As October begins to unfold, many North American kids are gearing up for the fun-filled trick-or-treating gala: Halloween! It's always interesting to see who enjoys the candy more -- the kids or adults. In past years, I've witnessed some really interesting behaviour from our own kids after they had sampled their candy stash. There seemed to have been more whining, irritability, mood swings, fatigue, and an inability to focus -- and that's just the short list. What gets us all through it is that, after one week, they tire of their candy, leaving it untouched for the remainder of the year. I know that, if I can endure this one week, I can endure just about anything -- probably because I know that it's all sugar- related. And according to the latest research, sugar consumption by our society is by no means limited to events like Halloween. It's ongoing and increasing. The average American consumes two to three pounds of sugar per week, totalling approximately 135 pounds per year! So what are the effects of refined sugar on our bodies?

Every time we consume sugar, our blood-glucose levels increase quickly. And every time this happens, our pancreas secretes insulin to drop the blood sugar levels back down to an acceptable level. If this happens often and rapidly, a great stress is placed on the body's systems. Our immune system, which fights off disease, is weakened. In fact, it slows down to a crawl, making you susceptible to everything from the common cold to many diseases and illnesses. Habitual intake of sugar makes it all the worse.

Insulin also promotes the storage of fat in our bodies. A high sugar intake causes more insulin to be produced in our body, which then results in an increase in stored fat. The result? Obesity and a strong risk of cardiovascular disease.

Refined sugars are known as sucrose (white/ brown sugar), dextrose (corn sugar), high fructose corn sugar, malt and honey (that has been heated). They lack vitamins and minerals. In order to be metabolized into our bodies, they must draw on our vitamin and mineral stores. These "storehouses" are then depleted, making it much harder for our systems to help metabolize cholesterol. The result? Our triglycerides, fatty acid levels, and cholesterol level in our bodies climb. The final results are deteriorating health, a rise in weight gain due to increased body fat and a strong risk of cardiovascular disease.

The list of negative effects, disease and ailments, resulting from refined sugar intake, is a very lengthy one. The risk of contacting any one of them can be linked to the effectiveness and strength of our immune systems, which, in turn, are effected by our refined sugar intake. So before deciding on whether it will be "one lump or two" of the sweet stuff, you may consider using a natural sweet substitute such as stevia. You can find it in your health food store. Derived from a root, stevia is all natural with a pleasant taste and no negative effects on your health. For more information, ask your health-care practitioner. Avoid chemically-based sweeteners such as aspartame, which carries a strong health warning, regarding its consumption ... but we'll save that for another article.

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Katherine Preston is a certified personal trainer, aqua-fitness instructor and a nutrition and wellness specialist. Email hr at absfit@cogeco.ca or visit http://home.cogeco.ca/~absfit.