For Those Who Still Think It's About Sugar...

Options
13

Replies

  • Gianfranco_R
    Gianfranco_R Posts: 1,297 Member
    Options
    J72FIT wrote: »
    "Initial concern was raised that there might be a unique relationship between obesity and the consumption of HFCS because of the temporal association between increased use of HFCS in the American food supply to the increased prevalence of obesity between 1970 and 2000 [4]. Despite the popularity of this suggestion, there are numerous reasons this hypothesis should be discarded. Firstly, the temporal association between HFCS and obesity ended in 1999, when HFCS use began to diminish [30]. Secondly, numerous countries around the world have a similarly increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity as the United States, but do not use HFCS. Lastly, subsequent research studies have shown there is no difference between HFCS or sucrose in any metabolic parameter measured in human beings including glucose, insulin, leptin, ghrelin, triglycerides, uric acid, appetite or calories consumed at the next meal [31, 32, 37]. Both the American Medical Association [38] and the American Dietetic Association [39] have issued statements declaring that there is nothing unique about HFCS that leads to obesity. Both of these statements note that all caloric sweeteners contain calories and should be used in moderation. The present data further support the theory that, when consumed at levels up to the 50th percentile for fructose in the context of a hypocaloric diet, neither HFCS nor sucrose impedes weight loss. These data provide further support to the concept that overall caloric consumption rather than one particular component of the diet is most important for achieving weight loss."


    https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2891-11-55

    "Competing interests
    JM Rippe has received research funding from the Corn Refiners Association for the present study. "


  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
    Options
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Jruzer wrote: »
    OP: Sugar consumption alone does not lead to weight gain. Overconsumption of calories from all sources leads to weight gain.

    Posters: You think we should eat nothing but refined sugar!!11!

    Every time.

    So I guess you eat nothing but doughnuts, M&Ms, and Reeces and wash it all down with a coke and a smile then?

    No, I keep it balanced by adding a tub of cake frosting every now and then. Gotta have my refeed days.

    Wait, you can get vegan M&Ms and Reese's? Tell me more.
    Tell-me-more-gif.gif
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    http://getunreal.com/#home

    http://sharelittlesecrets.com/

    Not all the Little Secrets are vegan, but the peanut ones are and they are AMAZING. I brought a family size bag home once and I was like "OH GOD WHAT HAVE I DONE?!?"
  • Debmal77
    Debmal77 Posts: 4,770 Member
    Options
    57166-Phil-Dunphy-thumbs-up-gif-grOa.gif
  • dfwesq
    dfwesq Posts: 592 Member
    Options
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the study examined people on a weight-loss regimen who consumed moderate amounts of either sucrose or HFCS. It found that the form of the sugar didn't really matter, and that all groups were pretty similar in their response. It doesn't sound like it tested whether avoiding added sugars helped with weight loss, or whether added sugars had any effect on what people were likely to eat if their caloric intake wasn't controlled as it was in the study.

    Also, I didn't see anything about weight gain studied, just weight loss. I thought the conclusion was that it didn't matter whether someone ate sucrose or HFCS, as long as everything else was kept under control. Is that right?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,398 MFP Moderator
    Options
    dfwesq wrote: »
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the study examined people on a weight-loss regimen who consumed moderate amounts of either sucrose or HFCS. It found that the form of the sugar didn't really matter, and that all groups were pretty similar in their response. It doesn't sound like it tested whether avoiding added sugars helped with weight loss, or whether added sugars had any effect on what people were likely to eat if their caloric intake wasn't controlled as it was in the study.

    Also, I didn't see anything about weight gain studied, just weight loss. I thought the conclusion was that it didn't matter whether someone ate sucrose or HFCS, as long as everything else was kept under control. Is that right?

    Is this what you are asking?

    Methods

    This was a randomized, prospective, double blind trial, with overweight/obese participants measured for body composition and blood chemistry before and after the completion of 12 weeks following a hypocaloric diet. The average caloric deficit achieved on the hypocaloric diets was 309 kcal.

    https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1475-2891-11-55
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    Options
    There is more to it than CICO, not suggesting that CICO doesn't rule weight loss/gain.
    http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-fructose-bad-for-you-201104262425
    Virtually every cell in the body can use glucose for energy. In contrast, only liver cells break down fructose. What happens to fructose inside liver cells is complicated. One of the end products is triglyceride, a form of fat. Uric acid and free radicals are also formed.

    None of this is good. Triglycerides can build up in liver cells and damage liver function. Triglycerides released into the bloodstream can contribute to the growth of fat-filled plaque inside artery walls. Free radicals (also called reactive oxygen species) can damage cell structures, enzymes, and even genes. Uric acid can turn off production of nitric oxide, a substance that helps protect artery walls from damage. Another effect of high fructose intake is insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes.
  • dfwesq
    dfwesq Posts: 592 Member
    Options
    @psuLemon Yes, basically, except that it doesn't mention anything about diets with few or no added sugars. From this part of the description I inferred that they didn't test a group like that:
    The objective of this study was to examine the effects of four equally hypocaloric diets containing different levels of sucrose or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

    In other words, it doesn't seem to me that the study considered whether eliminating or greatly restricting added sugars made a difference to weight loss.

