heart health program found no
association between sugar consumption and ( CHD) risk the
(UK) panel on diet and cardio-vascular disease could find
no evidence that sugar was specifically related to ( CHD
)despite a barrage of prepublication by food activists that
sugar was a major contributory factor It is generally agreed
that the primary diet factors involved in ( CHD) are nature
and amount of fat in the diet .That is why dietary guidelines
frequently called for a decrease in intake to be accompanied
by an increase in carbohydrates consumption .Although these
guidelines often recommended that the increased carbohydrate
intake should take the form of complex carbohydrates .It
can include sugar .
4. SUGAR
AND OBESITY
Eating too much of anything makes you fat specially if calories
are consumed if more than calories used up. Scientific studies
show that people who are over weight often eat less sugar
then thin people and there is now plenty of evidence to
show that carbohydrates rich diet can help suppress appetite
.One explanation for this is that lean people have more
active lifestyle which not only keep them trim but also
allow them to eat more of the foods they like and less of
fats .Which contributes more than twice as many calories
as sugar ,and alcohol also almost twice as many .
5. SUGAR AND
HYPOGLYCEMIA
Medical community believes that this is a rare condition
that has been over diagnosed in recent years
.Misinformation
and the natural desire to find a physical cause for poorly
defined symptoms such as fatigue irritability and nervousness
have led to the popularization of hypoglycemia as a diagnosis
even though similar symptoms may also arise due to stress
in our lives . Understanding hypoglycemia is complicated
by the fact that there is no standard medical definition
as to where a normal blood sugar levels ends and low blood
sugar begins .In fact there is a vide range of blood sugar
levels that can be considered normal. Recent investigations
into how the body responds to various carbohydrates indicate
no reason to suspect the sugar poses a special metabolic
problem .Sugar has been found to have only a moderate effect
on blood sugar levels .Various carbohydrates sources such
as carrots and potato has been found to effect the body
blood sugar more markedly than sucrose In a recent symposium
sponsored by the national alliance for research on schizophrenia
and depression a national organization based on (GREAT NECK)
. N.Y a study on the relationship between sugar and stress
and the brain mechanism that control weight and appetite
was presented according to this a pathway called the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal
axis has been identified as the main regulator of the body
stress response .It was observed that intake of more sugar
reduced the level of corticosteroid responsible for stress
by almost half.
6. SUGAR AND HYPERACTIVITY IN CHILDREN
This statement is not supported by any medical evidence
according to the American medical association hyperactivity
is a complex behavioural syndrome the American council on
science and health have questioned whether or not it can
be related to diet at all .The 1989 (UK) committee on medical
aspect on food policy ("COMA") concluded that sugar has
no significant specific effect on behaviour or psychological
functions Research shoes that the perceived effect of sugar
on children behaviour has more to do with the influence
of people around them then with any sugar containing food
they are eating .
7. SUGAR AND DENTAL
CARIES
Dental caries is an infectious disease by the interaction
of bacteria which reside in plague on the surface of the
teeth with retained food particles especially carbohydrate.
This acid produced erode tooth enamel leading to the formation
of cavities .For caries to develop three factors are required
-a susceptible tooth bacteria and a carbohydrate food stuff
.A susceptible tooth surface which is not already decayed
but prone to develop caries .Secondly micro organisms present
in the mouth which used micro organism food to grow on the
tooth surface .The ability of these micro organism to grow
depends upon the frequency of food consumption and the length
of time it remained in the teeth .Many tooth which contain little or no sucrose (but contain
other fermentable carbohydrates )are capable of performing
tooth decay . A primary consideration in dietary control
of dental caries must be that of frequency and form of intake
. Food which adhere to or between tooth surface may be particularly
harmful Use of fluoride in drinking water is the most efficient
way to reduce incidence of caries in America .The reduction
in the dental caries has been 50% to70% as a result of water
fluoridation .In Ireland apart from fluoridated water usage
of fluoride tooth paste resulted in dramatic fall in tooth
decay .Good oral hygiene is obviously essential . The
etilogy of dental caries is multifactorial with oral microbial
flora host factors and dietary factors being the three major
factors involved in the development of the disease .
