This article is in response to 60 Minutes segment, which aired on April 1, 2012 addressing toxicity of sugar and a declaration of war on sugar. One can make a strong case that we have become a society that easily declares war on just about anybody and anything without clearly identifying whom or what the enemy is. The recent declaration of war on sugar is one of many health wars going on today. One of the biggest problems in these wars is that we get the public involved in these campaigns without understanding the root causes of what it is we are fighting. In many cases, we arm the public with wrong sets of facts and inadequate information.

The other serious problem is medical community often declare health wars however, rarely informs the public when the war is over. We rarely declare victory on the enemy or an end to many of health wars we declared. These wars go on endlessly because many times the clinical facts are not always correct or misleading. Whether it is war on drugs, AIDS, gangs, obesity, cancer, etc, I am personally not aware of a declaration of victory on any of these wars.

When we do not declare victories in the manner we declare wars, it creates disillusion in the psyche of the public. The public feels psychologically doped and adopts a nonchalant attitude about presenting issues. When this mind set crystallizes in the psyche of the public, people tune off on message and go back to old habits doing what seem natural to them. The battlefield widens and in some cases, the problem explodes bigger than originally the case.

There is no question sugar presents serious health hazard. However, we have to be very clear and accurate about health information we are feeding the public before declaring war on sugar. Not all sugar is bad and unhealthy to our body. Processed and refined sugar is unhealthy and creates numerous serious health problems including internal body toxicity. That is the area the public, healing clinicians, and the government health agencies should focus attention.  It is a big stretch to declare sugar the enemy. War on all sugar would fall in the same category of all failed health wars if we continue to give wrong information to the public. It is virtually impossible to sustain good health without some form of sugar. It is also virtually impossible to avoid all forms of sugar in the food we eat.  This can only be possible if one is feeding on dirt soil and water only.

Numerous plant foods we eat contain natural sugar. Our body needs natural complex sugar. The brain needs tremendous amount of natural complex sugar to function just in the same way our automobile needs oil, water, and gasoline to operate.  These natural forms of sugar that come from many of our natural foods such as mango, raisins, carrots, sugar cane stem, banana, cantaloupe, watermelon, orange, grapes and many fruits and leafy plants are bio available to the body system. Our body needs these forms of sugar and experience minimal biological difficulties metabolizing and utilizing them even though, some of these foods are are high in glycemic index. There are many places in the world people maintain excellent health consuming these form of natural sugar. Industrial grade processed sugar is the enemy, if one is looking for an enemy to point finger.

Many from the older generation will recall that today’s exploding sugar relate health epidemic such as obesity, diabetes and many others were not as prevalent as they are today. The exploding sugar health problem this generation faces is rooted in drastic deficiency of chromium in our foods.  In generations before the current one, when agriculture was important to the world community and proper soil conservation was also important, our soil was rich in chromium. Our food was also rich in chromium. Today, our soil and food are grossly deficient in chromium and other nutrients essential for sugar metabolism and healthy blood sugar.  It is very difficult for the body to metabolize and properly utilize sugar without adequate availability of chromium in the body system. Poor metabolism and utilization of sugar by the body manifest in internal body toxicity, obesity, diabetes and numerous other health issues  Most sugar related health issues including diabetes, obesity etc, are rooted in low level of chromium in our food thus, in the body system. Many times the problem is not so much of too much sugar or very little sugar, the problem is the quality of sugar and the body’s ability to metabolize and utilize the sugar in the body system. Because many of our food lacks chromium, in the absence of other health problems interfering in the body’s ability to metabolize sugar, supplementation of chromium is a sound health and wellness practice. Good grade chromium aids the body in proper sugar metabolism and utilization.

Sugar connection to health problem is more complex than simple clinical explanation from medical medicine. It would be difficult to find many people in the modern society who is not on one type of medication or another. Many of these medications affect body sugar metabolism and interfere in the body utilization of sugar.  It is unrealistic to declare war on sugar. Professing complete isolation of all forms of sugar in our diet is unsafe from a wellness perspective. One would have a serious health problem if that happens.

It is realistic however, and healthy to educate the public on consuming in moderation healthy forms of sugar that come from many of our food from the soil. It is also important to understand the combination of food to eat with foods rich in sugar in order to aid the body in sugar metabolism and utilization. The other important component of this health issue often ignored is the fact our attachment to technological devices is very unhealthy. People need to get off the cell phones, computer, and video game chairs and engage in physical fun activities. Physical activities aid the body’s proper metabolism and utilization of sugar.

It is also healthy for one who does not have health issues with lactose and sugar to have occasionally a treat of one’s favorite ice cream. When one creates war between self and food, psychological mental attitude to win and control food sets in. In that mental structure, one develops win, fail, and guilty mentality. This mind set becomes and apparatus for self-sabotage. At the end, food wins most of the time. This is one of the reasons many self-imposed weight loss programs fail.  Balance and personal responsibility is the name of healthy living.  We cannot create a psychology of health and wellness defeatism and expect our citizens to be healthy. Life is fun in the center.

It is very important to approach sugar health issues and as a matter of facts, all health issues with prudence and from a health sensible and holistic perspective. Part of this holistic approach is encouraging citizens to demand that their governments refocus on agriculture and make agriculture and soil conservation a priority in the twenty first century. Majority of our health problem is in the food stupid. We cannot continue to spend the type of wealth we do on fighting wars while we relegate agriculture and Department of Agriculture to insignificant arm of government. We pay a hefty price with our health for minimizing support for agriculture and the importance of bringing to our dinner tables quality food from our nations’ farmers. On the final analysis, many of these health issues are matters of national security. Again, we must face these issues from a holistic perspective, addressing the roots of the problems and not just sound bites.

By Dr Chris O’Banye

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