Too Much Sugar Kills Your Sex Life

[Guest guest]

Love this Title: Bet it gets many HITS! HE-HE..

This maybe a good reason to give up sugar too.

Enjoy,

Michele

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/12/01/too-

much-sugar-kills-your-sex-life.aspx

High levels of sugar in your bloodstream can turn off the gene that

controls your sex hormones.

The simple sugars, glucose and fructose, are metabolized in your

liver, with the excess stored as fat lipids. Excess fat synthesis

deactivates your SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin) gene, causing

your levels of SHBG protein to drop dramatically, and it is this SHBG

protein that controls your testosterone and estrogen levels.

Too little SHBG protein means your body will produce too much

testosterone and estrogen, which increases your chances of acne,

infertility, polycystic ovaries, uterine cancer, and heart disease.

Said Dr. Geoffrey Hammond, lead researcher, " We discovered that low

levels of SHBG in a person's blood means the liver's metabolic rate

is out of whack – because of inappropriate diet or something that `s

inherently wrong with the liver – long before there are any disease

symptoms. "

This new study also challenges the previous conventional thought that

high levels of insulin are to blame for the drop in SHBG, and that

it's actually the liver's metabolism of sugar that counts.

Sources:

Physorg.com November 10, 2007

Softpedia November 10, 2007

The Journal of Clinical Investigation November 8, 2007, Epub Ahead of

Print (Free Full Text Report)

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

I've been advocating ridding your diet of sugar for years now as it

is one of the most powerful single physical actions you can take for

your health. New evidence of sugar's devastating health effects keep

rolling in at regular intervals, adding to the previous consensus.

Table sugar is made of glucose and fructose, also known as simple

sugars, and limiting sugar in your diet is a well-known key to

longevity. Your blood glucose levels actually rise slightly every

time you eat. This is natural. However, the average American now eats

about 2.5 pounds of sugar every WEEK, which is far from natural. With

this kind of diet, your blood glucose levels may very likely become

excessively elevated, and stay that way.

It is a well-proven fact that sugar increases your insulin and leptin

levels, and decreases receptor sensitivity for both of these vital

hormones. This can lead to:

High blood pressure and high cholesterol

Heart disease

Diabetes

Weight gain

Premature aging

Controlling your insulin levels is one of the most important things

you can do to optimize your overall health, and avoiding sugar is

essential to doing this.

However, what many people forget is that there are other sources of

sugar, many of which are far more predominant in your diet than table

sugar.

Don't Forget About these " Hidden " Sources of Sugar!

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is present in virtually all processed

foods, not just soda (which is now the number one source of calories

in the United States). A quick look at the labels of the foods you

have in your pantry; from crackers, to jams, to fruit juices and

processed meat products, will give you an idea of just how widespread

the use of this dangerous sweetener really is.

Part of what makes HFCS such an unhealthy product is that it is

metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other

sugar, and, because most fructose is consumed in liquid form, its

negative metabolic effects are significantly magnified. Despite this

fact, the delusion that fructose is an acceptable form of sugar is

quite prevalent in many nutritional circles.

HFCS has also been linked to:

Diabetes

Obesity

Metabolic Syndrome

Adding insult to injury, nearly all the corn that the high fructose

corn syrup is metabolized from comes from genetically modified corn,

which is fraught with its own well-documented side effects and health

concerns.

And, lastly, although not as dangerous as sugar or HFCS, high-

carbohydrate foods in the form of flour, grains, legumes, fruit, milk

and starchy-vegetables also put a dent in your health.

In fact, most age-related diseases could best be described

as " Excessive Carbohydrate Consumption Syndrome, " because the

scientific evidence is clear; foods high in carbohydrates turn to

glucose, which raises your metabolism and trigger the release of

disease-causing hormones like insulin, cortisol and adrenaline.

Keeping your metabolism low is key for long life and optimal health.

A high metabolism excites hormones in your body that eventually cause

age-related diseases.

The pathogenic effects of carbohydrates are slow, but sure. The " 20-

year rule " was coined to describe the length of time between the

start of the high-carbohydrate diet and the onset of disease. The

number of diseases, severity and time to develop is directly related

to the percentage of carbohydrates in your diet.

One reason for this is that carbohydrates displace essential protein

and essential fats in your diet, which causes a double health

reversal. The carbohydrates themselves cause disease, and the

deficiency of protein and fats contribute or cause other diseases.

The consumption of carbohydrates generally begins showing the disease

effects in either one of two directions.

Body fat accumulation leads to obesity, diabetes, heart disease,

cancer, gallbladder disease, degenerative bone diseases and many

others.

Damage to the intestinal tract leads to leaky gut syndrome,

inflammatory bowel diseases and a medical textbook listing of

autoimmune diseases. These illnesses generally make the sufferer

underweight and deficient in vitamins and minerals caused by poor

digestion.

Avoid Getting Caught Up in Whole Grain Myth

Many people are surprised to learn that even whole grains can cause

disease in both humans and animals. While whole grains are clearly

superior to processed ones, they ultimately still break down

relatively rapidly, and raise your insulin levels. About 15% of the

population actually does well with them, but if you are one of the

85% of the population that struggles with insulin issues like being

overweight, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes,

then you will want to radically limit your consumption of whole

grains.

Whole grain breads and bagels are not the healthy food that people

are lead to believe. All grains have high levels of omega-6 fatty

acids, which are pro-inflammatory. Grains are a poor source of

protein, and they are also the most allergenic of all foods.

Following my nutrition plan is a simple way to automatically reduce

your intake of both grains and sugars, which can increase your

longevity, help you avoid chronic diseases, maintain normal sexual

health and function, and keep your mental faculties sharp.

How to Kick the Sugar Habit

As I've reported previously, sugar can in fact be MORE addictive than

cocaine, which would help explain why it's so hard to just quit

indulging in it. The sugar industry seems well aware of this fact,

running a shrewd, well-oiled machine that will hook your children on

their product right out of the cradle, if you let them.

Fortunately, energy psychology tools like the Emotional Freedom

Technique (EFT) can be enormously helpful in ridding yourself of

sugar cravings. It includes a marvelous technique called Turbo

Tapping, which is one of the best solutions I know of for this

particular challenge.

Also, instead of focusing on what you will be losing (negative

focus); it helps to look at all the things you will be gaining, such

as increased energy and a lower risk of many diseases. Meanwhile, you

can enjoy healthy foods that are in-line with your nutritional type,

such as meats, raw dairy products, fresh veggies, nuts and seeds, and

much more.

Related Articles:

Counting the Many Ways Sugar Harms Your Health

Killer Sugar! Suicide With A Spoon

The Sweet Tooth: Defeating the Little Rascal