Dark History - 106: The Dark History Of Sugar: Slavery, Diabetes, And Addiction

Episode Date: October 4, 2023

Welcome to the Dark History podcast. It’s October, which means, it’s the start of spooky season. With Halloween coming up, my mouth is watering just thinking about all of the candy I’m going to eat. But I always hear about how bad sugar is, so I wanted to find out why? Is sugar really as addictive as cocaine? Where does it come from? Are there hidden costs? And of course, the answers are darker than I could have ever imagined. Get your first visit for only five dollars at https://www.apostrophe.com/DARKHISTORY and use code DARKHISTORY. Go to https://www.microdose.com and use code DARKHISTORY to get free shipping & 30% off your first order. Go to https://www.zocdoc.com/DARKHISTORY and download the Zocdoc app for FREE.

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Find more product information at Ubrelvi.com or call 8444UBRELVY, sponsored by ABV. What do we eat 60 pounds of every year? I know you're going somewhere dirty. I'll give you a hint. What do we eat 60 pounds of every year? I know you're going somewhere dirty. I'll give you a hint. There have been studies that show it's more addictive than cocaine and millions of people were enslaved because of it. It's a billion dollar business that's in bed with the government

and actually it's in bed with us too. She's right behind you. I'm talking about sugar. Oh, yes. Sugar might be sweet, but its history is bitter, just say the least. I'm here. Hi, showed up again. I hope you're having a wonderful day today.

My name is Bailey Sarian, and I'd like to welcome you to my podcast, Dark History. Here we believe that history, it doesn't have to be boring. I mean, yes, it might be tragic, And sometimes it's happy, but either way, it's our dark history. So just shut up and let me tell you something really quick because today, it's October. Oh my god, yay! I know.

It's finally the season for us creepers' ways to thrive. I lose my shit when I see like that huge ass 12-foot tall home Depot skeleton. Yeah. My neighbor Bob has went on his lawn. I low key think he's running a cold but like that's just I get that's a different story. Okay so I really look forward to the season because candy is everywhere right? I look forward to Halloween season because candy is everywhere, right? I look forward to Halloween because this is when I get to steal my nephews, Halloween candy.

And yeah, I eat it. What are you gonna do about it? You're gonna cry. Don't give me that look. I left him some candy corn. Kids don't, they get so much free shit. Okay, I want free shit. But if I go to

the door and I say trick or treat, people tell me to leave. So I got to do that. Have the kids do the work for me? I mean, lay me alone. Look, most parents worry about, you know, during the season, they worry that their kids are just going to eat too much Halloween candy. And it's bad because hello, it's all sugar, you know? But like, I wanted to know how bad is it really? You know, I've always heard that rumor. That sugar is more addictive than cocaine. But it's like, that can't be right. Right?

So what is up was sugar. Like, where's it come from? Who can I thank for discovering it? Columbus, was that you? Well, why are we eating more of it than ever before? Right, that's actually something to marinate on. But is there someone out there who was profiting off of our Pixie sticks addiction?

Well, as per usual, I'm afraid the truth is like, oh, it's just much more complicated than it even needs to be. Because you're like, it's just much more complicated than it even needs to be. Because you're like, it's just sugar. It can't be that bad. Martha, listen, I tell you. We take some sharp left into funky town with this story. So buckle in because we are moving, baby. Sugar comes from a plant called sugar cane and it's been with humanity since the beginning of time. I mean, it's believed like prehistoric humans would chew on the plant because it had the sweetness to it and it was yummy.

Sugar cane was first traced to the indigenous people of New Guinea. But then, around the years, 800 BC, it's like 600 AD, the sugar cane plant started to pop up everywhere. Now, the origins of the sugar cane plant are kind of like corn. Yeah, nobody knows really exactly how the plant popped up in India, but it did, and then got it did, because it's honestly like thanks to India that we have sugar in general. So in 100 AD, they created an early version of a sugar mill, which was like kind of like a factory where you could break down sugar cane to extract the sugar out of it.

I like really leveled up the way people ate sugar. So like no longer did they have to chew on the end of the sugar cane itself, you know? Didn't have to look like bugs bunny eating on that carrot, you know, so this was groundbreaking. Now at this point, they were extracting the sugar out of the plants by like cutting them up, they would boil it, and then they would remove the sweet parts out of the plant. Now they were able to turn it into like different forms, almost like lumps of crystallized sugar and also syrup. So they would use these like in their drinks,

their puddings and anything that could be a treat. Indian civilizations even created the very first hard candy. This was called conda. But surprise, surprise. Sugar wasn't just a tree for people to enjoy. Back then, sugar was also used as an important medicine. Recently, I had a first date with someone that I was actually excited about, maybe just a little.

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Look at this planet right here. I had this big ol' zit and I was like, really? That's what you're gonna do. All right, that's what we did. Listen, I know acne can get in the way of feeling confident in your own skin. And that's why I'm always excited to partner with a posh your feet. A posh your feet is an online platform that connects you with an expert dermatology team to get customized acne treatment for your unique skin.

