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Bitter Sweet

Is Sugar Such a Bad Thing?

By Carma Haley Shoemaker

Once upon a time, a very lovely, very sweet sugarcane lived happily with his family in a field in Brazil. There he grew stronger and sweeter as the days went by. When he was very strong and very sweet, the sugarcane was harvested and shipped with his family to the United States. There he was processed into what we know as granulated sugar.

Unfortunately, this is where the sweet story goes sour. Once the strong, sweet sugarcane was processed, he was no longer loved and admired, but instead, feared and shunned from many a kitchen table, as many people believed he was "bad." The strong, sweet sugarcane was unable to live out his purpose in life: to make all he touches, and all that touch him, sweeter.

Twenty years ago the public first began hearing the "facts" about how sugar was responsible for numerous health issues: diabetes, heart disease, obesity, hyperactivity and dental caries. "Several myths relating to sugar intake and disease have arisen from confusion over actual sugar consumption," says Dr. G. Harvey Anderson, chairman of the Department of Nutritional Sciences Faculty of Medicine in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. "During the 1970s, many stories in the media linked sugar to practically every modern-day illness – real or perceived – everything from dental caries and hypoglycemia to hyperactivity, criminal behavior and obesity. In contrast, major scientific reviews by independent academic scientists, government committees, professional associations and industry groups have concluded that what was once thought to be fact is now only fear."

The fear caused Shirley Kawa-Jump from Fort Wayne, Ind., to eliminate sugar from her diet. "I gave up sugar after doing some research about the effects of sugar on weight gain and headaches," she says. "I had talked to a nutritionist who said a lot of migraines and headaches can come from too much sugar and sweets. I knew it contributed to weight gain, too, and since I was trying to lose weight, I decided to eliminate it."

Want to see more?

• Weight Loss Methods Series
• Sweet Sabotage: Are Sugar Cravings Boosting Your Weight?
• The Big, Fat Truth: Is Obesity a Disease?
• Talk about it!