The Dangers of Sugar - And Some AlternativesArchived In a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) survey it was revealed that the average American consumes the equivalent of 160 pounds of sugar a year - a 30% increase since the early 1980s. That's the approximate equivalent of 53 heaped teaspoons of sugar per person per day!Early growth industry Sugar is relatively new to the western world, being first introduced by the Crusaders returning from their journeys, in the 11th Century. The first record of sugar in England was in 1099, when it was a very expensive luxury. To give you an idea, 320 years later when sugar was much cheaper, it was selling in London at 2 shillings per pound (today's equivalent of $100 per kilo). When Columbus sailed to the Americas in 1493 it is recorded that he took sugar cane plants with him to grow in the New World. The plants thrived in the climate and the sugar cane industry grew. British governments could see the huge profits that could be made from sugar, and they taxed it heavily. In 1781 sugar tax totalled £326,000. By 1815 the total was £3,000,000. The abolition of this tax in 1874 by Prime Minister Gladstone, meant that sugar suddenly became more affordable to the general public.
Some of the dangers of consuming refined sugar are well known - tooth decay and obesity - but sugar can also suppress the immune system, and upset the body's mineral balance. It can reduce helpful high-density cholesterol (HDLs) and promote an elevation of harmful cholesterol (LDLs). Sugar can cause hypoglycaemia, hormonal imbalance, varicose veins, food allergies, hypertension and depression. Sugar is also addictive; it can cause cravings for more food, particularly sweet food, leading to over-eating. The Alternative? Most slimmers will be aware of aspartame - an artificial sweetener found in nearly all 'diet' drinks, yogurts, low calorie puddings... In fact, any sweet food or drink product that claims it is 'sugar-free' or 'low calorie' is likely to contain aspartame. The demand for such foods is huge. To dieters (and to the companies who manufacture these products) aspartame must seem like a godsend. In fact aspartame is seen by many as a dangerous, unstable chemical compound. Dubious history Aspartame was discovered by accident in 1965 by a scientist working on a drug for peptic ulcers, for the US pharmaceutical company G D Searle. It was approved as a sweetener by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) in July 1974. The approval was revoked in December the same year because of objections - tests showed 'lab' rats being given aspartame developed brain tumours. In response to the concerns raised the FDA set up a public board of inquiry (PBOI). In October 1980 the PBOI unanimously recommended that aspartame should not be approved until additional studies were performed to establish whether or not a relationship existed between the ingestion of aspartame and brain tumours. In 1981, however, and before any further tests, the newly appointed FDA Commissioner, Arthur Hull Hayes, overruled the PBOI and approved aspartame for use in dry foods. In 1983 aspartame received approval for use in beverages. Hayes soon left the FDA to take his place as paid consultant with Searle's public relations firm Burson-Marsteller.
Aspartame is made of three compounds:
[Is the a natural alternative?]
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