8. CHEMICAL SWEETENERS
From time to time a number of chemical
sweeteners were produced and used by the public. With passage
of time and further research, some of these had to be banned
as being harmful to health. It took quite some time before
such conclusions could be reached. In the meanwhile,
gullible public were induced into consumption of such
harmful chemical sweeteners. A few such instances are as
follows:
Likewise some of the recently introduced
chemical sweeteners may subsequently prove to be a health
hazard since scientific research is a continuous process.
Consumption of such products may thus be beset with unknown risk which may become known later at a stage when damage may
have been caused due to their consumption over a period of
time. On the other hand, sugar, whether expressed in terms
of sucrose or fructose is a natural product and is a
wonderful gift of nature to the mankind. It has many virtues
and cannot cause health hazard unless misused. Therefore,
the risk evaluation between sugar consumption and that of
chemical sweeteners must take this important factor into
account.
9.
Cyclamate
Cyclamate,
a cyclohexylsuphamic acid (related in its chemical structure
to saccharin), 30-40 times sweeter than sucrose, was
discovered in 1944 and became popular in the mid-sixties when
it was used primarily in soft drinks along with saccharin.
Cyclamate
was banned in 1970 in the UK and the USA following some
adverse toxicity results, which indicated that it is
carcinogenic in animals and causes testicular atrophy.
However,
despite its ban in the UK and USA, it is still permitted in
some European countries, Australia and New Zealand.
10.
Saccharin
Saccharin,
sodium salt of ortho-sulphobenzoic acid, 300 times sweeter
than sucrose, was the first artificial sweetener to be
discovered in 1879. Consumption rates increased significantly
during the war time (both 1 and II) when sugar was rationed.
Use of saccharin continued to increase in the sixties and
seventies due to the rising popularity of low calorie food and
drink and its low cost. Unlike sugar, saccharin has a
lingering bitter metallic after taste.
There
were fears about its safety when studies suggested that
saccharin caused bladder cancer in laboratory rats. Its use
was banned in Canada in 1977. The US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) considered banning it in 1977 based on
this animal research. However, Congress placed a moratorium on
the ban to allow for more research on saccharin's safety. This
moratorium has been extended seven times due to continued
consumer demand. The FDA withdrew the ban in 1991, but the
moratorium is still in effect until the year 2002. The use of
saccharine is permitted in the USA but the products have to
contain warning statement, "Use of this product may be
hazardous to your health. This product contains saccharin
which ahs been determined to cause cancer in laboratory
animals".
11.
Over-Consumption of sugars and fat balance:
Dietary
carbohydrates are either immediately oxidised to provide
energy, stored as glycogen (an energy reserve) or converted
to fat in the liver by a process known as do novo
lipogenesis. This is an energetically expensive so
carbohydrates do not contribute significantly to the fat
store. There are some concerns that as the proportion of
refined carbohydrates increases in the diet, de novo
lipogenesis may contribute more than once thought to the
body's fat stores. This was investigated in a group of lean
and obese people who were over fed sucrose and fructose. The
study showed that although de novo lipogenesis was increased
(by 2-3 times), it did not contribute significantly to the
body's overall fat balance – confirming our original
hypothesis, that carbohydrates do not contribute greatly to
the body's fat stores.
12.
High carbohydrates intake associated with lower measures of
body weight:
A study of
dietary intake in 3000 men and women with type 1 diabetes
found that those who had higher intakes of carbohydrates,
including sugars and starches, had lower body mass index and
waist circumference (WC). Intake or saturated fats, those
found in meat and dairy products, was associated with higher
measures of body weight. These findings are constantly
reproduced in studies.
13.
Nutrition guidelines and education of the Public
The abstract discusses the
purpose of dietary guidelines and the factors that influence
their effectiveness. It considers that holistic approaches
that are targeted to reduction in risks of dietary
deficiencies, food-borne illnesses and multiple chronic
degenerative diseases are probably the most useful for the
nutrition education of the public. Guidelines also need to
be updated periodically and communicated effectively.
14.
Is waist circumference (WC) a useful predictor of coronary
heart disease risk ?
Measuring WC is a simple
and useful tool with which to measure abdominal obesity. As
abdominal obesity is known to increase the risk of
developing coronary heart disease, WC is considered, along
with other measures, to be a good means of predicting risk
of coronary heart disease. A study was carried out to
investigate this but found it only to be true in the case of
younger subjects. In older subjects, once body mass index
was known, WC did not add to the prediction of risk of heart
disease.
