Dr Tom: Sugar is as addictive as cocaine and heroin

Sugar is an enemy of wellbeing. It is pervasive, addictive and damaging to our health. The problem is not so much the sugar we consume but the insulin reaction it creates to drive glucose from the blood into our thirsty cells. All foods have what is called a glycaemic index (GI). It is essentially how quickly the sugar in food and drink is released into our bloodstream. Foods with a low GI are better as the sugar is released slowly, thereby creating less of an insulin spike. The more insulin produced the faster the blood sugar drops, which causes hunger and drowsiness. glycemicindex.com 

Insulin also causes an increase in fat storage and drives potassium and magnesium into cells. Cells then become resistant to insulin and demand more for the same response. The more fat we store, the more resistance. The pancreas, which produces insulin, becomes tired and begins to fail. Blood sugars rise, damaging small blood cells in our eyes, feet and kidneys. We go blind, need dialysis and have parts of our limbs amputated. This is the way Type 2 Diabetes is born. 

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Type 1 diabetes is a different beast It normally comes on when young and is caused by non-diet related factors, such as the immune system attacking ourselves. The pancreatic cells that make insulin are destroyed, so children and adults with type 1 must measure blood sugars and inject insulin for the rest of their lives. While type 1 diabetes is random, type 2 is caused by lifestyle factors and genetics. Whatever the type, the results of uncontrolled diabetes are catastrophic. 

It is a tsunami. In new Zealand 200,000 people  have type 2 diabetes and a further 100,000 people don’t know they have it. I would estimate from the more than 3000 people we have randomly tested in supermarkets, cow sheds and remote islands in New Zealand that there is another 200,000 who have pre-type 2 diabetes and don’t know it.

The best way to find out if you have diabetes or how well it is controlled is to have your HBA1C tested. This measures how sticky the red blood cells are over the past  three months. Below 40mmol/mol the green light is on, 40-50mmol/mol the orange light is on for pre-diabetes and over 50mmols/mol is possibly diabetes. 

To prevent and manage type 2 diabetes, reducing sugar load is vital at an individual and community level. Sugar is addictive like cocaine and heroin and is added to food to make it taste better. A myth in my view is that eating fat makes us fat. Fat is not good for heart health but is not the cause of our obesity epidemic. It is sugar, sugar and sugar. It is hard not to consume sugar when it is everywhere and falsely advertised. Energy drinks don’t give you energy. The sugar gives you fatigue, blindness, dialysis and amputations. 

Sugar is now what cigarettes were 60 years ago when doctors used to prescribe them for anxiety. Can you imagine young children now walking down airplane aisles handing out cigarettes as they do lollies? Why give our kids sweets as treats that rot their teeth, their eyes and their kidneys?

The tide is turning in attitudes but not fast enough. Do you really need that sugar in your tea or coffee? Your pancreas and small blood vessels will scream please no. To increase your wellbeing get your HBA1C checked and check your sugar intake.

Dr Tom Mulholland is an Emergency Department doctor and GP with 30  years’ experience in New Zealand. He’s currently on a mission, tackling health missions around the world.