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Now let's get back to the story. In India, they believed that sugar was like a stomach relief medicine and even a kidney cancer. Go on. The thought was that like they would eat this sugar and then when they went number two, any of the bad viruses or toxins that were in the body, it would be removed with said poopage.

So they thought like sugar was gonna do that. And then in 327 AD, the Greeks and Romans, they were introduced to sugar. They're like, hi, it's nice to meet you, cheerleaders, so delicious. An army general wrote a letter home describing the sweet taste. Now, it's kind of romantic though,

because they've never had this before. Okay, they've never had sugar before. Could you imagine trying sugar for the first time? It would be like, what the fuck is this? It's blowing my mind. So the sky he wrote, quote, a read in India that brings forth honey without the help of bees,

from which an intoxicating drink is made, though the plant bears no fruit." End quote. And they didn't use the sweet sugar crystals and teas and cakes like, you know, you would think, they too saw it as medicinal, and they would sell syrups to physicians to be used as medicine.

I know, I was like, oh my god, and just like Mary Poppins. Right? Just to spin by the sugar, make the medicine. You know, she was on something there. So sugar was referred to as, quote, Indian medicine for years. And Greeks and Romans believed that sugar could help symptoms from like a bad cold say like fevers and coughs. And I guess they would mix up a super sweet concoction and like feed it to the sick people like cough syrup. It was also said to be used for

people who really like messed up stomachs. Maybe they ate too much and they're super full. Yeah, so they would drink this. And it would help with that. So they started serving sugar after meals to help with people's indigestion. I'm like, there's actually a theory out there that this is why we eat dessert after dinner. And that's when my brain exploded and I was like, this is it we eat dessert after dinner.

And that's when my brain exploded and I was like, this is it, I'm done, I know everything. I know everything there is to know about life, you know? I'm maxed out, mind blowing. Right? No? Okay, thanks for making me feel weird. Paul, Dick. I always feel judged. Anyways, don't you look cute though. Ah!

Okay, sugar, you guys, focus. Jeez. Sugar at this point was only for the elite. And like for a really long time, it had a reputation as this exclusive, effective Indian medicine. And then eventually, a university in Iran studying all types of medicine,

like across the world, helped develop sugar cane and then eventually a university in Iran studying all types of medicine like across the world helped develop sugar cane into crystals similar to like what we know today. The Middle East, specifically the Egyptians, they perfected the planting and harvesting of the sugar cane plant. They even figured out like how to create crystallized sugar in large quantities.

And it continued to be used as medicine, but it was also used to create expensive desserts for such an eyebrow, but it was for royal parties. They would even combine sugar with ground almonds to make these gigantic marzipan statues at royal banquets. That was a mouthful. But they were making these gigantic statues at royal banquets of like someone important.

With sugar and almond, it's flattering, I guess. You're edible, fun, creative. And then by the year 1099, sugar found its way into Europe because of the crusades. The crusades were a series of really devastating wars between religions that lasted for over 200 years. Yeah, just a little speed bump in our history, 200 years. Each religion was trying to take control

of different religious sites around the world. And this like to millions of people just getting murdered, millions dead. That should really be the story, you guys, fuck sugar, right? I didn't begin it. There's Paul. You said it in the room, Paul, don't put this on me.

And since it like a lot of these wars took place in the middle of east, a lot of these wars took place in the Middle East, a lot of like things were stolen and then brought back to Europe. Like rice, perfume, and even like sugar. Yep, sugar. Okay, so I thought this was a little funny. When people from the Crusades

returned home to England, they brought sugar with them. And they called it the new spice. I mean, like there's nothing more stereotypically British than considering sugar as spice. And people were obsessed with this spice. Like sugar actually started going by the nickname white gold. And that's because it was expensive as hell. In London, it started going for two shillings per pound. So in modern day, American dollars, that's $50 a pound.

Yeah, that's a lot. So of course, like only members of the upper class could afford such a rare and expensive luxury. And because there was such a demand for it in Europe, there was always a shortage. So if you wanted sugar, you had to have it imported from another country. In the late 1400s,

people in Europe tried to grow sugar cane themselves, but I guess it didn't really work out that well. And a big flop, no one should have done it. Sugar cane needs like a warmer, more humid climate to successfully grow and where it was, it just wasn't gonna happen, stop trying to make it happen. So you're up found a shortcut to getting their own sugar. They would import the sugar cane plants from other countries and then refine it themselves. Hmm, sneaky. Or maybe a good thing, I don't know. But still, getting that sugar cane was expensive,

and it took a long time. People wanted it now. And sugar sellers, they wanted another solution that would make them more money faster. And this is when one of the most infamous explorers of all history enters the scene. Mr. Christopher Columbus. You've probably heard of microdosing before, right?

