Sugar Craving: a Disease of Energy Production
By Jurriaan Plesman, BA(Psych_, Post Grad Dip Clin Nutr
The cravings we sometimes have is a sign that the body is looking for certain nutrients in order to manufacture the feel good neurotransmitters , such as serotonin.
This goes to show that neurotransmitters are assembled from ingredients in food we ingest, and this is one of the main reasons why I believe, that endogenous depression is a nutritional disorder.
The food cravings is usually related to sugary foods, but may include non-sugary foods such as cravings for food containing certain nutrients necessary in serotonin production. One such nutrient is vitamin B12 (especially among vegetarians) and folic acid, because these nutrients are necessary in the formation of SAM-e an antidepressant nutrient as we all know. There are many other nutrients that may be missing such as zinc, vitamin B6, niacin (B3), chromium, magnesium and many more – all nutrients required in serotonin production.
Another nutrient is glucose (high in sugary foods), that is converted by a biochemical pathway called glycolysis , into biological energy or adenosinetriphosphate ( ATP ).
Without ATP the body cannot produce the feel good neurotransmitters.
It is when something goes wrong in sugar metabolism that the hypothalamus - the major appetite centre in the brain - is given the wrong signals. When we have Insulin Resistance leading to hypoglycemic symptoms, the body is craving for biological energy, because cells are starved of glucose that is NOT converted to energy, when we have insulin resistance. This can also lead to weight gain as excess unused glucose is stored in fat cells. This also explains Syndrome X , which is known among doctors as the forerunner of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
When sugar is consumed the body increases its insulin secretion from the pancreas. Insulin is a hormone that pushes nutrients (glucose, fatty acids and amino acids - proteins) across cell membranes.
However it does not affect tryptophan - the nutritional forerunner of serotonin. Thus sugary foods triggers insulin secretion leaving tryptophan available for immediate conversion to serotonin with the help of vitamin B6, and magnesium (and some other coenzymes ). And presto when we eat sugar we feel happy .
Thus sugary foods help to increase serotonin production.
The trouble is that addiction to sugary foods may aggravate the inherent insulin resistance, that is the very cause of sugar addiction. When the body is bombarded with sugar, it threatens organs, because excess sugar (glucose) oxidizes into free radicals that is responsible for many degenerative diseases apart from depression. [Read: 146 reasons sugar can harm your health by Nancy Appleton.]
The only way of beating sugar addiction is going on a Hypoglycemic Diet .
This will no doubt increase the sugar cravings initially, but this can be treated by taking [vegetable] glycerine . This is converted to glucose in the liver and slowly released into the blood stream. It is not controlled by the pancreas, hence there is no excess insulin reaction.
Take one tablespoon of glycerine, mixed in a glass of water with a dash of lemonade to improve taste. You can make a bottle of this and drink this three times a day. It will stop sugar cravings, may improve depression and sleeping patterns, avoid the secretion of excess stress hormones. When you are on the hypoglycemic diet, the body will gradually learn to obtain glucose from other than refined carbohydrates
- as it should - and restore proper glucose metabolism, so necessary in serotonin production.
Coconut Oil can also reduce cravings, reduce obesity, improve thyroid function and insulin resistance.
Another substance that can allay cravings is taking glutamine or taking Rhodiola rosea.
There is a saying: “An apple a day, keeps the doctor away” and the reason is that an apple provides not only roughage, but is also an anti-diabetic or sugar controlling fruit.
Other herbs with a hypoglycemic action can be found [see link below].
1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.
2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in the body.
3. Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children.
4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in triglycerides.
5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases).
6. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function, the more sugar you eat the more elasticity and function you loose.
7. Sugar reduces high-density lipoproteins.
8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency.
9. Sugar leads to cancer of the ovaries.
10. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose.
11. Sugar causes copper deficiency.
12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
13. Sugar may make eyes more vulnerable to age-related macular degeneration.
14. Sugar raises the level of a neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.
15. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
16. Sugar can produce an acidic digestive tract.
17. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline levels in children.
