Will you change your sugar consumption after watching the 60

athensguy

http://youtu.be/dBnniua6-oM

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Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin. Series: UCSF Mini Medical School for the Public [7/2009] [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 16717]

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This is the actual lecture from Dr. Lustig that was posted online back in 2009 with the Mini Medical School for the Public. Watching this lecture was probably the best 1.5 hours of time I've ever spent on the internet. If you're actually interested in the science behind the claim Sanjay Gupta is exploring, it's all right here in this lecture.

http://www.alanaragonblog.com/2010/01/29/the-bitter-truth-about-fructose-alarmism/
And here's some science that pretty much refutes Lustig's claims.

I saw a commentary there. Didn't really see any kind of science, though.

jenj1313

I doubt I will. I try to avoid processed sugars for the most part, but not completely. I'm not worried about sugars from fruits and veggies.

mnichol

Watched it last night, dont eat a ton of sugar now, but will strive to eliminate more. One could "debate" the issue all day and all night, but given the big picture, eliminating sugar seems to make sense.

pamperedhen

BUT.....BUT.... My Starbuck's Mocha Frappuccino!!! We have a moment every morning as I log onto MFP and talk to my friends! We have had this affair for 13 mauvalousssss years! It is too good to let go...sorry:bigsmile:

Frumpy2Fit

Bump

Marig0ld

Oh FFS, are we going to be allowed to eat ANYTHING anymore? I half-watched it this morning while it was on CBS news but I always take this stuff with a grain of salt. Oh crap, I forgot we can't have salt anymore either...

XXXMinnieXXX

I don't eat much processed sugar at all, but I don't worry about sugar from fruit and vegetables. I keep my carbs to 150 a day now, so guess I'm doing ok! X

infamousmk

I ♥ sugar.

rml_16

Oh FFS, are we going to be allowed to eat ANYTHING anymore? I half-watched it this morning while it was on CBS news but I always take this stuff with a grain of salt. Oh crap, I forgot we can't have salt anymore either...

If you eat salt, sugar or meat, you will die.

If you eat dairy or carbs or grains, you will die.

If you don't eat any of those things, you will die.

Well, shoot. I think the conclusion is, we're going to die! lol

joe7880

I watched the segment and the Dr. who did the study saw increases in LDL after replacing the subjects' diet with 25% sugar for 2 weeks. I'm sure most people don't eat that much sugar or do they?

lorenzoinlr

I realize there are studies du jour and alarmists out for attention but I should probably chime in here. I have medical researchers, oncologists and heart specialists in my family. I'm not and so sit idly by during conversations about medical research. The two studies aren't the only ones, a lot more will start reaching publication and they are corroborative.

Sugar and corn syrup aren't the only things, the issues concern those plus simple carbs such as white rice and processed flour. In short, I'll just say when these family members became aware of some of the not yet published findings of other researchers, they put down the sugar. And these aren't health mavens when it comes to their personal lifestyle. We're talking burgers, fries, candy and even smoking.

So when I saw their level of alarm around October, I joined them and cut out almost all processed foods and sugar. I just checked my diary and found actually I've done great, except for Coffee Mate and dried plums (prunes). The plums are in a grey area, as fruit which come with fiber and so digest more slowly.

Anyways, the evidence on this is about to explode with research so get ready, particularly wrt heart disease.

FWIW, I will say we all feel so much better without the sugar we no longer feel deprived.

myak623

I didn't see the segment, but I wouldn't be eliminating sugar anyway.

If one person can find a study against sugar, another will find a study for sugar and the dance continues. Common sense will tell you that moderation is the key for everything. If you feel like sugar is evil and will kill you dead, then eliminate it. There really isn't much harm there. If you like sugar or feel that you will still be breathing after a delicious doughnut, then eat it. Again, not much harm there either if you make that doughnut fit into your daily calorie goals and macros.