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but again, that's microdose.com and use code Dark History. And let me know how those. Now let's get back to the story. On Columbus' second trip into the new world, he makes a stop in the Canary Islands like to refuel his ship. He needs some gas. The Canary Islands are located right by modern day in Spain.

And by the 1400s, the Spanish had already taken it over. So by the time Mr. Columbus got to these islands, he sees all of these sugar plantations being set up and he's wondering like what's going on, trying to get all the information out so like what is this, right? What's going on? So we're trying to figure out,

well how are they getting all of this work done and how are they doing this? And it turns out like they getting all of this work done? And how are they doing this? And it turns out like they were all using the enslaved people on the island. So they were getting a lot of help from people who didn't, did not want to be there. Okay, and look, it was working really well

for a long time until it didn't. And the Spanish had just completely decimated the forest. So there was like nowhere for the sugar cane to grow. So he's looking at this model that they have going on on the Canary Islands and he's feeling inspired. He's like, yay, I'm gonna be interested. But he thinks himself like, hey, what if I started this really great idea? I did the same thing,

what I did it in a new place. He's like easy, take over an island, inslave everyone inside, murder the people who refuse to like make your sugar. That's so easy I could do that at a day. So he brings sugar cane plants to the islands of modern day Haiti and the Dominican Republic. And these places, he brought them there because these places had the perfect temperatures for sugar farming. Now that Europe, especially England,

had the direct connect for sugar, they could not get enough. Sugar became a huge part of the European economy, and it was a necessity. There was a huge market for it, and the only thing standing in the way of more money was how quickly they could make it, you know, like they needed more workers to make more sugar.

Sugar plantations in places like Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and even Brazil come up with a solution. They decided if the labor available like on the islands wasn't enough, they could bring in other people from other countries to do it for them. This is when Spanish and Portuguese colonists start working with sugar plantations. And they decide to invade different parts of Africa. They just go nuts. When they got to these small old towns, they just destroyed people's homes, the villages all across Africa, and they trafficked entire families from their villages. They then forced them onto a giant slave ship to go and work on one of these sugar plantations.

This became part of something called the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, which was a huge, huge trafficking operation. It lasted for over 300 years, from 1501 to 1867. 300 years. Now, the Trans-Atlantic slave trade should be its own episode, honestly. Like there is no possible way we could do it any justice in just this

part of our story, but it's impossible to talk about sugar without it. And then that's what is even more. And you're like, what? A sugar, it's just the crossover I did not expect. Before the sugar boom, a few hundred thousand Africans were trafficked, but after the sugar demand went up at a control, over 12 million Africans were brought over. 12 million people, 12 million people, that's a lot of people, hello, yeah.

So is it fair to say that a huge part of why the transatlantic slave trade became as big as it did was because of sugar? Literally, people just having a sweet tooth and wanting more of it. And then like just taking it too far. History is just bananas and saying. So the ride from Africa to these plantations was called the middle passage.

This trip took 80 days on the slave ships and honestly you were lucky if you survived. People were packed below the dexo tightly. They were literally like body to body, barely able to sit up or even move around. And like thousands of people died on this journey. But even the people who did make it to their shoulder plantations would struggle to survive. The work that was waiting for them was absolutely back breaking and brutal. The plantation owners would make the enslaved people

start working at 6.8am, sometimes earlier. And they wouldn't be allowed to go home until late into the night. Insulated people were expected to plant thousands of sugar cane stems like all across acres of land. And they did it every day and the hot ass sun, okay? And when it came to harvesting the cane plant, you'd really, it was like aggressive, I don't know if that's the word,

but I'm gonna use it, it was aggressive. Because you'd have to like take a knife and then you'd have to hack off the root of each sugar cane individually. Ah! That's not easy. These are huge plants. Each sugar cane is like 10 feet high.

You then have to like carry the heavy stalks that you harvested to another location to have the sugar cane broken up and Extracted from it and slant people were treated horribly. They were also given no breaks They were malnourished and not given any medical treatment the average enslaved sugar plantation worker only lived from like Seven to nine years after they got to look the plantation. By the 19th century, 90% of all enslaved people were working on these plantations. It's so crazy to think that millions of people at once were being forced into this type of slavery, all because of sugar. But for the plantation owners, this was a huge money maker.

They didn't have to pay for labor, okay, or these sugar came plants. And anytime there was a need for more sugar, more enslaved people would be trafficked in and new sugar plantations would pop up. Those like unstoppable, it was a sick cycle. Over in Europe, eating sugar was still considered one of like the ultimate indulgence since.

It was a status symbol. The more sugar you had, the more money, the more power. You had to flex. Yeah, sugar, isn't that funny? So, to show off, people would have, like the rest of them, they would have these huge lavish dinner parties and end the night serving expensive dessert courses. Fun, I wanna go.

