Sugar Toxic

Book excerpt: SUGAR IS A TWO-MOLECULE PROBLEM WITH NEUROTOXIC EFFECTSRefined sources of sugar have attracted much negative attention in the past few years with fructose clearly in the spotlight as chief villain. However, fructose represents only one part of a deadly duo, which invariably includes glucose. An equally destructive operator, glucose has the potential to inflict just as much, if not even greater harm than fructose as a component of free sugar. Generally comprising between 40 to 45 percent of high fructose corn syrup, glucose has managed to remain unobtrusively on the sidelines and has even been exonerated as the body's main fuel.In "Sugar Toxic" Margit Silverman reveals how refined glucose can act as a neurotoxin by destabilizing carbohydrate metabolism, the metabolic pathway that is fundamental to energy creation and nervous system functioning.This semi-autobiographical account personalizes what might otherwise be reduced to a dry exploration of the scientific evidence that is brought to bear on the subject. Chronicling the author's path of investigation and own success in eliminating sugar from her diet in 1997, "Sugar Toxic" is an eye-opening exploration of the harmful effects of free glucose, the sugar molecule that has managed to silently avoid scrutiny all the while invading every corner of the dietary landscape.The scientific evidence presented provides a credible argument for the contribution of free glucose in the development of diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. It also addresses the capacity of refined glucose to undermine myelin production and the potential impact of that on the developing brain of infants and children. Other topics explored are the role of refined glucose in directing metabolic pathways toward the synthesis of fat and its participation in the development of migraine.Glucose and fructose exert their effects differently and through alternate means. While the fructose portion of free sugar is directed to the liver, the metabolites of the glucose fraction are directed towards energy metabolism and can easily derail metabolic processes. By providing simplified and clearly understandable biochemical concepts, the scientific evidence that forms the backbone of this detective story becomes easily accessible to the layperson.