How do you slay a giant? Honestly, I don’t know.

David did it by walloping Goliath upside the head with a stone! Mississippi State University’s women’s basketball team beat UConn last year in the final four. Steve Jobs fought his way into electronics industry on the compulsions of a perfect product.

So, who’s David and who’s Goliath? We are all David and Goliath in the sugar industry. This is the point where some folks (including my wife who loves a good donut or slice of pound cake) begin to bristle a little bit. She even said to me as I was writing this, “You’re not taking our sugar away are you?” To which I said, “Maybe.” Then she shot me that disappointed look parents are so good at giving their kids.

Whether you think you’ll like this article or not, I just want you to read it.

We’re addicted to sugar. Addicted. Studies have shown this addiction is actually stronger than cocaine addiction. Yikes! No wonder we are so averse to giving up the white gold.

Here’s the deal: Before the industrial revolution, sugar was hard to come by. Sugar cane could be grown in the tropics but that was it. And it was hard to distribute. Then came the sugar beet and the industrial revolution. The sugar beet could be grown and processed just about anywhere, and the industrial revolution made it easy to process and distribute sugar.

Fast forward to now and progressively, we’ve seen our world (and especially our U.S.) rates of obesity, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, cholesterol and diabetes rise quicker than your uncle out of that rocking chair when he hears the food is ready. Here’s another key conundrum in the puzzle: Ancel Keys was an American physiologist who studied the effects of diet on health. In the 1950s, he popularized the idea that fats in the diet were bad – not sugar. Here’s the kicker: Ancel Keys’ research was funded by the sugar industry!

John Yudkin wrote “Pure, White and Deadly” in 1972, which pioneered the idea that maybe it wasn’t fat that was the problem but rather sugar in our diets. This view was staunchly criticized by Keys and the sugar industry. Why? Because they are Goliath.

Here’s another thought. Have you ever heard “a calorie is a calorie?” Leading research these days is showing that is not the case, even though a lot of guidelines and program out there still promote it. This campaign has helped the sugar industry, who could then argue, for example, that 3 teaspoons of sugar was fewer calories than an apple. You’re a reasonable person though, so which do you think is better for you?

Rather than calorie counting, it comes down to this concept: How does what you eat affect insulin levels in your body? This true test is insulin levels. With added sugars, we consistently see higher insulin spikes in the bloodstream. Think of insulin as your body’s way of deciding whether or not to store fat. The more insulin has to work, the more potential you have of gaining weight! Remember that 3 teaspoons of sugar vs the apple? If you downed 3 teaspoons of sugar, your insulin levels will go crazy compared to eating an apple. It takes your body longer to break down the sugars found in the apple AND it takes flat out longer to eat.

What does this mean to you? The insulin level in your body stays more within maintainable levels and thus you store less fat.

Where do we go from here? In your individual life, choose whole and raw foods over processed foods. Choose proteins and fats over sugars when you have the option. And remember, breads and pastas count as sugars – not just that soft drink or chocolate bar! The addiction to sugar is very strong … but if you work towards less sugars, you’ll find over time that you don’t desire the high sugar levels you once craved. Sugar is like anything else – you develop a tolerance.

How about on a community level – what can we do? A study in Australia found that 87 percent of processed foods, and even 52 percent of foods described as “raw” or “core,” were found to have added sugars! If you had to pick an enemy from either the natural sugars found in foods or the added sugars, pick the added sugars every time. Added sugars are like a gift to the insulin factory in your body. They’re readily available, without your body doing any extra work, to be broken down and stored as fat. This then leads to metabolic syndrome, obesity, higher cholesterol, diabetes and high blood pressure to name a few morbidities.

As a community, maybe on a state or national level, we should demand these food companies pay a tax based on how much added sugar there is in a product. This would meet staunch resistance but, like I said, we’re dealing with Goliath here. The tobacco industry was Goliath. We’ve seen the health ramifications of it and tobacco use has declined over time. The next big health threat that’s already killing us and burdening the rising cost of our healthcare system is the sugar industry. I think it’s reasonable for them to take some responsibility.

So, how do you slay a giant? Again, I don’t know the best way, but I do know we have to start somewhere. At least talking about it is a step in the right direction!

I hope you didn’t find this depressing as opposed to motivating, and I applaud you for reading through it. I hope all of you have a great new year as we continue to work toward learning about our health!

• Dr. Thomas is a board-certified physician who operates Complete Health Integrative Wellness Clinic and Thomas Urology Clinic in Starkville, Mississippi. Is this column helpful or are you looking for more information? We’d love to hear from you. Go to www.CompleteHealthIWC.com or call 662-498-1400.

This newspaper column is for informational purposes only and is, under no circumstances, intended to constitute medical advice or to create or continue a physician-patient relationship.  If you have a medical emergency, you should immediately seek care from your nearest emergency room, and if you have specific health questions, you should consult your own physician.