I wanna an expensive dessert course, what's that? King Henry VIII, who I guess was the king who had all of his wise heads chopped off. That guy, he even had his own personal sugar dealer. So this guy would make him special king only candies. Which I love that idea. I want someone to make him special King only candies, which I love that idea. I want someone to make me special candy. But his most important job was creating these huge,

impressive like sculptures, all out of sugar. It was cool, right? Like wow, that's sugar. He would have the sugar maker create models of his warf forts and his cannons. So he could like have them out on display when guests would come and visit him. The only thing better than having a model toy village is like being able to eat it. That's the best part. And also that love of sugar passed on to Henry's daughter,

Queen Elizabeth the first. You know the one with the crazy red hair. You remember? Come on. Henry once had a sugar model made for her and it was Saint Paul's Cathedral, all made of sugar. She's like, I sugar church, thanks.

I mean, I don't really know. Maybe she loved it actually and I'm just a bitch. But what everyone did know was that the queen was completely addicted to sugar. I guess it was like, she was hardcore, addicted to sugar. Like her teeth started turning black and even rotted out of her mouth.

That's a little much, right? So I guess a ton, not a ton, but like a handful of her teeth fell out, but it kind of, because I relate, because I'm, because I'm affected her speech. And people have like a really hard time understanding her, because she own teeth. It's not funny.

So remember how the ancient Greeks and the Romans thought that there were like medicinal qualities to sugar? Well, apparently, Queen Elizabeth's dentists, they also agreed. I know. This was way long ago. They thought that the solution to saving the Queen's teeth was to have her brush her teeth with toothpaste made from sugar. I don't know. They were guessing. Now luckily for Elizabeth, she was the queen. So instead of like being mocked for her rotten teeth, she instead became a trendsetter. Oh my God, I know.

The upper classes let their teeth turn black and rot out of their mouths like hers. That's so embarrassing. They literally let their teeth rot out because the queen's teeth rotted out. Like you guys, your breath probably did not smell fresh. So they were experts who studied corpses from the 16th and the 17th century. And they said they're like looking at these like corpses. Right. They said that the upper-class

people were buried in expensive clothes and they were put in lead coffins, but their teeth were rotted to the core nasty. But it wasn't just the rich people who wanted in on this trend, since sugar was only available to the wealthy. Corrors, subjects and servants would blacken their teeth with whatever they had to make it look like their teeth were rotting. Isn't that sound bear saying what animals we are? Silias. Eventually, like in the early 1800s, there was so much production happening that sugar,

specifically brown sugar and molasses, started to become widely available to the everyday people. Refined white sugar was still an expensive luxury, but the everyday person wasn't using the sugar to create sculptures of churches, you know, they were using it as a preservative for fruits and jams. It would help a, you know, last longer. By 1801, the average person's consumption was about 30 pounds of sugar per year.

So it sounds like a lot, right? Just like inject me with a shower. Ah! So over in America during the Civil War in 1861, northerners were cut off from pretty much all connections to sugar. So some abolitionists began to promote the sugar beet, which is a different plant from the more common sugar cane.

It was called free sugar because it was produced without slave labor. Wow, what an idea, huh? As sugarbeats became popular, there was suddenly more than enough brown and even white refined sugar to go around. Now, since this was available to everybody, there was a surplus of it.

And the prices also went way down. And by the 1900s, thanks to beet sugar, the average American was consuming 40 pounds of it per year. Hot, doodly ding dong. That sounds like a lot's going up. Another time America was obsessed with sugar was prohibition. Remember that wild time? No, because we weren't there,

but it sounds like it really must have sucked. Because like in the 1920s and the 30s, alcohol became illegal. So people reached for the next best thing. So da! Buh! So this is a period of time when companies like Coca-Cola grew overnight out of control. And this also is when ice cream starts to pop off. This is because as bars closed, soda fountains opened. These places they give the people a sugar-filled alternative to drinking with ice cream and like

cola floats. Oh, I'm dying from one right now. That sounds so good, right? Like, yeah, they have a lot of sugar in them, but, hmm. Yeah, I mean, I mean, those people back then were probably getting a better buzz from those Coke floats than like a glass of wine or whatever, you know? Like, they weren't used to this kind of sugar worries to it. Well, I am. The only major sugar crash in American history

was during World War II in the 1940s. As much as Americans loved their sugar, it was the first food to be rationed. Each person was allowed eight ounces of white sugar a week. So people were getting their sugar fixes by using substitutes like corn syrup and molasses. After the war, sugar sales again, Cableum skyrocketed.

But big companies at this time, they have learned that it was way cheaper to use corn syrup than it was sugar. So they just kept at it. They're like, no one's said anything. We're just gonna keep doing it. And that's literally why corn syrup is in everything. Corn syrup isn't everything.

Are you not paying attention? By the 1960s, America's mass consumption of sugar started to have some serious effect on people's health. There was all of this data being released, showing that there were high rates of heart disease amongst American men. So multiple studies were done to get to the bottom of it, you know, like what is going on?

