The Hazards Of Refined Sugar Consumption

The purpose of this discussion is to give a comprehensive assessment of beet and cane sugar; providing information with regard to its chemical and physical properties as well as view its source and uses historically.  Most of all we want to examine the effects of sugar and other sweeteners during human consumption; making a clear distinction as to the nutritional value of sugars in whole foods as opposed to the detrimental effects that so-called “refined” sugar has on health and vitality.  Finally, this presentation will offer suggestions for alternatives to sugar as well as suggestions for removing refined sugar from our diet.

Table sugar (sucrose) is a sweet crystalline substance derived from the juices of various plants, chiefly sugar cane and sugar beet.  Chemically described as C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁; sugar (sucrose) is an organic compound from the carbohydrate nutrient class which is considered a prime source of energy in the human diet. Other compounds in this class are glucose from corn, fructose from fruit, lactose from milk, maltose from malt; also cellulose (plant fiber), glycogen (stored form of sugar in the liver), pectin, agar and starch.

The term carbohydrate (which means “watered carbon”) represents a class of naturally occurring compounds.  Carbohydrates are probably the most abundant and widespread organic substance in nature.  They are the essential constituents of all living things.  Carbohydrates are formed by green plants, e.g. during photosynthesis (the formation of sugar by plants using carbon dioxide gas, water, sun energy and chlorophyll) Carbohydrates serve organisms as energy sources and as essential structural components. In addition, part of the structure of nucleic acids, which contain genetic information, consists of carbohydrates. The sugar ribose is what contributes to DNA and RNA. Carbohydrates are available for immediate energy supply, whereas fats act as long-term energy resources, and tend to be utilized at slower rates.  Glucose, the prevalent non-combined or free sugar circulating in the blood of mammals is essential to cell function.

We must understand that carbohydrates in the context of whole food is combined with vitamins, proteins, minerals, fats and enzymes which aid in its metabolic cycle.  This is the context of whole herb plants that Yah commanded us to eat for food in Genesis 1:29. Refined sugar on the other hand is naked, extracted sugar with all nutrients removed, thus it must pull the necessary nutrients from other processes in the body and from places where minerals and nutrients are stored in order to be metabolized.  Concentrated sugar dumps into the bloodstream causing an imbalance in pH (acid content) as well as the oxygen balance within the blood. It puts undue stress on the body’s organs (liver, pancreas, kidney, adrenal glands, etc.) as they work to remove this excess waste from the bloodstream.  Refined sugar is disharmonic to the system because it interferes with the homeostasis of the various systems of the body (as we stall examine in detail later). The imbalances that refined sugar laces on the body’s organ systems can lead us to classify sugar as a drug.  A drug is defined as any substance that when taken into a living organism may modify one or more of its functions.

History of Sugar

Sugar trade and consumption has contributed in some way to the rise and fall of every nation that has utilized it. The first recorded sugar-making was in India as early as 3000 B.C.E. Sugar-making then propagated to Indochina. The Greeks discovered sugar cane when they explored the Indus River, 325 B.C.E., and the Romans originally used sugar as a medicine as they also did honey.  The Persians began growing, processing and trading sugar sometime after 600 A.C. Later, when Islam was over-run by Persia, and discovered sugar, they also discovered many new diseases and perforce divorced science from religion.

An early European observer credits the widespread use of sugar by Arab desert fighter as the reason for their loss of cutting edge.  Leonard Rauwolf in a work published in 1573, though written much earlier states:

“The Turks and the Moors cut of one piece after another and chewed them openly everywhere in the streets without shame…in this way they accustomed themselves to the gluttony and are no longer intrepid fighters they had formerly been.”