*heads to the doughnut box*

susanswan

Not interested in the debate, either and didn't watch the show, BUT.....I kicked off my weight loss 5 years ago by getting rid of sugar in all of it's forms, and white flour (breaks down to sugar almost instantly) and refined grains. I never realized that those three things alone were fueling my cravings! It took me about 2 weeks or less to detox from them and for the first time in my life at age 50 I could pass up candy, cookies, and other junk food. Yes, of course I still wanted it, but it was no longer an uncontrollable urge. 5 years later I am still on the wagon. I might have it in small amounts now and then and am not a fanatic about if it is in my ketchup or other condiments that I use sparingly, but I can tell you most assuredly that when I do have those things I can immediately tell that I have eaten them and I feel the urge to want MORE! SO I tread those waters carefully and when I do indulge I must be mentally prepared to be extra cautious with avoiding those things for the next few days or I will find myself on the slippery slope of giving into my addiction.

Sugar is bad news. I steer clear 99.5% of the time!

tigersword

http://youtu.be/dBnniua6-oM

---

Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin. Series: UCSF Mini Medical School for the Public [7/2009] [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 16717]

---

This is the actual lecture from Dr. Lustig that was posted online back in 2009 with the Mini Medical School for the Public. Watching this lecture was probably the best 1.5 hours of time I've ever spent on the internet. If you're actually interested in the science behind the claim Sanjay Gupta is exploring, it's all right here in this lecture.

http://www.alanaragonblog.com/2010/01/29/the-bitter-truth-about-fructose-alarmism/
And here's some science that pretty much refutes Lustig's claims.

I saw a commentary there. Didn't really see any kind of science, though.

So you completely missed the links and reference section where he cited the studies he was referring to?

tigersword

I realize there are studies du jour and alarmists out for attention but I should probably chime in here. I have medical researchers, oncologists and heart specialists in my family. I'm not and so sit idly by during conversations about medical research. The two studies aren't the only ones, a lot more will start reaching publication and they are corroborative.

Sugar and corn syrup aren't the only things, the issues concern those plus simple carbs such as white rice and processed flour. In short, I'll just say when these family members became aware of some of the not yet published findings of other researchers, they put down the sugar. And these aren't health mavens when it comes to their personal lifestyle. We're talking burgers, fries, candy and even smoking.

So when I saw their level of alarm around October, I joined them and cut out almost all processed foods and sugar. I just checked my diary and found actually I've done great, except for Coffee Mate and dried plums (prunes). The plums are in a grey area, as fruit which come with fiber and so digest more slowly.

Anyways, the evidence on this is about to explode with research so get ready, particularly wrt heart disease.

FWIW, I will say we all feel so much better without the sugar we no longer feel deprived.

Are these studies all along the line of all the research that was done that proved all these claims now being blamed on sugar were originally blamed on fat? Also, processed flour and white bread are both starches, they are complex carbs, not simple carbs. An apple is a simple carb, as it's all monosaccharides and disaccharides.

secretlobster

I can't say I never eat chocolate (or gelato, occasionally)... But I have been eating very little (added) sugar for years now, and I'm the same way. I'm super sensitive to sugar, to the degree that I will not eat salsa that contains sugar because it is just too sweet for me to stomach. We really do get used to the taste of sugar! I haven't seen the 60 minutes segment but consuming a lot of refined sugar can't possibly be a great idea.

UponThisRock

I haven't seen the 60 minutes segment but consuming a lot of refined sugar can't possibly be a great idea.

"a lot" = eating so much that you either 1) eat too many calories, or 2) compromise macro or micro nutrition. Take care of the big picture, and the details tend to work themselves out.

hiker282

I try to limit the artificial and processed sugars; but when it comes to the sugars naturally in fruits and veggies I don't worry about those.

kwest_4_fitness

I'll continue to eat sugar, but nothing like the amounts that I used to. Nothing to do with 60 Minutes, either. I just make better decisions about what I eat based on a common sense approach to dieting.

athensguy

http://youtu.be/dBnniua6-oM

---

Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin. Series: UCSF Mini Medical School for the Public [7/2009] [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 16717]

---

This is the actual lecture from Dr. Lustig that was posted online back in 2009 with the Mini Medical School for the Public. Watching this lecture was probably the best 1.5 hours of time I've ever spent on the internet. If you're actually interested in the science behind the claim Sanjay Gupta is exploring, it's all right here in this lecture.

http://www.alanaragonblog.com/2010/01/29/the-bitter-truth-about-fructose-alarmism/
And here's some science that pretty much refutes Lustig's claims.

I saw a commentary there. Didn't really see any kind of science, though.

So you completely missed the links and reference section where he cited the studies he was referring to?

