Sugar: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

My name is Melody Lesser and I am a sugarholic. I’ve tried to quit, but it’s so hard to resist a sweet treat in the late afternoon when my stores of energy are depleted. I like a sugary “nightcap” after a satisfying dinner and I’ve been known to take a chocolate bar to bed. I’ve tried to cut down; I’ve even gone cold turkey – but it never lasts. The lure of lemon meringue pie – or sugar in almost any of its incarnations, except, you know, the kind found in fruits and vegetables – draws me back in.

Sugar is the new “bad guy” of the health industry. They’re always picking on someone. Remember eggs? We were told how bad they were for our cholesterol and now they’re ok. Or coconut oil? That stuff was considered a killer food – until it wasn’t, and now it’s the darling of the food and also of the beauty industries. (Yup, you can cook with coconut oil and use it as a hair mask or facial moisturizer. Who knew?)

So now it’s sugar’s turn. This is really no surprise to me. After a night of sugar debauchery, I become a walking billboard that proclaims this sweet treat’s detrimental effects. The morning after just ain’t pretty. My skin looks puffy and oddly sallow. My eyes are sunken and my stomach looks swollen. And that’s to say nothing of the way I feel. After a night of embracing sugar I wake up with a stomach ache, a ravenous appetite and I feel as if I’m dragging my buns for the better part of the morning. Oh sugar, I know you aren’t good for me – but I just can’t cut you out of my life.

The Facts About Sugar

The Good

Sugar tastes good. It makes me happy and that’s probably why my favorite holidays are Valentine’s Day and Halloween. And, I’m obviously not alone. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that each of us eats one hundred fifty-six pounds of added sugar each year.  And maybe that’s the rub. Maybe if I could just cut down on sugary sweets, learn to eat them in moderation, I could take sugar off of my Do-Not-Eat-Under-Any-Circumstance-Except-at-Valentine’s-Day-Birthdays-(My-Own)-Weddings-Anniversaries-(My-Own-Again)-and-Whenever-I-Crave-A-Little-Something-Sweet List. Eh, who am I kidding?

The Bad

There are so many reasons to cut down – or eliminate – added sugar from our diets, say health experts. Researchers have found a link between sugar and high cholesterol. While research has yet to prove a cause and effect between sugar and high cholesterol, it’s clear from studies that people who ate the highest amounts of sugar had the lowest HDL cholesterol levels and the highest triglyceride ones. (HDL is the “good” cholesterol, the one that protects against heart disease.)

Sugar is bad for your teeth. While sugar doesn’t rot teeth – acid does – sugar triggers bacteria in your mouth to make acid that causes tooth decay. And that’s why you’re told to brush your teeth after every meal.

Studies have shown a link between sugar and diabetes. While sugar does not cause diabetes – type 1 diabetes is caused by genetics and, that catchall culprit, unknown factors; type 2 diabetes is caused by genetics and lifestyle factors – being overweight increases the risk for developing type 2 diabetes. New research indicates that consuming sugary drinks is linked to type 2 diabetes. (Remember that time that Mayor Bloomberg tried to ban supersized sugary beverages from being sold in movie theaters and other public venues? Yeah, that’s why.)

Some studies have found that sugar triggers dopamine, the chemical that controls pleasure in the brain and the same chemical that’s associated with drug addiction. This has led some people to conclude that sugar is addicting. The jury’s still out on that one and while both sides argue equally vehemently, sugar detoxes are becoming increasingly popular.

Sugar has been blamed for causing heart disease, cancer, obesity and hyperactivity – and while there are an equal number of studies that say sugar is not always the culprit or not just the only culprit, there is enough evidence to support the fact that we, and certainly I, need to cut down on sugar intake.

The Ugly

Ron Cummings, founder and CEO of AminoGenesis Skin Care, which utilizes amino acids as the key ingredients to its age- and damage-reversing products, says sugar is making us ugly. “Excess sugar in our bodies is now being revealed as one of the most damaging elements to our appearance. As it turns out, these sweet little sugar molecules are leading a double life. In a process called glycation, excess sugar in our blood stream attacks the proteins throughout our bodies. As a matter of fact, these sugar molecules attach themselves to proteins – much like a parasite. Once bonding happens, that particular protein becomes glycated; or, in other words, sick.”

But wait, there’s more …

“A recently glycated protein becomes misshapen, hardened, does not function correctly and excretes exotoxins that affect surrounding proteins. After the glycation process has run its course, the protein is referred to as an Advanced Glycation End Product, or A.G.E. for short.”

Got that? Good. It gets worse.

“Our skin is essentially one giant protein suit that covers us and protects all of our inner workings from the outside world. Most people are aware that the main protein in human skin is collagen, the proteins of which are very long lasting. They have a half-life of approximately 15 years and are not immune to the effects of glycation. Just like other proteins, when collagen becomes glycated, that protein is now considered an A.G.E. Like others, collagen proteins become misshapen, hardened, brittle and excrete exotoxins. While you can’t see the effects of most proteins in your body when they become glycated, the effects of glycation on skin proteins become very evident. Essentially, every visible sign we attribute to aging skin – including wrinkles, fine lines, discoloration, sagging, uneven skin tones, stress, loss of elasticity, etc. – can all be attributed to the process of glycation.”

Uh oh. I am glycating as I write this.

“Glycation becomes more evident in your appearance when sugar molecules attack the surface proteins on the fine capillaries of your skin. This process causes your capillaries to leak, causing what we recognize as spider veins. The same process can happen in the under-eye area, which we recognize as dark circles. The most demoralizing aspect of glycation is the fact that once a protein has become glycated, or is now considered an A.G.E., the damage is permanent. Glycation is an additive effect and probably begins as soon as we’re born, affecting us throughout our lifetime.”

Oh My God.

Cummings says that while the glycation effects of sugar are irreversible, gulp, we can prevent further damage with topically applied serums that block the glycation process. He cites a recent clinical trial study of 500 women who, after 60 days of using a plant-based topical serum derived from plant extracts, appeared an average of 8 to 10 years younger. (Look for anti-glycation treatments to be the new weapon in the war on aging, he says.)

So there you have it: the good, the bad and the ugly of sugar. All of this information is making my head spin. I need a break. Think I’ll stop for a cup of tea and a … bet you thought I was going to say doughnut. Nah, I’ve learned my lesson. Tea – and a carrot. Yeah, that’s the ticket.

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