Dear Dr. Roach: I am a 48-year-old woman in good health, minus high blood pressure, which is under control with regular medication.
Growing up, every day after school, my mother treated us to some type of sweets, whether it be something she baked or made, or candy and sugary drinks from the local convenience store. Of course, this resulted in my adult teeth being in very poor condition. I removed all sugar from my diet beginning in my early 20s, and have continued eating and drinking this way ever since. I can hardly eat a piece of fruit because the natural sugar is now too 鈥渟weet鈥� for my palate. My one and only source of 鈥渟weetness鈥� comes from Splenda, which is in the tea I drink daily.
My question to you is, Can a body go on without sugar? I know that there are sugars in some regular foods that aren鈥檛 sweet, but is that enough on a daily basis? 聽
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F.L.
Humans need modest amounts of protein, as there are some amino acids that our body cannot synthesize (called 鈥渆ssential鈥� amino acids). We need these to create the structural proteins, enzymes, hormones and other important components of our bodies.
Similarly, there are essential fatty acids, so modest amounts of fat also are necessary. 聽
Sugar, on the other hand, is something the body is able to make, so is not necessary to take it in through food. More and more evidence is suggesting that excess sugar increases risk for chronic diseases, including diabetes and heart disease. Keep up your low-sugar diet. You might try fruits that are naturally lower in sugar, since they are a good part of the diet in reasonable quantities.
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Dear Dr. Roach: My total cholesterol is 200 鈥� my HDL is 74, LDL 115 and triglycerides 66. Would you prescribe a statin medication if this could be controlled by diet? 聽
L.A.
It would have to be a very unusual situation for me to recommend a statin to someone with your cholesterol numbers. If you had known blockages in your arteries, then you should be on a statin regardless of your cholesterol numbers; however, your risk for heart disease is low, based on these results. I do recommend a healthy diet for everyone.
Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to [email protected].