I thought you meant he did science. Regardless, I did look at a couple of the studies and they don't seem to be relevant to the fructose problem. Sucrose is half fructose, too, so why would there be that much difference between HFCS 55% and it? Comparing Sucrose to HFCS in this context is not too useful, which is what he seems to be doing.

slimmergalpal

I did not see the show, but my Nutritionist told me last week ( my first visit) to start paying more attention to the sugar I am eating without me even knowing about it. I have done that now for almost a week and my plateau is finally broken. Yep, the starches I was eating (potatoes were a biggie) were turning into sugar in my body , too. So now I am watching good carbs/ bad carbs, & ingredient listings. So much to learn !

lorenzoinlr

I realize there are studies du jour and alarmists out for attention but I should probably chime in here. I have medical researchers, oncologists and heart specialists in my family. I'm not and so sit idly by during conversations about medical research. The two studies aren't the only ones, a lot more will start reaching publication and they are corroborative.

Sugar and corn syrup aren't the only things, the issues concern those plus simple carbs such as white rice and processed flour. In short, I'll just say when these family members became aware of some of the not yet published findings of other researchers, they put down the sugar. And these aren't health mavens when it comes to their personal lifestyle. We're talking burgers, fries, candy and even smoking.

So when I saw their level of alarm around October, I joined them and cut out almost all processed foods and sugar. I just checked my diary and found actually I've done great, except for Coffee Mate and dried plums (prunes). The plums are in a grey area, as fruit which come with fiber and so digest more slowly.

Anyways, the evidence on this is about to explode with research so get ready, particularly wrt heart disease.

FWIW, I will say we all feel so much better without the sugar we no longer feel deprived.

Are these studies all along the line of all the research that was done that proved all these claims now being blamed on sugar were originally blamed on fat? Also, processed flour and white bread are both starches, they are complex carbs, not simple carbs. An apple is a simple carb, as it's all monosaccharides and disaccharides.

I'm a witness, I can't speak further for them, other than to say they considered processed flour to be almost the dietary equivalent of sugar.

I will say I find the level of resistance based on agenda in this thread to be surprising given why we're all here.

bethanylaugh

I hadn't seen this so I'm glad you posted this. I had decreased my sugar goal to 20grams or less a day about a year ago - and try to use those grams for fruit and luna bars only... but I know I cheat and don't add in the 2 hershey kisses I snuck after lunch! True or not, there's no bad result that comes from removing sugars from your diet! And now i'll be more diligent about it :-)

Things like this always seem to have initial knee-jerk reactions but in 10 years end up being true :-)

secretlobster

"a lot" = eating so much that you either 1) eat too many calories, or 2) compromise macro or micro nutrition. Take care of the big picture, and the details tend to work themselves out.

I agree with you. Yes, "a lot" is relative and if you think you might be consuming too much refined sugar, you probably are. I know people who eat dessert every day (at least), have muffins for breakfast, sugar in their coffee, and some treats throughout the day. those people eat "a lot" of sugar.

If you eat healthy foods as a way of life, then having sugar doesn't really have an impact. When processed foods/sugar/trans fats/etc. make up a significant portion of your diet, you're the kind of person who needs to stop focusing on specifics like sugar or carbs, and start looking at how to overhaul your everyday eating habits.

Acg67

Here is the full text of the study they reference in the article

Consumption of Fructose and High Fructose Corn Syrup Increase Postprandial Triglycerides, LDL-Cholesterol, and Apolipoprotein-B in Young Men and Women. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism August 17, 2011 jc.2011-1251

http://goo.gl/jfmxn 

My main takeaway from the study was maybe it's not that great of an idea to consume 25% of your daily cals in HFCS if you're sedentary and eating at maintenance or above. However there is a huge confounder in that in the outpatient phase of the study when they were consuming 25% of their cals in sugar, they ate ad lib, so it's possible they were chowing down on foods with lots of trans fats or stuff like that that could have lead to the elevated blood markers.

If we look at studies such as this one, which had intake much more controlled, subjects ate 43% of their daily cals in sucrose which is basically the same as HFCS and LDL decreased, however they were also eating in a deficit.

Metabolic and behavioral effects of a high-sucrose diet during weight loss. Am J Clin Nutr. 1997 Apr;65(4):908-15.

www.ajcn.org/content/65/4/908.full.pdf

grinch031

"a lot" = eating so much that you either 1) eat too many calories, or 2) compromise macro or micro nutrition. Take care of the big picture, and the details tend to work themselves out.