One study showed that sugar was a problem. It was like, if you just like cut out sugar, then you're gonna be all cool, man. Then another study was done, and they were like look everyone relax breathe Sugar is fine the real problem Saturated fat and cholesterol And look maybe it's all three okay, but everyone's point and finger whatever

So there's also like this conspiracy that big sugar manufacturers and popular products that have a lot of sugar funded scientific studies that would show fat is worse for us than sugar. I mean look we learned on our Coca-Cola episode in season two that in the 60s a group called the Sugar Research Foundation they had paid Harvard called the Sugar Research Foundation. They had paid Harvard scientists a lot of money to publish a study that blamed saturated fat for America's heart disease problem, coincidentally.

Ain't that funny, isn't that weird? Weird, they didn't consider sugar, but so weird. Even to this day, Coca-Cola has spent millions of dollars to downplay the link between sugary drinks and obesity. There was all this confusion going on on what was causing heart disease and it led to a war between sugar-free and low fat. And you still see it going on in grocery stores today, right?

It's like, what does it mean? You guys are just stop yelling at me. I don't know. And then it's like, what does it mean? You guys are stuck yelling at me. I don't know. And then it's like, things get a little bit more questionable because sugar companies, they started to put out these advertisements, encouraging people to eat sugar because it's actually a really good diet. Oh my god, yeah, you guys, you've had it all wrong.

Sugar? Good diet. So the argument was if you eat sugar, you get a ton of energy. So like hello, you get energy, and then guess what? You exercise because you have energy. Hello easy done simple. You guys just aren't eating sugar right. There's this one ad that features a woman holding a cup full of sugary soda. The text says, it's funny because it's bad. It says, get ready for the fat time of day. The sugar in a soft drink now can save me

a lot of calories later. And you're like, yeah. Okay. It might sound crazy to us, but sadly, like a good amount of people did believe this. And by the next decade in the 70s, the sugar consumption rate of sugar filled drinks increased by 135%.

Wow. By the 80s, there was data that came out showing the rates of American obesity and diabetes. It had ticked up every time there wasn't increase in the public's sugar consumption. All of those rates continued to rise through the late 1990s, partially because of all like the diet crisis that were going on, you know. And no, I'm not talking about the crazy diet that tells you to eat more sugar, even though I would like that diet. They had gotten even craftier than that. As people realized health and lifestyle

was more important than getting a sugar buzz, they once again blamed fat. But the problem still ends up being sugar, because most of the time when fat is removed sugar is then added to supplement the taste so it kind of tastes you know good right remember when like Frollo became a huge thing it was not every corner what was that about right and we was getting a little out of hand but they were like fat free or whatever so you go and you're like, oh my God,

this tastes a little too good. Fat free, you say? So then everyone was eating it and it turns out it was just straight sugar, whoops. And then we get to modern day. You know, I actually wanted to do this episode because I had heard an absolutely insane fact that in 2007, there

was a study published by four French scientists called Intense Sweetness Surpasses Cocaine Reward. Yeah, that's the name of this study. This study was done in a lab using a bunch of rats as test subjects. And what these scientists were trying to figure out was just how addictive, if at all, sugar is. You know, they want to get to the bottom of it. I mean, apparently you can't get people

just hooked on sugar for science, even though I'm available. So scientists had to involve rats. And one study, the scientists deprived rats of any food for 12 hours a day. The other 12 hours, the rats were given access to a mixture of sugar and water. This is my mixture, sugar and water for the rats,

12 hours. After just one month, these rats were straight addicted to the sugar water. They would literally like binge on it whenever they were given the sweet, sweet chance. And on the other side, when the sugar solution was taken away, the rats, they were experiencing pretty much with draws. We would call them withdraws.

When they didn't have the sugar, these lab rats experienced severe anxiety, depression, and they had like massive cravings for it. The rats literally became sugar addicts. It's like, oh, it's kind of concerning, I think. Is this why like so many of us have anxiety and depression because like, sugar is in everything and like corn syrup. Whoa!

I guess if this is true, we'd have to like give up sugar, right? We have to give it up and see how our body responds without sugar. I would really like to know, but I don't think I could, hey, you do it. And let me know how it goes. Thanks. I know you got my back. And then I'll do it after, hey, you do it. And let me know how it goes. Thanks. I know you got my back. And then I'll do it after you tell me the good news, but only if it's good.

Okay, great. This is what really got me. In that same study, the scientists offered rats an option between like two little special cocktails. Cute. Just for the rats. One was essentially sweetened sugar water, and then the other was water laced with cocaine. I know, fun. How did we get here? I don't know. These rats are ready to party. Anyway, between these two drinks, the sugar water and the cocaine water, 94% of the

rats overwhelmingly chose the sugar water and the cocaine water. 94% of the rats overwhelmingly chose the sugar water. What? Huh, the scientists, they even opt the levels of cocaine to see if like that would make any difference at all for the rats. But still, sugar water was the clear winner. Okay, that's not good, right, everyone? How long have they known? Once the study was done, this led the scientists to the conclusion that not only is sugar proven to be addictive. It's arguably more addictive than cocaine and harder

to kick. And we're just scratching the surface here with the study. There have been hundreds of studies that show sugar's addictive effects. I mean, we are not rats. I'm not that I know of, but our brains do a similar thing. Like, our brains are literally hardwired to reward sugar consumption. This is true because for most of human history, getting enough food or food at all was the main daily goal. And when sugar is consumed, something called dopamine gets released into our body. I'm sure you've heard of this, right? Well, it happens. And dopamine is the shit. It's a chemical in your brain that literally just makes you feel good. Beautiful. You're like, oh my god, life is great. I love everything. Yay! Chicken nuggets.

