Sugar…sugar…Ahhh…honey…honey. Sugar – one thing leads to another sweet thing. We think sugar is bad but are we switching to something worse?

Wow! Did you know that these sweeteners are 200-13,000 times sweeter than regular sugar? Dr. Osborne stated that these high-powered chemically processed sweeteners change your taste buds and will develop an addiction. You will begin craving sweeter and sweeter foods.

Which one do you use in your coffee or tea? Do you use a sugar substitute? Let’s find out the truth about sugar substitutes.

Dr. Osborne, as a chiropractor and nutritionist, believes in functional medicine. https://drpeterosborne.com/ He has the whole list of side effects on his website from migraines, cancer, toxic liver, lung problems, bloating, nausea, nerve damage, just to name a few of the side effects. These side effects will create serious long-term damage. Dr. Osborne goes on to list the other products that have artificial sweeteners in it that you may not know, and neither did I.  https://drpeterosborne.com/artificial-sweeteners-toxic-side-effects.  He listed: chewing gum, breathe mints, beverages, alcohol, salad dressing, dairy products, gelatin, preserves, baked goods, yogurt, children’s vitamins, breakfast cereal, snack foods, soups, and even toothpaste. I am not surprised at most of these but just a little bit disappointed with chewing gum. He also mentioned that if the label says sugar-free, there is probably an artificial sweetener in there somewhere. Dr. Osborne brings up the point about those who may have grain sensitivities, and the fillers manufacturers use are often from corn.

Dr. Osborne mentioned a study done on artificial sweeteners altering the microbial metabolic pathways. This is serious stuff. When gut flora changes for the worst, glucose intolerance occurs, and the immune system is affected. This dysfunction in metabolism also affects blood pressure, blood glucose, and cholesterol levels. Studies are being conducted on sweeteners’ connection to certain cancers, chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s disease, MS, autism, and systemic lupus.

Furthermore, Dr. Oz, our famous TV doctor says the same thing about sweeteners. https://www.wellbuzz.com/dr-oz-diet/dr-oz-artificial-sweeteners-sugar-substitutes-cause-bladder-damage/

What can we do to minimize LPS?

Let’s take this gut flora a step further. Your good flora protects the inside of your intestinal lining, keeping certain things inside like bad bacteria. Once the good flora is missing, lipopolysaccharides (LPS) bacteria toxins leak into the body. This is called leaky gut. Once in your bloodstream, the immune system knows it doesn’t belong which creates an immune response and inflammation happens throughout the body. Some inflammatory diseases are allergies, arthritis, asthma, cancer, depression, diabetes, gout, IBS, and stroke. Dr. Perlmutter stated that Alzheimer’s disease stems from LPS leaking into the body and causing inflammation. This is the long-term effects sweeteners can have by disturbing the gut flora. LPS can also get into the body by infections, leaky gut, or high-fat meals.

Folks, it doesn’t matter if it is pink, yellow, or blue. This stuff is toxic to your mind and body. A huge price to pay for a few calories. To use a real substitute for sugar, turn to nature. Sugar alternatives are stevia, maple syrup, agave syrup or crystals, coconut sugar, brown rice syrup, date sugar, barley malt syrup, rapadura sugar (unrefined cane), fruit juice or puree, and local honey. I am sure even more exist than what I have listed.

What else should you know about sugar and health?

Since we are on the topic of sugar, let me fill you in on Type 2 diabetes which is a dysfunction of metabolism, namely insulin resistance. There are two other diabetes categories, Type 1 requiring insulin injections and gestational diabetes happens with pregnancy. Right now, I will address Type 2. Type 2 diabetes is an inflammatory disease that can lead to devastating conditions such as neuropathy, blindness, kidney failure, coma, and amputations. The immune system is fabulous at killing invaders but when stress is involved it tries to react and produces cytokines that are pro-inflammatory proteins that don’t get turned off by anti-inflammatory cytokines. Our bodies continue to carry a low-grade inflammation that creates disease and leads to a heart attack or stroke. Furthermore, scientists are looking further into inflammation as the cause of mental illness.

Here are the stats:
“An estimated 29.1 million people have diabetes and another 8.1 million are undiagnosed (Centers for Disease Control, [CDC] 2014). The CDC reported 78 million people were considered obese. There are 347 million people who have diabetes worldwide. Diabetes costs roughly $245 billion in the United States (Yang et al. 2013). The average health care cost for a newly diagnosed diabetic over their lifetime is $85,200 and 53% of that cost will be used for treating complications (Zhuo, Zhang, & Hoerger 2013). The growth of Type 2 diabetes is estimated to reach 642 million by the year 2040 (Awad, O’Flaherty, Critchley, & Abu-Raddad 2018). As the global population continues to increase so do the risk factors of obesity, smoking, and physical inactivity (Awad, et al., 2018)” as cited in Vance, (2019).

The best way to stay clear of Type 2 diabetes is to monitor food intake, exercise, get good sleep, and manage stress. The medical definition of Type 2 includes middle age, overweight and sedentary lifestyles. I have found that it is mostly stress that will elevate blood sugar. Read more about Type 2 at https://immune8.com/blog/. Research is also looking into fatty liver and LPS as I mentioned above.

Natural ways to help yourself if you have Type 2.

1. Check your blood sugar regularly, once in the morning before breakfast, and an hour before your evening meal.
2. Diet: As far as food is concerned try eating low-fat and low carbohydrates. Research points to the Mediterranean diet to be the best. Also, check out keto, some say okay and others don’t. Doctors recommend following the glycemic food index. Since this is an inflammatory disease, to me it makes sense to eat anti-inflammatory foods. Here are a few: blueberries, fatty fish, broccoli, avocados, green tea, peppers, mushrooms, and grapes. Watch out for what I call the ..catch 22. In other words, you don’t miss out on vital nutrients from cutting certain foods out of your diet.
3. Exercise: Just moving your body will burn up the excess sugar in your blood. Swimming, jogging, walking, weight lifting. Exercise at least 20 minutes 3 times a week in cardio. Weight resistance in small spurts has been reported to make a difference.
4. Dealing with stress: meditation always. Your perception of events has a great deal to do with your ability to stay healthy. See my blog on Soo, you think you are stressed. I recommend doing Tai chi or reflexology. Also, essential oils have been so useful and motivating. Oils have been researched and showed significant evidence of their benefits. You can also check out the essential oil benefits of Immune 8 blend https://immune8.com/immune-8-blend-and-beneficial-actions/

To Your Health & Happiness!!

Margie