The Sad New Normal and Carbohydrates

New studies are now confirming the serious health effects that refined carbohydrates (bread, cookies, candy, sugar, chips, crackers, flour, potatoes, etc.) have on our bodies in the form of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity and mental deterioration. The typical American diet is loaded with refined carbohydrates and the impact has shown up in much higher levels of all major diseases. This article by Dr. David Williams talks about the new "normal" being accepted by the medical establishment and how it affects your health. This information is important to know and understand as you make decisions about the lifestyle you live and the food you eat and how it affects you. Please take a moment to read the whole article and use the information in your daily life.

Alternatives Newsletter

The Argument Against Being "Normal"

A couple of months ago, a research study out ofAustralia showed how high blood sugar levels (in non-diabetic men and women) caused shrinking in the parts of the brain that are associ­ated with pro­cessing memory and emotion. (Neurology 2012;79(10): 1019-1026}

"You will observe with concern how long a useful truth may be known, and exist, before it is generally received and practiced on."

— benjamin franklin

Previous studies had already linked diabetes to age-related cognitive decline, but this particular study was different since it involved non-diabetics. In a nutshell, this study strongly sug­gests that the highly fluctuating blood sugar levels we see in our society today have a direct cor­relation to our cognitive health. Blood sugar levels that we have come to recognize as normal are resulting in premature mental deterioration and many of the mental problems we commonly associate with the aging process. Based on these latest findings, it's not much of a stretch to see why many researchers are now start­ing to refer to Alzheimer's disease as type 3 diabetes. I discussed the idea in greater detail a couple of months ago.

Years of excess sugar and refined carbohydrate consumption and other dietary habits result in blood sugar fluctuations that become im­possible for our bodies to control. The resulting damage becomes cumulative and eventually develops into serious health problems like obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, behavioral issues, and mental deterioration. The research is definitive and irrefutable. Sugar kills. And we need to realize it's killing us in large numbers.

High Blood Sugar Linked to Cancer

About a year ago, researchers published a study linking elevated blood sugar levels to an increase in colorectal cancer. They studied 5,000 postmenopausal women and found that women with the highest glucose levels were twice as likely to develop colorectal cancer as those with the lowest levels. (Br J Cancer 201 l;doi:10.1038/bjc.2011.512)

And this year, researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute monitored the health and diets of roughly 1,000 stage-3 colon cancer patients. They discovered that glycemic load and total carbohydrate consumption are the best predictors of both cancer recurrence and mortality. Those patients who consumed the most carbohydrates and foods that pro­duced high glycemic loads (rises in blood sugar levels) had an 80 percent greater chance of dying or having a recurrence during the seven-year study period, when compared to those who had the lowest levels. (J Natl Cancer Inst 2012;101>(22):1702-1711)

The 2005 Korean Cancer Study, which involved over 1.2 million Koreans between the ages of 30 and 95, found that the death rates from cancer were 29 percent higher for men and 23 percent higher for women who had the highest blood sugar levels com­pared to those with the lowest. In that study, pancreatic cancer had the strongest association with blood sugar levels, and those men and women with the highest levels had double the risk of developing cancer as those with the lowest levels. The risk of other forms of cancer increased with high blood sugar levels, as well.

In men, higher blood sugar levels increased cancers of the esopha­gus, liver, bile duct, and colon and rectum. In women, higher blood sugar levels correlated with increased rates of pancreatic, liver, lung, and cervical cancer. (JAMA 2005;293(2): 194-202)

A study involving 64,500 Swedish women had similar results, with an increased incidence of pancreatic, womb, skin, and urinary tract can­cers. And for women under age 49, the incidence of breast cancer was 26 percent higher among those in the highest quartile of fasting blood sugar levels, compared to those in the lowest quartile.

Keep in mind that we're not talking about diabetic patients, but individuals with blood sugar levels that are still con­sidered to be within the nor­mal range. Each of these studies, and others, show that when your blood sugar levels are higher, you have a significantly greater risk of developing cancer. And, if you've had cancer, your risk of dying or having a recurrence increases very significantly if your blood sugar levels are higher.

It astounds me how little empha­sis "health professionals" place on eliminating refined carbohydrates from the diet. Like the general populace, they've finally accepted the fact that high blood sugar lev­els are a precursor for diabetes. It wasn't that long ago that one was ridiculed for claiming that high sugar and refined carbohydrate consumption led to diabetes. It took decades for established medi­cine to accept that fact. Now, for some unknown reason, they con­tinue to overlook its link to cancer and other diseases. Sadly, for most, sugar consumption is still looked at as a harmless habit instead of a major health threat.

