[radix]

This is long, but very interesting if you have 90 minutes to devote to the subject. Basically it points to sugar, specifically fructose, and HFCS as the real causes of obesity, heart disease, and several other health issues.

I'm not as into nutrition as some of you guys, and I make no pretense about being an expert in the subject, but this is a pretty informative video I think.

[radix]

Condensed version:

[Lester]

True, I use Stevia now in my coffee. Sweet n low is also unhealthy.

Sugar is also very bad in the gas tank of your 135.

[Dntlvet]

Wow, this is very useful. Never thought I'd read this on an M3 forum.
Thanks so much.

[Thisisdudewhoru]

HFCS is a scam. Chemically speaking, high-fructose corn syrup is just a normal sugar. It starts as corn starch, and enzymes are used to convert it into glucose and fructose. Various chemicals extract table sugar from sugar beets and sugar cane. It's also made up of glucose and fructose in virtually the same proportions.

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by Thisisdudewhoru

HFCS is a scam. Chemically speaking, high-fructose corn syrup is just a normal sugar. It starts as corn starch, and enzymes are used to convert it into glucose and fructose. Various chemicals extract table sugar from sugar beets and sugar cane. It's also made up of glucose and fructose in virtually the same proportions.

Processed sugar. IE any sugar that isnt from sugar cane is bad for you. Your body recognizes it as something different than real sugar and processes it differently than normal sugar. This causes obesity and diabetes.

[Bobby_Light]

Sugar is getting a bad wrap in my eyes. We need it for energy! However, the thing that is bad about HFCS in my opinion is:

1. It's everywhere in processed foods and liquid candy (sodas, juices, etc).
2. Much of it contains mercury.
3. Comes from corn which contains polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs).
4. No fiber.
5. Only been around since the 70s.

PUFAs contained in corn, soy, grains, legumes, seed, nuts, fatty fish, above ground vegetables oxidize quickly in the presence of heat and oxygen (i.e. in the body) and contain antithyroid nutrients which leads to high oxidative burden, poor digestion, and suboptimal thyroid function.

The same exact foods that are used to fatten industrial animals (corn, soy, grain) cheaply and easily are being used to fatten Americans. Because the industrial animals are slaughtered young, we don't get to see the effects of that type of nutrition long term on their physiology; but you can surely see the outcomes in our physiology in the form of chronic degenerative disease The irony is when you feed farm animals saturated fats (as in coconut oil), they get lean! These are the same fats we are told to avoid. HFCS is taking a hit in the media thanks to Dr. Lustig, but very few are looking the ratio of polyunsaturated fats to saturated fats in the human diet, and it's role in disease.

[radix]

Originally Posted by Thisisdudewhoru

HFCS is a scam. Chemically speaking, high-fructose corn syrup is just a normal sugar. It starts as corn starch, and enzymes are used to convert it into glucose and fructose. Various chemicals extract table sugar from sugar beets and sugar cane. It's also made up of glucose and fructose in virtually the same proportions.

IIRC, that's actually what he says during the video. There is little to no effective difference between HFCS and sucrose as both contain fructose, and fructose, according to Dr. Lustig, is the real problem.

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

Processed sugar. IE any sugar that isnt from sugar cane is bad for you. Your body recognizes it as something different than real sugar and processes it differently than normal sugar. This causes obesity and diabetes.

That's not what the video states. The video goes through the metabolic breakdown of both glucose and fructose, and concludes that fructose, whether occurring naturally as part of sucrose or in manufactured form as HFCS, is largely bad for you because it doesn't metabolize well, causes fat storage, insulin resistance, inflammation that causes lead to heart disease, etc.

Whether or not he's correct, I can't be sure, but he does make a good argument.

[Das.Euro]

Have you guys seen the show freaky eaters? They hosted the one girl that drinks like 28 cans of Coke a day? I mean come on, when you have medical doc in front of you saying your a pre diabetic shouldnt that be enough? She failed at the end of the show to slow down the cans of coke. Its really sad cus america has the highest count for obesity in the world.. People need to wake up and stay healthy

[jragan]

There've been numerous studies that prove that simple sugars are required for proper seratonin production. And as anecdotal proof, ever notice how bitchy (and especially bride-zillas get) when women go on super diets and cut out all carbs?--It's because they've reduced their body's ability to produce seratonin (what makes you feel "good" and happy) so all they can do is be unhappy.

[chuck92103]

We will all die. Nobody knows when.

Enjoy life and ignore the nonsense. It is the quality, not the quantity that matters.

I know several people who went so far overboard on health that they live in the gym, have few friends, and will most likely be single their entire life due to lack of social skills.

Everything in moderation. A very simple rule that few folks understand.

[Garduna]

Good stuff. Ya I tend to eat really healthy during the week but when I'm out with friends or at a party. I enjoy life.

[Professor///M]

Originally Posted by chuck92103

Everything in moderation. A very simple rule that few folks understand.

Exactly.


The problem though, from a medical standpoint, is that with increasing doses of high fructose corn syrup, or things that are high in fructose instead of sucrose or glucose, is that it can severely damage the liver.


High doses of fructose will be metabolized in the liver, and cause very high cholesterol, triglycerides, and will actually cause fatty infiltration/deposits in the liver.

