Names: Delos Reyes, Princess Jean G.

Ringconada, Jovy B.

Course Code: 11658

Subject Teacher: Jenelyn C. Retardo

That Sugar Film is an Australian documentary that was directed and starred by
Damon Gameau. The film was about Damon’s experiment of himself wherein, he shifted
from his normal low in sucrose diet into a diet which is otherwise. What makes this
experiment interesting is that every day, for 60 days, he has to intake 40 tsps. of sugar.
However, it is not the usual and obviously sugary foods like chocolate, cakes,
doughnuts and softdrinks, but foods that are supposedly healthy that have secret and
hidden sugar within. This includes yogurt, energy drinks, fruit smoothies (that are
usually advertised to be “healthy” because it’s from fruits, but not), cereals, and other
manufactured fruit juices. These foods were labelled to be organic and all-natural,
unfortunately, advertising is as its finest.
Damon’s self-experiment was a risky quest towards a concrete answer and
conclusion of how sugar really affects human life. His 60-day journey was
supplemented with advices, expertise, and constant observation of his body (holistically:
physique, emotions, and mental health) by group of medical specialists. David Gillespie:
Chief Sugar Advisor; Prof. Ken Sikaris: Blood Test In-Charge; Sharon Johnston:
Nutritionist and Deborah Herbst: Overall Health Supervisor.
The film was informative and disturbing, in the sense that one would be really
astonished of how sugar could create such an enormous and harmful effect in the
human body. It would meddle a question in one’s mind: is my current diet helping me to
step in a right direction towards a good life? People work and study hard to attain the
good life. However, in this pursuit, we missed the thing that sustains us in our journey—
our health. Damon’s experiment is a powerful and imperative campaign. People can’t
just rely on what grocery stores could provide, or be fooled by advertisements that
entices consumers to patronize products with concealed sugar content. If so, then we
are making our own choice of walking away from the good life.
Moreover, portrayed in the film are Damon’s travel to different places. Each place
showed facts and truths about how harmful sugar is to humans. Mainly, it poses risks to
one’s health may it be in the physical or mental aspect. The following are the health
risks showed in the film.
Physical Aspect
Good health of both the body and mind is very vital for us to function and live a
happy life. However, diseases and health conditions rapidly emerge in present time that
make human beings' lifespan shorter than before. The ability of humans to take high
sugar diet becomes very attainable due to the rapid production of goods. In fact, Damon
stated that sugar becomes more prevalent in our society today, to the point that if we
remove the items that contains sugar in a grocery or stall, only 20% will remain.
Additionally, Dr. John Yudkin alarmed the public on how sugar could significantly affect
our health. Below are the consequences of high sugar intake in the physical aspect of
our body.
 Fatty Liver. As we take the sugar into our body it is divided into two: glucose
(gently passed the liver and either stored or used for energy) and fructose
(irregularities in the liver and turns into fat). The fats that stay in the liver (fatty
liver) will cause high risk of insulin resistance and diabetes. Eventually these fats
in the liver proceed into the bloodstream. The insulin helps our cell to remove the
glucose in the bloodstream and use it for energy. However, because of the fats
brought by sugar our burning process may be disturbed which result to excess
weight (obesity) and heart disease.

 Tooth Decay- Tooth decay is another problem caused by sugar intake. The rise
of Pepsi and Coca-Cola beverages brought another teaspoons of sugar to every
people’s diet. In Kentucky, there are people who find trouble with tooth decay, 3
year-olds as the youngest, and this was because of their addiction to Mountain
Dew and other artificial juices.

 Body Organ Failure - High sugar diet is very alarming to the health of the
people. The rapid growth of companies and manufacturers which produce foods
and items that contain high dosage of sugar is very prevalent in the
contemporary world. Diseases like cancers, heart attack, diabetes, organ
complications, and hypertension were brought by the uncontrollable indulgence
of humans to sugars.

 Skin Conditions- Sugars also caused skin conditions. In the middle of Damon's
experiment, he mentioned that he had an acne breakout, wherein his nutritionist
explained that it was due to his liver's reaction to the sugar intakes.

 Shorter Lifespan- Sugars make human beings' lifespan shorter than before. In
the documentary video, a small town called Almata had proven that people’s
relationship to sugar is very destructive. Before, their ancestors had animals and
other plants as their means of food. But when the western influence came, the
introduction of foods and items (sugar) made a huge change. The death of both
young and adult people due to diseases and other complications were evidence
that sugar can make life shorter.

Mental Aspect
High sugar intake doesn’t just affect one’s physique, for it is also harmful for the
mental health. In fact, an evidence found by researchers posited that excessive sugar in
schizophrenic patients may contribute to an elevated likelihood of distress and worse
results. It may seem to be unrealistic, but Damon’s behavior during the experiment
proved this claim right. Below are some of the mental health consequences of sugar.
  Fluctuation of Moods- After weeks of Damon’s experiment, he observed that
his moods are unstable. Mainly he feels two extremes of emotions. Sometimes
he feels like in a manic state, and sometimes otherwise. One of his doctors
explained this major emotional shifts. Just like the highs and lows of drug
dependence, sugar is handled in a common manner across our bodies,
supplying us with adrenaline which triggers fear, depression or anxiety. In the
words of Thomas Campbell, “The brain and body run on glucose. If the glucose
level is going up and down, swinging high and low and back and forth, then your
mental function is unstable.”

 Lethargy- If the body gets more sugar than it is accustomed to, it releases
insulin rapidly in an effort to retain stable amounts. This induces a decrease in
blood glucose, culminating in a rapid drop in energy levels, also known as
hypoglycemia, or a sugar crash. With this dramatic energy drop the body can
experience unpleasant side effects like: headaches, discomfort, irritability and
many more. Sugar crashes usually cause us to get extremely disturbed all day
long, resulting in a lack of efficiency and alertness. This sums up Damon’s
noticeable lethargic behavior during the filming.

 Addictive Effects- Sweet products are particularly attractive because of the

strong impact sugar has on the brain reward network called the mesolimbic
dopamine mechanism. In this mechanism the neurotransmitter dopamine is
produced in reaction to a stimulating experience by neurons. This explains the
addictive attribute of sugar. Dopamine, morphine, and beta-endorphins are
absorbed into the bloodstream. This shows up the same centers of pleasure in
the brain as smoking, narcotics, and sex. Sugar contains substance that will lure
a person to crave for more sweetness. In other words, the more you add sugar
into your food, the more you desire for it.
From the facts presented, it can be concluded that our self is also the culprit of
our own death. That Sugar Film should be an awakening and a reminder to people with
sedentary lifestyle and poor diet. This film scares sugar from its several hidden places
and dispels the misconceptions about this addictive substance. You have to start loving
yourself more, and start hating sugar, not tomorrow, but TODAY. Let a healthy mindset
be your living legacy that will be passed on to your children. Living a good life also
means attaining good health.