So when we do get those calories, especially the sweet ones, the brain rewards us by giving us some dopamine. Mm-hmm. Huck. All that's to say, sugar is the drug that nobody is even really thinking about, huh? It almost seems like it was designed to be addictive, but it seems like we're not really thinking about it, right? Yeah, I mean, this is a little bit of a side note, but the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

studied the link between sugar and alcoholism. And apparently, there's a connection between sugar and alcohol addiction. When someone abuses alcohol, dopamine is also released into the body, just like when someone eats sugar. Now, scientists think that this can be a person sugar. Now scientists think that like this can be a person who overconsumes sweets may also struggle. I'm not laughing because it's just funny I'm laughing because they might struggle with like their alcohol consumption. It's just like why has it got to call me out like this? I love sweets! Ah, this is my future. God, shaman. Anyways, these studies have shown that this link can be passed on genetically.

Wow, you hit the lottery, kid. Lucky you. So, my parent is an alcoholic and has a high preference for sugar. Both of these addictions can be passed down to their child. I'm with you friends out there. We're gonna do this and we're gonna be okay.

Now this obviously stood out to me because it was like shit. But also, if a rat can be trained in a month to become addicted to sugar, and then this addiction can be passed down to your baby child. Then won't we all be sugar addicts passing down our addicted genes to the next generation?

Is that allowed? Are we concerned? Are we concerned? This might be like the reality we all soon live in, you know? I don't know. Maybe, especially since here in America, listen, we are the number one consumer of sugar. Oh my God, in the whole freaking world, I know.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, don't look at me, it's all of us. Yes, baby girl, listen, shop, listen. Here in the US of A, we take in a lot of sugar. The American Heart Association recommends people keep their sugar intake to 25 through 36 grams of sugar, which is like six to nine teaspoons per day. It sounds like a lot, but listen, the average American consumes around 17 teaspoons

of added sugar every day, which if you're like me, you're like, oh, you know, whatever, teaspoons are small, 13th, thence. And it're like me, you're like, oh, you know, whatever, tea spoons are small. Their teeth, then, and it's like whatever, because like I can be doing something way worse, like cocaine water, you know, get off my back. But then when I read that every year, the average American consumes over 60 pounds

of added sugar. That's like the size of a nine year old child, made of sugar, and you aren't eating that child's. That nine year old child, you ate. That's on you, you ate that baby, okay? So listen, how do you feel? It's a lot scarier than teaspoons, isn't it? Apparently, about 46% of our total sugar intake is from sugary drinks.

We are a drink nation. I mean, like soda, red bull, uh-huh. Oh. Gatorade, oopsie. Your strawberry mocha frappuccino? I'm not judging, but you know what you're doing. And it's not just like so does that are responsible. There are like some very sneaky places, sugar is hidden. There are weirdly high amounts of sugar in like all of our condiments.

All of them, like spaghetti sauce, flavored water, obviously alcohol and like bread. Bread? Not my bread? I thought bread was a carb. The list could go on forever, really. So hey, I know I've dropped a lot on you and I thought it'd be fun to play a game before the break.

You ready? Here's our question for you. What company has so much sugar in their bread? Legally, it had to be sold as cake. A, hearties, B, subway, or C, R, B's. The answer when we come back. You know that feeling, you get when you finally found the thing that you've been searching for.

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Hi, we're back. Are you waiting for the answer to my question? Well, if you guessed, be, subway, then you are correct, my friends. Applause. Great. A court in Ireland found that the bread sold at the American sandwich chain, Subway, could not actually be considered bread

because of how much sugar it contained by Irish law. So that bread technically had to be advertised as cake. Oh. So does this mean we should be ordering at Subway like, hi, I like a sweet onion chicken teriyaki on the white cake please. Thank you. This is not a fun little fact. Yeah, I'm sure all of the other fast food places are doing the exact same thing, but only Ireland seemed to care and slash or notice. Good for you, Ireland. Good for you. Look at now for your people and their health. And I know at this point, some of you are like

Bailey, Bailey, shout out, we get it, like don't eat sugar, blah, blah, blah. As some of you out there, I don't know how you do it, but you don't even have a sweet tooth, those people are creepy because how do you not have a sweet tooth? How do you get satisfaction? Where are the bodies? The family wants to know. Anyways, if you don't have a sweet tooth, I'm really jealous. And I get why the health side of sugar

kind of feels like a broken record, right? It's just like, gassy, put down the Halloween candy and pick up an apple. That's what it's like, right? And sometimes all the sugar talk can feel like white noise a little bit, but something that really shocked me in my sugar studies was finding out that a form of sugar slavery still exists.

