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starts to change. An overabundance of white cells occurs, and the creation of tissue becomes slower. Our body's tolerance and immunising power becomes more limited, so we cannot respond properly to extreme attacks, whether they be cold, heat, mosqui- toes or microbes. Excessive sugar has a strong mal-effect on the functioning of the brain. The key to orderly brain function is glutamic acid, a vital compound found in many vegetables. The B vitamins play a major role in dividing glutamic acid into antagonistic-comple- mentary compounds which produce a "proceed" or "control" response in the brain. B vitamins are also manufactured by sym- biotic bacteria which live in our intestines. When refined sugar is taken daily, these bacteria wither and die, and our stock of B vita- mins gets very low. Too much sugar makes one sleepy; our abili- ty to calculate and remember is lost. starts to change. An overabundance of white cells occurs, and the cows, hogs and sheep.* Food for animals is often seasonal, creation of tissue becomes slower. Our body's tolerance and always expensive. Sugar, by then, was dirt cheap. People weren't immunising power becomes more limited, so we cannot respond eating it fast enough. properly to extreme attacks, whether they be cold, heat, mosqui- Naturally, the attempt to feed livestock with sugar and molasses toes or microbes. in England in 1808 was a disaster. When the Committee on West Excessive sugar has a strong mal-effect on the functioning of India made its fourth report to the House of Commons, one the brain. The key to orderly brain function is glutamic acid, a Member of Parliament, John Curwin, reported that he had tried to vital compound found in many vegetables. The B vitamins play a —_ feed sugar and molasses to calves without success. He suggested major role in dividing glutamic acid into antagonistic-comple- that perhaps someone should try again by sneaking sugar and mentary compounds which produce a "proceed" or "control" molasses into skimmed milk. Had anything come of that, you can response in the brain. B vitamins are also manufactured by sym- be sure the West Indian sugar merchants would have spread the biotic bacteria which live in our intestines. When refined sugar is news around the world. After this singular lack of success in taken daily, these bacteria wither and die, and our stock of B vita- pushing sugar in cow pastures, the West Indian sugar merchants mins gets very low. Too much sugar makes one sleepy; our abili- gave up. ty to calculate and remember is lost. With undaunted zeal for increasing the market demand for the most important agricultural product of the West Indies, the SUGAR: HARMFUL TO HUMANS AND ANIMALS Committee of West India was reduced to a tactic that has served Shipwrecked sailors who ate and drank nothing but sugar and the sugar pushers for almost 200 years: irrelevant and transpar- rum for nine days surely went through some of this trauma; the ently silly testimonials from faraway, inaccessible people with tales they had to tell created a big public relations problem for the some kind of "scientific" credentials. One early commentator sugar pushers. called them "hired consciences". This incident occurred when a vessel carrying a cargo of sugar The House of Commons committee was so hard-up for local was shipwrecked in 1793. The five surviving sailors were finally cheerleaders on the sugar question, it was reduced to quoting a rescued after being marooned for nine days. They were in a wast- doctor from faraway Philadelphia, a leader of the recent American ed condition due to starvation, having colonial rebellion: "The great Dr Rush consumed nothing but sugar and rum. of Philadelphia is reported to have said The eminent French physiologist . that 'sugar contains more nutrients in F. Magendie was inspired by that Excessive sugar has a strong the same bulk than any other known incident to conduct a series of i- Ao substance’." (Emphasis added.) At th ments with animals the suits of | 'MA@-effect on the functioning Foire me, the same Dr Rush was which he published in 1816. In the of the brain. preaching that masturbation was the experiments, he fed dogs a diet of cause of insanity! If a weasel-worded sugar or olive oil and water All the Too much sugar makes one statement like that was quoted, one can dogs wasted and died. sleepy; our ability to calculate be sure no animal doctor could be The shipwrecked sailors and the . found in Britain who would recommend French physiologist's experimental and remember Is lost. sugar for the care and feeding of cows, dogs proved the same point. Asa steady diet, sugar is worse than noth - While preparing his epochal volume, ing. Plain water can keep you alive A History of Nutrition, published in for quite some time. Sugar and water can kill you. Humans [and 1957, Professor E. V. McCollum (Johns Hopkins University), animals] are "unable to subsist on a diet of sugar".* sometimes called America's foremost nutritionist and certainly a The dead dogs in Professor Magendie's laboratory alerted the pioneer in the field, reviewed approximately 200,000 published sugar industry to the hazards of free scientific inquiry. From that scientific papers, recording experiments with food, their proper- day to this, the sugar industry has invested millions of dollars in ties, their utilisation and their effects on animals and men. The behind-the-scenes, subsidised science. The best scientific names material covered the period from the mid-18th century to 1940. that money could buy have been hired, in the hope that they could From this great repository of scientific inquiry, McCollum select- one day come up with something at least pseudoscientific in the ed those experiments which he regarded as significant "to relate way of glad tidings about sugar. the story of progress in discovering human error in this segment It has been proved, however, that (1) sugar is a major factor in of science [of nutrition]". Professor McCollum failed to record a dental decay; (2) sugar in a person's diet does cause overweight; single controlled scientific experiment with sugar between 1816 (3) removal of sugar from diets has cured symptoms of crippling, and 1940. worldwide diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart illnesses. Unhappily, we must remind ourselves that scientists today, and Sir Frederick Banting, the codiscoverer of insulin, noticed in always, accomplish little without a sponsor. The protocols of 1929 in Panama that, among sugar plantation owners who ate modern science have compounded the costs of scientific inquiry. pigs or sheep. large amounts of their refined stuff, diabetes was common. We have no right to be surprised when we read the introduction Among native cane-cutters, who only got to chew the raw cane, to McCollum's A History of Nutrition and find that "The author he saw no diabetes. and publishers are indebted to The Nutrition Foundation, Inc., for However, the story of the public relations attempts on the part —_a grant provided to meet a portion of the cost of publication of of the sugar manufacturers began in Britain in 1808 when the this book". What, you might ask, is The Nutrition Foundation, Committee of West India reported to the House of Commons that Inc.? The author and the publishers don't tell you. It happens to a prize of twenty-five guineas had been offered to anyone who be a front organisation for the leading sugar-pushing conglomer- could come up with the most "satisfactory" experiments to prove ates in the food business, including the American Sugar Refining that unrefined sugar was good for feeding and fattening oxen, Company, Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, Curtis Candy Co., Genera Excessive sugar has a strong mal-effect on the functioning ~f£ab- bot of the brain. Too much sugar makes one sleepy; our ability to calculate and remember is lost. 20 - NEXUS DECEMBER 1999 — JANUARY 2000