18. Sugar malabsorption is frequent in patients with functional bowel disease.
19. Sugar can cause premature aging.
20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
21. Sugar can cause tooth decay.
22. Sugar contributes to obesity
23. High intake of sugar increases the risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.
24. Sugar can cause changes frequently found in person with gastric or duodenal ulcers.
25. Sugar can cause arthritis.
26. Sugar can cause asthma.
27. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections).
28. Sugar can cause gallstones.
29. Sugar can cause heart disease.
30. Sugar can cause appendicitis.
31. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.
32. Sugar can cause varicose veins.
33. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.
34. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
35. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
36. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity.
37. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
38. Sugar can lower the amount of Vitamin E (alpha-Tocopherol) in the blood.
39. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.
40. Sugar can increase cholesterol.
41. Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure.
42. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar bound non-enzymatically to protein)
43. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein.
44. Sugar causes food allergies.
45. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
46. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
47. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
48. Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease.
49. Sugar can impair the structure of DNA
50. Sugar can change the structure of protein.
51. Sugar can make our skin age by changing the structure of collagen.
52. Sugar can cause cataracts.
53. Sugar can cause emphysema.
54. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis.
55. Sugar can promote an elevation of low-density lipoproteins (LDL).
56. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in the body.
57. Sugar lowers the enzymes ability to function.
58. Sugar intake is higher in people with Parkinson’s disease.
59. Sugar can increase the size of the liver by making the liver cells divide.
60. Sugar can increase the amount of liver fat.
61. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney.
62. Sugar can damage the pancreas.
63. Sugar can increase the body's fluid retention.
64. Sugar is enemy #1 of the bowel movement.
65. Sugar can cause myopia (nearsightedness).
66. Sugar can compromise the lining of the capillaries.
67. Sugar can make the tendons more brittle.
68. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraine.
69. Sugar plays a role in pancreatic cancer in women.
70. Sugar can adversely affect school children's grades and cause learning disorders.
71. Sugar can cause depression.
72. Sugar increases the risk of gastric cancer.
73. Sugar and cause dyspepsia (indigestion).
74. Sugar can increase your risk of getting gout.
75. Sugar can increase the levels of glucose in an oral glucose tolerance test over the ingestion of complex carbohydrates.
76. Sugar can increase the insulin responses in humans consuming high-sugar diets compared to low-sugar diets.
77. A diet high in refined sugar reduces learning capacity.
78. Sugar can cause less effective functioning of two blood proteins, albumin, and lipoproteins, which may reduce the body’s ability to handle fat and cholesterol.
79. Sugar can contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.
80. Sugar can cause platelet adhesiveness.
81. Sugar can cause hormonal imbalance; some hormones become under active and others become overactive.
82. Sugar can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
83. Diets high in sugar can cause free radicals and oxidative stress.
84. High sugar diet can lead to biliary tract cancer.
85. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents is associated with a twofold-increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.
86. High sugar consumption can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration among adolescents.
87. Sugar slows food's travel time through the gastrointestinal tract.
88. Sugar increases the concentration of bile acids in stools and bacterial enzymes in the colon. This can modify bile to produce cancer-causing compounds and colon cancer.
89. Sugar increases estradiol (the most potent form of naturally occurring estrogen) in men.
90. Sugar combines with and destroys phosphatase, an enzyme, which makes the process of digestion more difficult.
91. Sugar can be a risk factor of gallbladder cancer.
92. Sugar is an addictive substance.
93. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.
94. Sugar can exacerbate PMS.
95. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.
96. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.
97. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.
98. Sugar can worsen the symptoms of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
99. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.
100. Sugar can slow down the ability of the adrenal glands to function.
101.. I.Vs (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to the brain.
102. High sucrose intake could be an important risk factor in lung cancer.
103. Sugar increases the risk of polio.
104. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.
105. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.
106. In Intensive Care Units, limiting sugar saves lives.
107. Sugar may induce cell death.
108. Sugar can increase the amount of food that you eat.
109. In juvenile rehabilitation camps, when children were put on a low sugar diet, there was a 44% drop in antisocial behavior.
110. Sugar can lead to prostrate cancer.
111. Sugar dehydrates newborns.
112. Sugar can cause low birth weight babies.
113. Greater consumption of refined sugar is associated with a worse outcome of schizophrenia
114. Sugar can raise homocysteine levels in the blood stream.
115. Sweet food items increase the risk of breast cancer.
116. Sugar is a risk factor in cancer of the small intestine.
117. Sugar may cause laryngeal cancer.
118. Sugar induces salt and water retention.
119. Sugar may contribute to mild memory loss.
120. The more sodas a 10 year old child consumes, the less milk.
121. Sugar can increase the total amount of food consumed.
122. Exposing a newborn to sugar results in a heightened preference for sucrose relative to water at 6 months and 2 years of age.
123. Sugar causes constipation.
124. Sugar causes varicose veins.
125. Sugar can cause brain decay in prediabetic and diabetic women.
126. Sugar can increase the risk of stomach cancer.
127. Sugar can cause metabolic syndrome.
128. Sugar ingestion by pregnant women increases neural tube defects in embryos.
129. Sugar can be a factor in asthma.
130. The higher the sugar consumption the more chances of getting irritable bowel syndrome.
131. Sugar can affect the brain’s ability to deal with rewards and consequences.
132. Sugar can cause cancer of the rectum.
133. Sugar can cause endometrial cancer.
134. Sugar can cause renal (kidney) cell carcinoma.
135. Sugar can cause liver tumors.
136. Sugar can increase inflammatory markers in the blood stream of overweight people.
137. Sugar can lower Vitamin E levels in the blood stream.
138. Sugar can increase your appetite for all food.
139. Sugar plays a role in the etiology and the continuation of acne.
140. Too much sugar can kill your sex life.
141. Sugar saps school performance in children.
142. Sugar can cause fatigue, moodiness, nervousness and depression.
143. Sugar is common choice of obese individuals.
144. A linear decrease in the intake of many essential nutrients is associated with increasing total sugar intake.
145. High fructose consumption has been linked to liver disease.
146. Sugar adds to the risk of bladder cancer.
I'm actually having this problem now and its' new for me. I'm not an "SADer" and don't even eat this stuff. I have insulin/adrenal/thyroid issues because my thyroid was removed years ago and ever since going to this new doctor and trying the so called "Insulin Resistance" or "Hypoglcemic" type diet.... I am craving sugar every night and it's driving me insane. Which is basically high protein and fat (healthy fat obviously), lots of vegetables, no fruit and no grains.
Some people give me the crap answer that it's "Detox" which is BS because I can fast and not have these type of intense cravings. I've done Ketogenic diets in the past and I've never even had these type of cravings while in ketosis.
I couldn't stand it last night and went to Starbucks at 11pm for sugar. That was great. Oddly enough, I slept great last night too without any waking up at odd hours and have felt good today. Maybe I'm still on a sugar high.
Maybe try some of the healthier suggestions in the article. Or - what I do eventhough I do not use too much sugar, is I get unprocessed turbinado raw sugar.
Try the moreless drink: Unsulphured blackstrap Molasses, lemon juice and a bit of Epsom salt. I contains a lot of minerals and may completely curb your cravings
while you research and add new things to your regimen.
Brazil nuts, almonds, unprocessed dried fruits and seeds will also provide some degree of satisfaction.
Small meals every two to three hours will keep the sugar levels even.
EFA's: Essential fatty acids, B12 & B complex
Good luck in your search...
Hope some of these things help you allay the sugar cravings.
Images Description Ailments, Illness, Diseases & Disorders Books Rules
Home
Sugar Craving: a Disease of Energy Production 