Yes, oh yeah, sugar is so shady. Like, when you go to a grocery store in America to pick up some sugar, you're probably going to see the same three brands, domino and the yellow box, C and H. It's like pink and light. Tyson with their damn chicken. Most sugar is controlled by one family. I'm talking about a family who has been in the business of sugar for over 150 years. Now, they're very quiet. Okay, they're very quiet, power players in the American political scene. And essentially, they're the billionaires

that nobody has noticed or you don't hear about. They just like fly under the radar. And they go by the name the Fond Wool family. So this family, they own Domino Sugar, Florida crystals, C&H sugar, and Red Path Sugar. So essentially what I'm telling you is if you're buying sugar, it's most likely coming from the Fond Wool family. So the Fond Wool family made their way to Florida after Fidel Castro's Cuban Revolution in 1959. And like at this point they were already rich and powerful. Back in Cuba the family was known for owning like huge amounts of real estate,

distilleries, as well as sugarmills and sugar refineries. So when they got to Florida, the first thing they did was purchase thousands of acres of land, a handful of sugar mills in Louisiana, and also refineries, where like, you know, the workers processed the sugar. I mean, this is like the business they knew, so it made sense. Because sugar is never going away, the funnable family was quite successful to say the least, and by the 80s they had really made a name for themselves. So at this point they're like, okay, our next goal is to expand. They want to take over the sugar industry as a whole, maybe, I don't know. But in 1984,

there was like this huge business deal to expand the company overseas in order to increase manufacturing. You know, so they could sell more and pocket more of that money. And one of the places the FONRULF family wanted to expand was in the Dominican Republic. This was for a couple of reasons. The temperature, the fact that the infrastructure and sugar farms there already existed thanks to the Portuguese and Spanish colonizers. So the family purchased over 240,000 acres of land and a big sugar mill. They created huge factories, maintained friendly relationships with the local government, and they managed to buy a good relationship with the American government as well.

The Fondlewall family has had quite an odd history of political donations made. Most people vote on their, you know, political beliefs, but the Fondlewall family has donated tons of millions of dollars over the years to both political parties. In November 2013, Washington Post article, Peter Walston and Tom Hamburger quoted a lobbyist close to sugar executives who said, quote, the sugar guys win votes because they are better at politics than anyone else.

win votes because they are better at politics than anyone else. And, quote, sugar and the government have been quietly hooking up for years, okay? Actually, they've been doing this out in the open, but there's like some of other crap happening in the world, or maybe we just don't understand it. So nobody talks about it, but it's a little concerning. According to Professor Guy Rollnick, quote, sugar is the only one of many industries in the United States that receive corporate welfare, subsidies, and support. And this means that since there's such a huge mega corporation,

they get major tax breaks and even get money flowing in from the government. And look, I mean, there are lots of big corporations like it tax breaks and support from the government. So it's like, yeah, hello, we've talked about many of them on this very show. But the difference between them and the sugar industry is that so much of that money ultimately ends up in the funwool's billionaire pockets. And this is a huge problem because besides being BFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF campus, we offer a transformative university experience in an extraordinary place. UBC Okanagan combines the resources and reputation of one of the world's top universities with a young and dynamic campus.

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is ready to help kickstart your career. Join the car star team on carstarjobs.ca. Child labor. Yeah, of course. on carstarchobs.ca. This was a very bold move because sugar in the United States was actually on the decline. And at this point, there were like artificial sugars on the shelves at stores, like out there in the wild. They had the sugar-free alternatives. And people were really into this, right, coffee, tea.

You had it. You loved it, don't lie. But this really didn't phase the thawnhole family. I mean, they told the press, quote, you have it, don't lie. But this really didn't phase the phone whole family. I mean, they told the press, quote, you have to be good at it. Sugar is what we know, sugar is what we do. We've been in sugar. Take a shot every time they say sugar.

We've been in sugar for 150 years. Our goal is to be the best. At the end of the day, we will make money. End quote. All right, you know, cool. Wow, that was so motivational, thanks. And the way they make their money is off of the backs of humans that are treated like dirt.

