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10/24/1972 - Is Heroin as Dangerous as White Sugar? by Andrew T. Weil

Sugar constant feature American tropical landscapes In continental United States persons consume large quantities white sugar chemically sucrose extracted refined juice plant growing Being around sugar fields during aware different given ideas about white sugar The direct natural sugar length fresh stalk sucking sweet juice spitting fiber Children country Latin America gnawers For taste reward fresh juice quite disagreeableness mouthful fiber I prefer sugar another In Cuernavaca Mexico popular juice sells fresh UgO pressed stalks dispensed Jet Spray Cooler health drink advertizing minerals amins In other places I sidewalk venders portable presses glasses freshly pressed juice It grayish green watery liquid sweet course insipid flavor If juice around place turns brown tangy alcoholic popular drink workers processing plants country Indians little known cities At uarao cider slightly sparkling sweet refreshing But I interested unfermented sugar describe happens fresh juice sugar becoming white powder familiar The first process concentration That juice boiled often large copper lined vessels fires drive excess water steam As juice reduces volume darkens acquires strong characteristic flavor When concentrated proper density poured molds where quickly crystallizes blocks brown sugar known panela Panela bears little resemblance anything Americans brown sugar What light brown brown sugar U S grocery stores really refined white sugar colored flavored addition molasses The sugars prices health stores prepared processed further white sugar panela sugar tropical Latin America supermarkets Indian markets It comes variety shapes blocks building brloks large hemispheres cones sugar loaves variety oolors brown russet But although panela widely available widely consumed Latin America probably runner white sugar total sales Even workers Indians white sugar their ordlnary sweetener saving Rane special things certain pastries candies beverages In North Americans white sugar ordinary saving brown sugar special dishes where different flavor desired The I think describe taste R differentness white sugar pronounced Many persons first And people things where flavor diffused modified Sometimes I taste straight panela especially where cooling I never finger It remove these disagreeable flavors panela subjected further processing If sugar dissolved fresh water boiled syrup again cooled crystallizes lighter color flavor liquor behind This liquor concentr molasses It contains impurities color flavor syrup along sugar By series recrystallizations sugar completely these additional compounds As products various grades molasses collected ranging taste those useful distinctive sweeteners their right those strong appeal palates Much molasses fermented distilled White sugar sweet principle isolated natural context flavors which occurs Juice And those flavors concentrated minus sweet principle taste Because naturalness white sugar shunned Americans follow diets natural foods Some advocates natural foods cannot about sugar without becoming irate Here example opening paragraph tract called The Sugar Story currently being distributed U S health stores No organic sells white sugar products containing white sugar because foodless It sucrose taken human potentially dangerous It touted energy propaganda misleading there ample evidence white sugar B vitamins disrupts calcium metabolism deleterious effect nervous system The author denounce brown sugars phony Having thorough personal investigation I assure brown sugar nothing white sugar wearing He paints pictures sugar refineries conjuring images filtration units filled charred bones certain horrify patrons health stores A representative sugar companies answer questions letter I written burned bones white sugar pleasing esthetic effect He explained bones white sugar whiter Of course purely personal opinion I God esthetics I difficult evaluate polemic because I minds subject On I ample evidence white sugar B vitamins disrupts calcium metabolism harms nervous system anything comparable awfulness At I sympathy natural substances inherently dangerous natural Two years symposium Michigan I heard remark seemed outrageous A haired representative counterculture arguing against value judgments society about drugs audience public school teachers friends thought white sugar addicting dangerous heroin Of course possible compare intoxicant other lungs veins other mouth stomach But there anything learn analogy drawn between chemicals removed their natural sources Heroin synthetic derivative morphine which itself alkaloids latex opium poppy Its relationship opium intoxicant analogous relationship between white sugar Ranela Latin America In cases white powders results attempts separate isolate single component something complex nature The motivation process craving pleasurable experience better sweetness sugareater better addict But heroin thing involved Its tends because nature Opium gummy resin cannot injected because impure heroin pumped veins I earlier I specific adverse medical effects white sugar But I think people consume sugar general dietary excess important factor national tendencies toward dental caries obesity cardiovascular disease I think there evidence premature deposition cholesterol human arteries correlated disorder sugar metabolism rather cholesterol metabolism And I certain people would sugar product could panela It easier regular heavy consumer refined product easier hooked heroin opium Perhaps problem refiningnatural substances white powders process certain signs advise potentially harmful things The disagreeable taste uilds juice boiled might telling sweetness concentrated beyond certain point I think poppy lovers would better eating opium instead shooting heroin And I think sugar addicts would better eating anela thereby sugar Because process refining carried leads creation mubsances harder control their natural sources people processing altogether urging consume nothing state I believe improve nature should cease trying natural things better The cultivation fruits vegetables produce superior varieties example tampering nature provided qualities selected development goodness flavor rather uniformity resistance shipping Similarly preparation foods eating enhance natural qualities without destroying T middle ground between synthetic products occupy space supermarkets faddist fruits vegetables In I honey molasses maple syrup little white sugar I neutral sweetness without special flavor I avoid white sugar poison I regard something liable abuse other sweetener And I forward being again areas world where I Ranela sugar tropics