I agree with you. Yes, "a lot" is relative and if you think you might be consuming too much refined sugar, you probably are. I know people who eat dessert every day (at least), have muffins for breakfast, sugar in their coffee, and some treats throughout the day. those people eat "a lot" of sugar.

The problem is that sugar is NOT acutely toxic, therefore it can be very difficult to 1) prove beyond a reasonable doubt that it is in fact toxic, or 2) that it has some kind of cumulative effect after years of chronic over-consumption. We don't know that over-consumption is based on grams or based on overall calorie balance.

I know when I was a child/teen I consumed a terribly high amount of sugar and I was thin up until my early 20s. Suddenly I started gaining weight and found the only way to stop the weight gain and manage appetite at the same time was to severely cut down on sugar and refined carbs. My exercise levels were always high from teenage years all the way to my early 30s. So I am left wondering if my sugar consumption as a teen had a cumulative effect or not.

So the question is, is it a good idea to believe sugar might be bad when the science is still up for debate, or should we pretend that it doesn't matter as long as we are capable of maintaining energy balance?

saragato

If I thought the information and statistics were valid I might consider altering my intake volume. That being said I changed my sugar intake drastically years ago when I was in high school after I lost the presence of the one who instigated my consumption and, strangely enough, when I began making jewelry from candy. My perception changed from "ooh I want to try that" to "ooh I wonder how this will look as earrings?"

That aside, my father was a big consumer of sweets, always had been. He got juvenile diabetes from it and when he never altered his intake (which often was a whole pint of ice cream within an hour's time, a whole thing of oreos over a few hours, lots of bagged candy that was all over the house and in the car, and dessert with every meal) he ended up constantly hospitalized. For roughly 3 years he spent 75% of his time in the hospital because he wouldn't stop. He ended up losing sight and hearing on his left side from a stroke, had multiple heart surgeries, and then had to be in rehab after he got addicted to Vicodin and had a bad detox episode. The man died at 57, basically killed himself even though it was a heart attack.

My point with that was, in that excess it is deadly, especially if you have conditions that ask you to restrict your intake for health reasons.

beckajw

If I thought the information and statistics were valid I might consider altering my intake volume. That being said I changed my sugar intake drastically years ago when I was in high school after I lost the presence of the one who instigated my consumption and, strangely enough, when I began making jewelry from candy. My perception changed from "ooh I want to try that" to "ooh I wonder how this will look as earrings?"

That aside, my father was a big consumer of sweets, always had been. He got juvenile diabetes from it and when he never altered his intake (which often was a whole pint of ice cream within an hour's time, a whole thing of oreos over a few hours, lots of bagged candy that was all over the house and in the car, and dessert with every meal) he ended up constantly hospitalized. For roughly 3 years he spent 75% of his time in the hospital because he wouldn't stop. He ended up losing sight and hearing on his left side from a stroke, had multiple heart surgeries, and then had to be in rehab after he got addicted to Vicodin and had a bad detox episode. The man died at 57, basically killed himself even though it was a heart attack.

My point with that was, in that excess it is deadly, especially if you have conditions that ask you to restrict your intake for health reasons.

Your father did NOT get juvenile diabetes from sugar. Juvenile diabetes is caused by an immune deficiency and not by eating sugar. Diabetes is a terrible disease and if a person has it they do need to watch their carbohydrate (not sugar) intake. I'm sorry that happened to your father. But sugar is not the cause.

samf36

60 minuets is still on? I thought they got in trouble fro making up facts?

nehauck

Changed to a low sugar diet many years ago hoping to lose some weight. No weight change, however, for decades I'd undergone tests for gastrointestinal problems w/ first colonoscopy at 18. Around 30 yrs old a trusted specialist diagnosed it as Chron's Disease and put me on daily meds. Fast forward, around 45 yrs old and Sugar Buster's book came out and changed my life! Not one pound dropped but NO meds, Specialist took away diagnosis and discharged me, and NO PROBLEMS... it was all an intolerance to sugar!

So, my husband of 30 years knew how much it helped me but didn't really buy into it as good for everyone until the 60 Minutes segment confirmed what I'd experienced.