Page 15 - Spring2008

Caustic Commentary

ness; phenylalanine may cross the blood-brain barrier and testosterone and estrogen that’s available throughout the body.
cause severe changes in the production of very important Lower levels of SHBG protein result in more testosterone and
neurotransmitters. The authors describe the mechanisms by estrogen being released throughout the body, which leads to
which excessive aspartame ingestion is involved in the devel- increased incidence of acne, infertility, polycystic ovarian
opment of certain mental disorders and also in compromised syndrome and uterine cancer in overweight women (www.
learning and emotional functioning. Aspartame changes the sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071109171610.htm).
levels of dopamine, serotonin and other important chemicals
in the brain, resulting in Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, endocrine CANCER AND SUGAR
disturbances, obsessive-compulsive disorders, attention Even though oncologists administer radioactive sugar

deficit and reduced learning ability. Pregnant women who to fi nd cancers in the body—the sugar goes straight to the tu-
consume aspartame risk damaging the fetal nervous system mor—the cancer establishment has refrained from admitting
and increasing the risk of cerebral palsy, impaired vision, that sugar feeds cancer cells. The appetite of cancer cells for
birth defects, lifelong carbohydrate cravings, developmental sugar was announced in 1924, when German Nobel laureate
disorders and mental retardation in the offspring (European Otto Warburg fi rst published his observations of fast-grow-
Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2007), 1-12). It seems that ing tumors. Unlike healthy cells, cancer cells appeared to
the more we know about aspartame, the worse it gets. But fuel themselves by fermentation of sugar. None other than
instead of withdrawing this toxic stuff from the food supply, Time Magazine (September 17, 2007) has reported on a trial
aspartame is slowly making its way into ordinary products in Germany in which fi ve very ill cancer patients had good
used every day, which do not carry any indication of being results—their condition “stabilized”—with a carb-free, high
for people on diets or for diabetics. Thus, if you eat processed fat diet. (Unfortunately, many patients dropped out because
foods, you put yourself and your offspring at risk. they found it hard to stick to a no-sweets diet.) Instead of
getting energy from sugar, the patients in the trial get their
MALAYSIAN DIETICIANS ON THE MOVE energy from fat—but unfortunately, the fats are “high-quality
Malaysians love to eat, and their diet is full of sugar, but it plant oils such as hempseed and linseed oil” and the protein
also contains healthy ingredients like coconut milk, clarifi ed portion of the diet includes soy. (Perhaps this is why so many
butter, lard, seafood and organ meats. Citing rising levels of dropped out.) We predict even better results—and longterm
diabetes and overweight, dieticians in Malaysia are waging recovery—on a diet where the fats are butter, lard, egg yolks,
war against “high cholesterol [sic] coconut milk, clarifi ed coconut oil and cod liver oil and the protein foods include liver,
butter and sugar cane.” Thanks to their efforts, “Fattening eggs and seafood. This kind of diet not only helps the body
coconut milk. . . is being shunted aside for nutritious soy recover from cancer, but also cures sugar cravings.
milk” and tofu is replacing such native dishes as rice fl our
noodles fried in lard and curried offal rice. “We need to have FOR SCIENTISTS AND LAYMEN
more aggressive education and to impart information to the
community,” says Tan Yoke Hwa, President of the Malaysian Please note that the mission of the Weston A. Price
Dietitians’ Association, “getting them to make the change” Foundation is to provide important information about
(www.smh.com.au/news/diet/, December 18, 2007). diet and health to both scientists and the lay public.
For this reason, some of the articles in Wise Traditions
SUGAR AND HORMONAL PROBLEMS are necessarily technical. It is very important for us to
Canadian researchers have found an explanation for hormonal describe the science that supports the legitimacy of our
dietary principles. In articles aimed at scientists and
disorders in people who eat too much sugar. When we eat too practitioners, we provide a summary of the main points
much glucose and fructose, the liver converts it to fat, a pro- and also put the most technical information in sidebars.
cess that reduces something called SHBG protein in the blood. These articles are balanced by others that provide practi-
SHBG protein plays a key role in controlling the amount of cal advice to our lay readers.

SPRING 2008 Wise Traditions 15