In England, by the year 1662, sugar consumption zoomed from zero to some 16 million pounds per year (this in little over two centuries). In 1665, London was swept by a plague.  More than 30,000 people died that September.  The plague was named after its most obvious symptom, the swelling, or, buboes, and became known as the “bubonic plague”. Interestingly, the people in the countryside who lived without sugar seemed to escape the plague.  Had anyone called it the “city sugar plague”, they would have been hung.  After the plague ran its course, on of London’s finest doctors, Thomas Willis, noted a new phenomena amongst his wealthy patients. The patients had an extraordinary sweetness in their urine.  Willis did not rock the boat of his rich clientele (those swimming in the royalties of England’s sugar trade.  Thus, in naming this disorder he made no mention of the word sugar; instead he blamed it on the bees.  The Greek word “diabetes” describes and inordinate passage of urine.  In Latin “mel” means honey, and “itus” means swelling or inflammation. The disorder was named “diabetes mellitus.” Today it is still mind-boggling to read through medical histories and journals and find again and again the basic cause of diabetes is still supposedly unknown.

Back-tracking a little; the last major crusade ended in 1204. A few years later, Pope Clement V received an appeal for a renewal of the Crusades.  A copy of the appeal went to the kings of France, England and Sicily, and it outlined a southern sugar strategy for bringing down the Saracens.  The appeal read as follows:

“In the land of Sultan, sugar grows in great quantities and draws large income and taxes.  If the Christians could seize these lands great injury would be inflicted on the Sultan, and at the same time Christendom would be wholly supplied from Cyprus.”

In the face of serpentine assurances such as this Christendom took a big bite out of the forbidden fruit called in case sugar (Genesis 3:4-7). What followed was seven centuries in which the seven deadly sins flourished across the seven seas, leaving a trail of slavery, genocides and organized crime.  British historian Noel Deere says flatly, “It will be no exaggeration to put the tale and toll of the slave trade at 20 million Africans of which two-thirds are charged against sugar.”

Thus sugar sponsored the enslavement of the African Edenic people.  This event itself was an omen of sugar detriment.  For centuries the scriptures were systematically perverted to prove solace for ‘slave-holding’ Christian ‘sugar-pushers. Sugar wars and sugar-pushing became the basis for some of the great fortunes of Britain and America.

In both cases, appalling human slavery, degradation and death were on the other sided of the coin.  Of course many countries England, Spain, Portugal, Wes Indies, South and North America, used the bodies and souls of Africans, along with sugar, for economic gain. Their gain was our pain and suffering.

Sugar has played a dominant role in the economy of quite a few nations; for this reason it is obvious that many aspects of its effect on health, may have been overlooked for some obviously political reason.  Let us take a serious look at refined sugar metabolism and it effects on human health.

When examining the physiological effects of sugar during human consumption, a good place to begin would be flood chemistry or “blood balance”. The normal amount of sugar or glucose, that should be circulation in the entire 4 liters of human blood at any given time, is one-half to one (1) teaspoon. To go above or below this level is courting havoc within the normal functioning of the body’s organ systems.  Sugar should be balanced with the blood-oxygen. The blood is the life of the flesh. When checking the health of an individual, we always begin with the blood.

Health Effects

Consumption of concentrated sugar peaks this balance, thus sugar which forms acids in the bloodstream is up and the oxygen level is down. The brain cells are the first cells to register and feel the trauma of this imbalance.  Further, blood sugar levels should always be balanced with vitamins and minerals for metabolism, mainly B-complex, calcium and phosphorous.  When naked or refined sugar dumps into the bloodstream the body reacts; it must steal the vitamins and nutrients from other processes and areas of storage.  Vitamins and minerals are drafted from nerves, muscles, liver kidneys, stomach, heart, skin, eyes and blood.  This is one reason why people in industrialized countries suffer from disorders such as nerve and digestive disorders, tiredness, poor eyesight, anemia, heart trouble, muscular disorders and skin diseases.

Let us take a closer look at the sugar-handling organs to see how they respond when the blood balance is thrown off by concentrated (refined) sugar consumption.

