How is it possible that the use of sugar "affects the brain very directly," could "clog the system," and "when largely used, is more injurious than meat"? For nearly a hundred years Adventists have been puzzled by these early statements by Ellen G. White (Counsels on Health, p. 150).
But for the past ten or twelve years research has revealed that there is a definite tie-in with the overuse of sugar in the incidence of hardening of the arteries, heart failure, and strokes due to high cholesterol of the blood.
One of the most recent studies made by Dr. Manuel Tzagournis and associates at Ohio State University in Columbus, reports that reducing the amount of sugar consumed in foods will bring down high blood levels of cholesterol and other fatty substances that are associated with increased risk of heart attacks (Today's Health, March, 1969, p. 10).
Then should all sugar be discarded? Of course not. Such a stand is extreme and unnecessary. Judiciously used and balanced, in conservative quantities, sugar adds to the ease and preparation of food and the pleasure of eating. It is the extreme use of sugar that is harmful.
The wholesomeness of sweetened foods is largely a question of quantity and concentration. A simple dessert flavored with sugar rather than heavily sweetened is considered easy to digest and serves as fuel for energy. The nutty flavor of the grains and the natural taste of fruits are too often concealed by the addition of large amounts of sugar (International Nutrition Research Bulletin No. 5).
Undoubtedly, the most desirable sweets are those to be found in fruit—either fresh or dried. These are the harmless sweets provided for us by the Creator which will never "clog the system."
