SUGAR AND THE BODY

The average American -- this includes every man, woman, and child -- consumes approximately 32
teaspoons of sugar each day. If the sugar were taken in a natural form, this would amount to over 90
feet of sugar cane to chew. Most people are unaware of the amounts of sugar found in ordinary
pastries, desserts, drinks and snack foods. Listed below are a few of the common foods and the actual
amounts of sugar hidden in them.

A high sugar intake is implicated in elevation of triglycerides and the serum lipoprotein, which is just
as bad, if not worse, than high cholesterol in the production of heart disease. Sugar consumption has
also been associated with dental caries, gallbladder disease, diabetes, acne, and indigestion. In the book
Counsels on Diet and Foods, page 321, the following statement appears: "The less of sweet foods ...
eaten, the better; these cause disturbances in the stomach, and produce impatience and irritability in
those who accustom themselves to their use."

Another important fact about sugar has to do with disease resistance. The white blood cells with
segmented nuclei increase in numbers in the blood stream when the body has a bacterial infection.
These cells destroy bacteria. They are the body's soldiers. However, when the blood sugar level goes
up, these cells get sluggish and cannot destroy as many bacteria. (This study was done on common
table sugar; honey and syrups had a similar effect, but fresh fruits and fruit juices did not affect the
ability to kill bacteria.)

EFFECT OF SUGAR INTAKE ON ABILITY OF

WHITE BLOOD CELLS TO DESTROY BACTERIA

Teaspoons of sugar eaten at Number of bacteria destroyed by each Percentage decrease in ability to
one time by average adult WBC destroy bacteria

0 14 0
6 10 25
12 5.5 60
18 2 85
24 1 92
Uncontrolled 1 92

Chocolate bar, average size 7 Apple pie , 1/6 pie 12

Chocolate fudge, 1 1/2 square 4 Pumpkin pie, 1/6 pie 10
Marshmallow, 1 average 1.5 Chocolate milk, 1 cup 6
Chewing gum, 1 stick .05 Cocoa, 1 cup 4
Chocolate cake, 11/2" piece 15 Banana split 25
Doughnut, glazed 8 Jam, I T 3
Brownie, 2" X 2" X ¾" 3 Honey, 1 T 3
Ice cream, 1/2 cup 5-6 Jelly, 1 T 2.5
Sherbet, 1/2 cup 6-8 Soft drinks,regular, 12 oz 10