Although the liver is resilient, it will start to feel the affects and die a slow painful death much like with alcohol or other hepatic disease such as hepatitis.


This also contributes to metabolic syndromes that lead to heart disease & diabetes, and since it becomes more of a fatty infiltrative problem it isn't as readily reversible as simple diet and exercise.


So yes, moderation, but unfortunately sometimes people just don't know or aren't educated enough on what they're putting into their bodies.

[Mindgame]

On the news the other morning

"Is HFCS making people fat?"

lol...no shit.

Paleo FTW

[Couch]

Originally Posted by chuck92103

We will all die. Nobody knows when.

Enjoy life and ignore the nonsense. It is the quality, not the quantity that matters.

I know several people who went so far overboard on health that they live in the gym, have few friends, and will most likely be single their entire life due to lack of social skills.

Everything in moderation. A very simple rule that few folks understand.

Yep.

And out of all the people we know that have gotten really sick/hospitalized excercised (not including healthy eating)? I really don't have a lot of people in my family that workout like I do. Can't name any.

[Echo M3]

Originally Posted by PAMidge

Exactly.


The problem though, from a medical standpoint, is that with increasing doses of high fructose corn syrup, or things that are high in fructose instead of sucrose or glucose, is that it can severely damage the liver.


High doses of fructose will be metabolized in the liver, and cause very high cholesterol, triglycerides, and will actually cause fatty infiltration/deposits in the liver.

Although the liver is resilient, it will start to feel the affects and die a slow painful death much like with alcohol or other hepatic disease such as hepatitis.


This also contributes to metabolic syndromes that lead to heart disease & diabetes, and since it becomes more of a fatty infiltrative problem it isn't as readily reversible as simple diet and exercise.


So yes, moderation, but unfortunately sometimes people just don't know or aren't educated enough on what they're putting into their bodies.

While your basic message is correct, your rationale is inaccurate. Sugar does not just magically create liver dysfunction - what you are describing is excessive sugar intake in a person who is hyperglycemic or perhaps even suffering from diabetes mellitus. In a healthy person, high doses of sugar are in fact taken up into the liver and muscle and converted into glycogen, and also converted in the liver into fatty acids and glycerol (which are distributed to the fatty stores across your body).

The reality is that sugar is fine for you, as long as it is taken in moderate amounts, as you have said.

The rationale up until now has been that high sugar diets can result in insulin resistance and ultimately type II diabetes (the prevalent form in the U.S.). The reality is that this link has not been definitively established.

In reality, the primary causes of type II diabetes (what people are concerned about in regards to eating alot of sugar) are obesity, esp. what they call ventral/central obesity (fat around your abdomen), alcoholism, smoking, hyperlipidemia/high cholesterol, hypertension, and high blood pressure.

So really, the rationale behind eating less sugar is that you want to cut down on how much food you are eating OVERALL, in order to reduce the risk of developing all of these obesity-related diseases.

[carr011]

I didn't watch the videos above - I'm aware of the health implications - so not sure if the fact that the Corn Refiners Association's petition to change the name of HFCS to just "corn syrup" was discussed. Use of HFCS is down so it's time to rename, re-image, "educate" the consumer, and re-market the product for increased sales. The commercials are already being aired.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/201092.php

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep...sugar-20100915

Regardless of sugar choice, it's simple math where body fat is concerned - input vs. output. Burn what you eat.

[Professor///M]

Originally Posted by pman10

While your basic message is correct, your rationale is inaccurate. Sugar does not just magically create liver dysfunction - what you are describing is excessive sugar intake in a person who is hyperglycemic or perhaps even suffering from diabetes mellitus. In a healthy person, high doses of sugar are in fact taken up into the liver and muscle and converted into glycogen, and also converted in the liver into fatty acids and glycerol (which are distributed to the fatty stores across your body).

The reality is that sugar is fine for you, as long as it is taken in moderate amounts, as you have said.

The rationale up until now has been that high sugar diets can result in insulin resistance and ultimately type II diabetes (the prevalent form in the U.S.). The reality is that this link has not been definitively established.

In reality, the primary causes of type II diabetes (what people are concerned about in regards to eating alot of sugar) are obesity, esp. what they call ventral/central obesity (fat around your abdomen), alcoholism, smoking, hyperlipidemia/high cholesterol, hypertension, and high blood pressure.

So really, the rationale behind eating less sugar is that you want to cut down on how much food you are eating OVERALL, in order to reduce the risk of developing all of these obesity-related diseases.

Re-read what I said... High Fructose corn syrup. The problem is the fructose, some other sugars are better than others, such as sucrose.

[Echo M3]

Originally Posted by PAMidge

Re-read what I said... High Fructose corn syrup. The problem is the fructose, some other sugars are better than others, such as sucrose.

I wasn't sure whether to believe the whole 'HFCS' debate or not, but wow, it looks like you might be correct. I'd be interested to hear what the exact physiology of this is - why would the liver preferentially covert fructose to fat and deposit it, when this doesn't happen with sucrose, glucose, galactose etc?

Clearly the researches don't know what's going on either. Interesting read if you have access to pubmed

Increased fructose consumption is associated with fibrosis severity in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Hepatology, 2010; NA DOI

[Dntlvet]

So I should eat processed foods in great moderation.

[Dntlvet]

Also read labels too