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Sugar impacts all three of the root causes of ill health: inflammation/autoimmune issues, pathogens and toxicity.

The recommendation of the World Health Organization is that we limit sugar intake to no more than 10% of total calories, equal to 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar for a person eating 2000 calories/day. (A tablespoon of granulated sugar is equivalent to about 12 grams). The American Heart Association recommends a 5% intake— for most women, not more than 100 daily calories from added sugar and for most men, not more than 150 daily calories. This equals about 2 tablespoons of sugar added to the diet for women and 3 for men.

Sugar has been pervasive in Western society since Queen Elizabeth used it at her table to conspicuously display her wealth. (Subsequently the queen’s love of sugar turned her teeth black).  Fans of HBO’s series about John Adams may remember the scene when Adams and his wife Abigail commiserate over their painful, black teeth and the suffering that wooden dentures caused their friend George Washington.

Inflammatory conditions are aggravated by sugar because of its acidity.  When intestinal permeability is present there are insufficient enzymes to break down sugars, causing fermentation.  This increases pathogenic activity in the gut directly because it feeds them.  Of course, sugars left in the mouth will feed whatever pathogens are present there as well.

Sugar also contributes to the toxic overload in our systems.  Our bodies maintain a certain healthy balance of yeast that acts as a scavenger for heavy metals.  These scavengers, when stimulated by electromagnetic fields, will disperse the heavy metals over different areas over the body.  Sugar provides additional stimulation by feeding the yeast, which can also contribute to an overgrowth and thus to further imbalance in the body.

In Chinese medicine, moderate amounts of specific flavors balance and nourish the tissues of the organs associated with it. The taste of sweetness is associated with the Earth element and the spleen/stomach energetic pathways. With correct application, sweetness can have a medicinal effect.  However overuse can have a detrimental effect on the stomach and spleen, causing imbalance in all of the major organs over time.