    Relatedly, people often mention that foods with added sugar don't leave them satiated and might even make them more hungry. In a non-controlled situation (i.e., real life) it could lead to people eating more. Or at least, eating less but not being as happy about it.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,398 MFP Moderator
    edited April 2017
    Options
    Theo166 wrote: »
    There is more to it than CICO, not suggesting that CICO doesn't rule weight loss/gain.
    http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-fructose-bad-for-you-201104262425
    Virtually every cell in the body can use glucose for energy. In contrast, only liver cells break down fructose. What happens to fructose inside liver cells is complicated. One of the end products is triglyceride, a form of fat. Uric acid and free radicals are also formed.

    None of this is good. Triglycerides can build up in liver cells and damage liver function. Triglycerides released into the bloodstream can contribute to the growth of fat-filled plaque inside artery walls. Free radicals (also called reactive oxygen species) can damage cell structures, enzymes, and even genes. Uric acid can turn off production of nitric oxide, a substance that helps protect artery walls from damage. Another effect of high fructose intake is insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes.


    And there is more.
    Experts still have a long way to go to connect the dots between fructose and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Higher intakes of fructose are associated with these conditions, but clinical trials have yet to show that it causes them. There are plenty of reasons to avoid sugary drinks and foods with added sugar, like empty calories, weight gain, and blood sugar swings. Lustig offers another.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,398 MFP Moderator
    Options
    dfwesq wrote: »
    @psuLemon Yes, basically, except that it doesn't mention anything about diets with few or no added sugars. From this part of the description I inferred that they didn't test a group like that:
    The objective of this study was to examine the effects of four equally hypocaloric diets containing different levels of sucrose or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

    In other words, it doesn't seem to me that the study considered whether eliminating or greatly restricting added sugars made a difference to weight loss.

    Relatedly, people often mention that foods with added sugar don't leave them satiated and might even make them more hungry. In a non-controlled situation (i.e., real life) it could lead to people eating more. Or at least, eating less but not being as happy about it.

    Yea, I'd have to look for the other study.


    Overall, I agree with you. In free living conditions, I regularly restrict or limit added sugar largely so I can eat more filling foods (especially low sugar berries because I need large volume). I even advocate such an approach with people I have trained. But if one has some room and wants to eat a treat, then by all means because we need to address the psychological aspects as well.
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
    edited April 2017
    Options
    J72FIT wrote: »

    and...?

    Because you can't place too much trust in industry sponsored studies. We already know this is true for big pharm. It's probably also true for other industries.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28207928

    For what it's worth I actually agree with your study's findings. But I would not consider it strong evidence because if researchers are biased they can find the result they want.

  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
    Options
    nrbutton wrote: »
    Why do diets high in sugar lead to overeating?

    Because sugar isn't very filling. That's really all there is to it. If you eat something with a lot of calories that doesn't fill you up, then you're still hungry. You've used up your calories, but you eat more food which has more calories in order to be full. It's not that the diabolical sugar brainwashed you.

    I recommend you read some of steven guynet's work on why people over-eat. There's definitely a reward pathway in our brains when it comes to certain types of food, especially sugary ones. Regardless, we know sugary foods can stimulate over eating. That doesn't mean we have to avoid sugar. But informed people trying to lose weight should take that into account.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    dfwesq wrote: »
    It doesn't sound like it tested whether avoiding added sugars helped with weight loss, or whether added sugars had any effect on what people were likely to eat if their caloric intake wasn't controlled as it was in the study.

    OP didn't suggest otherwise.

    Logging on MFP, btw, is a way of controlling calories.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
    Options
    ahamm002 wrote: »
    J72FIT wrote: »

    and...?

    Because you can't place too much trust in industry sponsored studies. We already know this is true for big pharm. It's probably also true for other industries.

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28207928

    For what it's worth I actually agree with your study's findings. But I would not consider it strong evidence because if researchers are biased they can find the result they want.

    I don't totally disagree. That said, what studies are not biased one way or another?
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    Options
    Theo166 wrote: »
    There is more to it than CICO, not suggesting that CICO doesn't rule weight loss/gain.
    http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-fructose-bad-for-you-201104262425
    Virtually every cell in the body can use glucose for energy. In contrast, only liver cells break down fructose. What happens to fructose inside liver cells is complicated. One of the end products is triglyceride, a form of fat. Uric acid and free radicals are also formed.

    None of this is good. Triglycerides can build up in liver cells and damage liver function. Triglycerides released into the bloodstream can contribute to the growth of fat-filled plaque inside artery walls. Free radicals (also called reactive oxygen species) can damage cell structures, enzymes, and even genes. Uric acid can turn off production of nitric oxide, a substance that helps protect artery walls from damage. Another effect of high fructose intake is insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes.

    That blog post appears to be factually incorrect from the very start.
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2652499/
    While a lot of fructose is metabolized in the liver, muscle, fat cells, kidneys and even the brain possess the capability of taking in and metabolizing fructose.