One of the main sugar-handling organs is the liver.  This organ works on both ends of the normal blood sugar range.  It stores glucose in a form called “glycogen”. Although excess sugar may be stored in the liver, there is a limit to its capacity to store sugar.  This same organ can also release this stored sugar when blood levels are too low.  It receives hormonal signals from the pancreas and adrenal glands via the brain, and then releases sugar into the bloodstream.  The excess accumulation of sugar in the liver can cause a “ballooning” effect on the liver.  When the liver is over-saturated, it will return the excess sugar to the bloodstream as fatty aids, which accumulate first in inactive parts of the body, e.g., hips, abdomen, thighs, and also on active organs such as the heart and kidney.  The liver itself can accumulate fat and begin degenerating…the beginning of weight gain!

The second organ that functions in the handling of sugar is the pancreas.  Again, this organ works on maintaining the ½ to one (1) teaspoon blood sugar level in the body by functioning on both ends.  A hormone called glucagons is secreted by the alpha cells of the pancreas to signal the liver to store sugar as glycogen when levels are too high.  On the other hand, the Beta cells of the pancreas secrete insulin.

Insulin is the mechanism by which sugar is utilized by the body’s cells.  The cells of all the organs and tissues must have insulin to usher sugar inside for respiration (energy production). Note here that diabetes is a result of the over-taxing of the Beta cells of the pancreas, they become “burned out” and cannot produce insulin.  The America Medical Association states that there is no connection between sugar consumption and diabetes; as we shall see in further examination of sugar metabolism, this is obviously a conspiracy. They know that if we stop consuming sugar, they will lose billions of dollars!

The third organ of sugar-handling is the kidney.  The kidney filters excess sugar out into the urine.  High blood sugar levels can overwork the bladder and kidney, causing frequent and urgent urination.

The fourth organ is the adrenal gland, which sits on top of the kidney.  This organ is mainly concerned with keeping sugar levels in the bloodstream up to the proper level.  Nonetheless, dumping sugar and over-working the organs to bring sugar level down can send the adrenal gland into fatigue from the “whiplash” of repeated “sugar highs” and “sugar lows” that the body experiences from repeated refined sugar intake.

Other organs affected by refined sugar consumption are as follows:

Brain cells. Brain cells are the first cells to register the blood oxygen imbalance of “sugar highs” and “sugar lows”. Some results of this abuse are: mental and nervous disorders, and difficulty in thinking clearly.  Malnourishment of the brain cells contribute to depression, paranoia, schizophrenia, as well as hyperactivity.  Attention Deficient Disorder (ADD), early sexual stimulation, and teen pregnancy in children has also been attributed to high sugar consumption.

Tooth and bone degeneration.  There are two mechanisms by which sugar consumption contributes to tooth decay.  One occurs when sugar changes the normal streptococcal bacteria in the mouth to and acid-producing species.  This acid then causes fermentation of all carbohydrate foods in the mouth and the result is dental cavities.  The second mechanism works directly through the bloodstream and affects teeth, bone and gums. Dental studies have proven that the calcium and phosphorous balance can be altered by 9 points in less than 2 1/2 hours following sugar consumption, leading to a need for the re-absorption of calcium from bone, teeth and gums.  Pyorrhea, which is categorized as a gum disease is actually a form of arthritis.   It just is not called arthritis, because of its location.  The calcium/phosphorous imbalance and bone re-absorption was proven on the basis of some 20,000 test performed by the Florida Biochemical Research Foundation during the past 20 years. This indicates that brushing the teeth before bed is very important.

The heart.  “With all thy diligence, keep thine heart.”  Research from the 1950s has proven that sugar consumption = B vitamin deficiency = heart trouble. B-complex is necessary for growth, good appetite and smooth function of the digestive tract and nerves.  Vitamin B is needed in considerable quantity for sugar metabolism. Since refined sugar is 96% to 99% sugar and contains no mineral, or B vitamins, Vitamin “B” must be taken from the liver, kidney and heart.