Cancer cells are different from normal cells when it comes to both their energy needs and how they produce energy. Unlike nor­mal cells that primarily produce their energy in the mitochondria through what is called the Krebs cycle, cancer cells use glycolysis. The rapid growth of cancer cells requires an enormous amount of energy. Malignant, rapidly-growing tumor cells can have glycolic rates 200 times higher than normal tis­sue. Glycolysis involves the con­version of glucose, or blood sugar. (Glucose used to be called glycose, hence the name glycolysis.) In simple terms, if you have consis­tently high levels of blood glucose, it makes it easier for cancers to grow and spread.

If you want to prevent cancer or its recurrence, you need to minimize sugar and refined carbo­hydrates in your diet and learn to stabilize your blood sugar levels.

This holds true if you want to also prevent diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and the other health prob­lems I've mentioned. It's important to consume fresh, unprocessed foods and limit sugary foods and beverages. Consume foods with a low glycemic index or load. I've provided details in the past, most recently in last month's issue of Alternatives.

Don't forget that regular exercise (at least 30 minutes, three times a week) is one of the best adjunctive methods of keeping blood sugar levels low and stabilized. Exercise has now been shown to also in­crease cognitive functioning in the elderly and may possibly be a way to prevent Alzheimer's disease.

Sugar Kills Your Brain; Exercise Saves It

On the topic of Alzheimer's, there were several very interest­ing research studies presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference this past July in Vancouver, British Columbia. Three of those studies examined the effects of aerobic exercise and resistance train­ing in elderly individuals who had been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. In every case, exercise improved atten­tion, memory, and other cogni­tive skills. It seemed that the best effects were achieved when both forms of exercise—walking and light free weights—were used. The participants ranged in age from 65 to 93 and most had been sedentary for months.

Earlier I mentioned how high blood sugar levels shrank parts of the brain associated with memory. One of the studies at this confer­ence involved 120 older adults who had been sedentary for the previous six months. Researchers assigned half the group a walking program and the other half stretch­ing and toning exercises for a year.

At the end of the year, brain scans revealed that those in the walking group had a 2 percent in­crease in the hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with mem­ory. On the other hand, the stretch­ing and toning groups had a 1.5 percent decrease in hippocampus tissue. Note that this is the same part of the brain that the Australian researchers found shrank when blood sugar levels were high.

Something as simple as walking, which just happens to help lower and stabilize blood sugar levels, actually increases the part of the brain associated with memory. Research shows that the shrink­ing of the hippocampus precedes Alzheimer's disease, depres­sion, and bipolar disease. It is the first area to suffer damage with Alzheimer's, resulting in initial memory problems and disorientation.

Exercise—a simple walking program—achieved something no pharmaceutical treatment, or any treatment for that matter, has ever achieved. It increased brain volume in the crucial area associated with memory.

Exercise combined with stabiliz­ing and lowering blood sugar levels could be the intervention tools needed to help stop Alzheimer's disease. At the very least, we know that they can help prevent and/ or restore memory loss. And, this certainly gives greater weight to the idea that Alzheimer's disease is type 3 diabetes. This is the type of news you would expect to make front page headlines, but without the pharmaceutical connection, don't hold your breath.

It probably goes without saying, but I'll say it again. Sugar kills. All refined carbohydrates kill. Avoid them as much as possible.

What's "Normal" In Numbers

Blood sugar level is just another example where falling within the range considered "normal" doesn't necessarily equate to being healthy.

Here's a brief look at what's now "normal" in this country. It will defi­nitely make you think twice about striving to achieve normal health.