Like when Domino Sugar was acquired by the family, it had a horrible reputation of poor working conditions and modern day slavery, which happens mostly in the Dominican Republic, journalist Sandy Tolen, and Euclidys Noel, exposed to conditions these workers have to deal with day in and day out. These workers do the back-breaking work of cutting and breaking down the sugar cane by hand, and many live with their families on these sugar plantations in small work camps

called beteas. These beteas usually don't have electricity. They don't have running water, or even enough space for the amount of people crammed into these small things, these small rooms. Even though the company that owned the sugar plantation made at least $1.5 billion worth of revenue every single year. The workers though, oh, lol, they're lucky if they got paid $4 a day,

which was like leaving most of their families to depend on global churches to get food for their whole family and sometimes health care. And not only that, there are reports that if workers didn't meet like their expected field workload, they would experience abusive working conditions forced overtime. And then their bosses could sometimes withhold their paychecks from them. Yeah, assholes. In the sugarcane fields, like there have been reports of children working right alongside the adults, and they're even sometimes their own parents. These kids and all just everyone are exposed to dangerous equipment, high temperatures, physical injuries from having no protective gear, and exposure to pesticides.

Many of these children are undocumented of Haitian origin and there were reporters who even met kids who had been kidnapped by the Dominican military and then they were just like dumped on the sugar cane fields to work. To this day, domino foods is like the largest sugar company in the United States, and the Dominican government denies that workers still experience oppression and slavery. But as recently as 2022, there have been reports that say this is still taking place. Domino Sugar instead just keeps getting bigger. The fun rules keep eating richer, and we keep staying addicted.

Look, I didn't expect this from our sugar episode either, okay? But here we are. I'm getting really hung up on everything, actually. Of course, like, the lab rats. They chose the sugar water over the cocaine. But if sugar is so addictive and it makes us depressed and anxious and there's been studies to prove it, then why isn't it being seriously regulated? I know that sounds bad and like kind of like, boo, Bailey, don't have them regulate something else. But like, I

don't think this one's doing us any good, huh? Look, bottom line, a company should not be allowed to dump so much added sugar into our food. Like, they should keep us informed, right? Eating an almond joy, I know I'm eating an almond joy, I'm eating sugar. And I hope you know that too. Like, you get it, right? But you shouldn't be worried Like, you get it, right? But you shouldn't be worried about your sugar intake, when you're eating bread, adding a splishy splash of ketchup. So much sugar.

It's just embarrassing that our country's bread is considered cake in Europe. Don't look. At the end of the day, I don't want to be just in the lab rat, sipping that sugar water and feeling all anxious and depressed. I wanna be raccoon, living free, eating whatever I decide I want to eat.

And whoever's garbage, I want to eat out of it. Be a raccoon, be free, I don't know. How do you end the sugar episode? Just be aware of your sugar intake this year, don't get sad, go for a walk, take a lap, do this. It probably will help with something. I don't know, but I know all of the sugars coming your way. Good luck out there, all right?

Thanks for listening. Remember, don't be afraid to ask questions to get the whole story because you deserve that. Also join me over on my YouTube where you can watch these episodes on Thursday after the podcast, airs, and while you're there, you can also catch my murder, mystery, and makeup. I love to hear your guys' reactions to today's story,

so make sure to use the hashtag dark history over on social media so I can follow along as serious saying. The stripped down truth left a comment on our Lisa Frank episode from season two saying, quote, fun fact, left a comment on our Lisa Frank episode from season two saying, quote, fun fact, Spencer's gifts on Spirit Halloween and also Bailey, now it's definitely the time

to treat your inner child. Ooh, shut up, no way, I didn't know this, Spencer's. I haven't seen one lava lamp in Spirit Halloween. Don't remember those glow in the dark posters? They just not making sense. Anyways, I mean, Spirit Hallway doesn't sell pink for a handcuffs, like Spencer's does. So, okay, but good for Spencer's

cause they weren't doing well. Law abiding citizen says, quote, thank you, Bayleaf. My son has been listening to you since he was six weeks old and your voice calms him. Oh, that's so cute. He's gonna be so smart, oh my God. The only way to prove that your child truly loves me though

is to, no, do not name your child, Bayley. Bayley is our psycho. Your child's gonna be so smart. And also thank you for your kind words, that's so cute. Indie Go, left an episode, suggestion. Ooh, love a suggestion. Bailey, please do a dark history on Jamison Whiskey and Jamison's love for cannibalism.

What, what, what, what, what? I am dying, I am dying. Wait a minute, I am dead. I've never heard of this before, what is this? Okay, listen, I'm gonna go home, I'm gonna do some Googling and goggling. And I'm gonna see what I come across. And then I'll let you know, but I'm buried, you know me,

you got me, can't believe I'm here. I'll circle back. Anyway, as you guys, just in case you didn't know, Dark History is an audio boom original. This podcast is executive produced by Bailey Sarian High, Dunia McNeely from Three Arts, Kevin Grush, and Matt Enlowe from Maiden Network. A big thank you to our writers, Joey Scavuzo,

Katy Burris, Allison Falobos, and me, Bailey Surion. Production lead, Brian Jackers, edited by Lily Young. Research provided by Sander Elmore and the Dark History Researcher team. Especially thank you to our expert, Dr. Nicole Vina, and especially thank you to Jessica Charles. And I'm your host, Bailey Serian. And don't forget to make some good choices this week and I'll be talking to you later. Goodbye.

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