Further, studies have shown that beriberi (a vitamin B deficiency) can be induced in animals by feeding them a diet lacking B vitamins.  The symptoms can also be reversed by administering B vitamins. The signs of beriberi disease are: enlarged heart, decreased circulation time, increased venous blood pressure and massive swelling in the areas of the heart.  Other parts of the complex which serve heart function are: inosital, which prevents cholesterol build-up, choline which prevents high blood pressure, and Pyridoxine (B6) protects the heart muscle itself.  Finally panothenic acid, folic acid, vitamins B2, B12 and B1 (all part of the B-complex of vitamins) assist the adrenal gland in the handling of stress. Curve sugar consumption to cut down stress.

There are various other conditions and illnesses that have been proven to result from refined sugar intake.  We will now look at the disorders.

Diabetes – One of the best known and most prevalent of sugar diseases is diabetes. According to the American Medical Association, diabetes is chronic and incurable.  It is the inability of the pancreas to produce insulin which is needed for burning sugars in the body for energy. They do not associate diabetes with reined sugar consumption.  This is the same dishonesty that overlooks the causes of various other conditions discussed in this presentation which have been revealed by studies done some 20 to 40 years ago.  Diabetes affects over 12 million Americans (an understatement), and has far-reaching affects.  Other ailments succeed diabetes: diabetic retinopathy, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, diabetic accelerated aging, diabetic food allergies, diabetic ulcer, diabetic cataracts, diabetic glaucoma, diabetic heart disease, diabetic impotence, blindness, amputation of limbs, kidney disease, stroke and heart attack.  These aliments have been shrouded in mystery.  Just a little backtracking on sugar history can reveal the “cover-up”.

Polio has been linked to low blood sugar caused by diabetes.

Cancer – Diets high in sugar content are very irritating to the body’s tissues, whether these affects lead to cancer has not been proven, but the connection is becoming apparent.

Fat – Sugar consumption produces fat, which is dangerous. The liver can only hold 150 grams of glycogen (stored sugar). Beyond this point, sugar returns to the body as fat, and causes the degeneration of the organs.

The scope of this presentation is not vast enough to cite the many testimonies, studies, case histories and phenomena which testify to the woes of sugar consumption.  Disease caused by refined sugar in the diet run the range from acne, depression and schizophrenia to cancer and heart disease.  The seriousness of the sugar conspiracy, sugar addiction an illness caused by reined sugar consumption leaves no room of ignorance, doubt or error.

Some suggestions for breaking the sugar habit are:

1. Drastically abstain or reduce your level of sugar consumption.
2. Increase your supplements: sesame seeds, kelp, and blackstrap molasses
3. Drink more water and fresh fruit juices
4. Avoid purchasing more than one kilogram or pound of sugar for a family of four per month.
5. Use more dried fruits as sweeteners (dates, figs, raisins, and bananas).

A paraphrase of a quote from William Duffy’s book “Sugar Blues”:

“In the eternal order of the universe, man-refined sugar, like all other things, plays its part.  Perhaps the sugar pushers are our predators, leading us into temptation, peddling a kind of sweet, sweet human pesticide which lures greedy seekers…into self- destruction, weeding the human garden, naturally selecting the fittest for survival while the rest go down in another biblical flood, not water this time, but Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, and lemonade- purifying the human race for a new age.”

References:

1. William Duffy, Sugar Blues, Warner Co. 1976.
2. “Sugar, The Curse of Civilization”, excerpt by J.I. Rodale, editor-in-chief, “Prevention Magazine” –2^nd Edition, The Rodale Press Berkhamsted Herts. 1967.
3. Lind-Rectar – Page, “Healthy Healing”
4. Marcea Weber, “Whole Meals” Prism Press, 1983.
5. Encyclopedia Britannica – 15^th edition- Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. 1984.

African Hebrew Israelite Community Divine Ministry of Health