• The average or "normal" person over the age of 65 in this country now uses seven different medica­tions per day—four prescribed and three over the counter. (One-third of these people will experience some adverse medication event that requires a hospital visit. Ten to 15 percent of all emergency room visits are related to medica­tion reactions in seniors.)
• For reasons I've never under­stood, most doctors don't seem to have a problem prescribing multiple medications. When ques­tioned, they typically will say the drugs they recommend are safe and have minimal, if any, side ef­fects. Keep in mind, however, that there has never been a controlled study on a human being involving more than three drugs circulat­ing in the body at the same time. No one knows, or can accurately predict, what's going to happen when you take multiple drugs at the same time. The number of potential side effects becomes impossible to calculate.
• Two-thirds of the U.S. population is either overweight or obese right now. An estimated 42 per­cent of the entire population will be obese by 2030. (In 2010, 35.9 percent of adults were obese and another 33.3 percent were over­weight. And 6.6 percent of the population was severely obese, meaning they were 100 pounds or more overweight.)
• Over 8 percent of the population has diabetes, and another 25 percent has pre-diabetes. That's roughly one out of every three adults that either has diabetes or pre-diabetes. Half of Americans ages 65 and older have pre-diabetes. From 1935 to 1996, the prevalence of diagnosed type 2 diabetes in this country climbed nearly 765 percent. The trend ac­celerated tremendously in about 1960, when corn syrup was added to the food supply. (Am J Clin Nutr 2004;79(5):774-779)
• One out of three adults has high blood pressure. Another 1/3 of the population has pre-hypertension— blood pressure numbers that are higher than normal but not yet in the high blood pressure range. So 2/3 of the entire population has either high blood pressure or pre-hypertension.
• Over 1/3 of Americans in their mid-50s and older have chronic pain in their neck or back, and almost that many have chronic knee or leg pain.
• Over 1/3, or in excess of 90 mil­lion people in the United States, have digestive disorders.
• An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older (one out of every four adults) suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder. Almost 10 percent of the population reportedly suffers from depression.
• Approximately 48 percent of adults report suffering from insomnia each year. And for 25 percent of the population, it is a chronic problem.
• More than 125 million people (over 1/3 of the entire population) have at least one chronic condition like diabetes, cancer, glauco­ma, or heart disease, and half as many more have more than one chronic disease.

As far as your health is con­cerned, being normal in this coun­try is far from a good thing. And on the track we're currently on, it's only going to get worse.

Take Responsibility for Your Health...Now

The definition of "health care" as we've known it in this country is going to change dramatically. Never in our history has it been more important than right now to take more responsibility for your own health.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (more popu­larly known as ObamaCare) will soon start to go into effect. Early on, I tried to read the act, but it was almost impossible. To say it was confusing and incompre­hensible is an understatement. One thing is certain, though—it requires standardization and a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to health care. The role of the doctor becomes one of "sell­ing" patients on therapies that statistically might be best for the herd, but not necessarily tailored to their own needs.

There are lots of arguments as to whether universal cover­age is good or bad. And the issue gets more complicated if it is a single payer system (government provides insurance and pays all expenses like in Canada or Japan), two-tier system (government provides insurance but allows ad­ditional voluntary insurance like in Australia, Israel, and New Zealand) or an insurance mandated system (like in Switzerland and Germany). I've traveled, lived, and worked extensively in countries with the different health care programs, and regardless of the type, stan­dardization and the one-size-fits-all approach is required for these programs to exist.

In the long run, standardization and additional layers of bureau­cracy slow the acceptance of new procedures and technologies. Our current diversity of treatment op­tions, as opposed to rigid standard­ization, explains why individuals from all over the world travel here for the latest training, procedures, and treatments.

Standardization also makes it more difficult to receive treat­ments and therapies that are custom-tailored to the individual patient's needs.

I'm not arguing the various mer­its of this system. These are just the facts. And you should know that many of the treatment deci­sions in the future will be based on what is considered "normal" for our population and, as a sub­scriber of Alternatives, you most likely don't fall into the "normal" category.

Not being "normal" will be a mixed blessing. Obviously having the knowledge and tools to pre­serve and maintain your health is the most important thing you can do. However, if the time comes when you need access to the medi­cal system, it will be far less ac­commodating to alternative thera­pies and individualized treatment than it was before.

Make "You" a Top Priority

The changes we're seeing makes it even more important that you fo­cus on diet, exercise, stress reduc­tion, a good supplement program, and other healthy habits that help improve your health.

Aspects like exercise and eating right do require an investment of time, and I often hear from those who say they don't have the time. But time isn't the issue. Priorities are the issue. It's all about setting priorities. If your health isn't at the top of your list of priorities this year, it needs to be...now more than ever.

My Comment:

If you read this whole article then you are more serious than most about your health. The information from Dr. Williams is being repeated and proven by many of the top alternative medicine doctors in the world. As was shown to be the case in previous widely accepted medical recommendations that were later proven to be wrong, i.e. margarine being better for you than butter, low-fat diets being healthy, eggs are bad for you, and avoiding meat, -- the lack of focus on avoiding refined carbohydrates is a huge mistake that is still being accepted by doctors as having a minimal effect on your health. Apparently, it’s OK to be unhealthy because they have a drug designed for that.

My view is that it is better to stay healthy and not need any drugs than it is to be sick and try to treat the symptoms with drugs for the rest of your life. Your health is directly related to what you eat and the nutrients you get! The sooner the doctors understand that, the better off people will be who do not have access to the information provided in my blog.

Until next time, stay healthy and happy

JD Roma

 

 

The information on this blog is provided for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical care, and medical advice and services are not being offered. If you have, or suspect you have, a health problem you should consult your physician (preferably a Naturopath).