FRUCTOSE CONVERTS TO FAT

Joanne_Moniz
Joanne_Moniz Posts: 347 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
FRUITLOOPS_zps5216ff85.jpg




an excerpt of an article by Patrick J. Skerrett, Executive Editor, Harvard Health

The following statement taken from part of his article really says a lot!!!

"Every year I attend scores of talks on health and nutrition. Few prompt me to change what I do or what I eat..... thinking hard about sugar in my children’s diets.


This is a good explanation of how sugar converts to fat in the body when eaten in excess.

When fructose is joined to glucose, it makes sucrose. Sucrose is abundant in sugar cane, sugar beets, corn, and other plants. When extracted and refined, sucrose makes table sugar. In the 1800s and early 1900s, the average American took in about 15 grams of fructose (about half an ounce), mostly from eating fruits and vegetables. Today we average 55 grams per day (73 grams for adolescents). The increase in fructose intake is worrisome because it suspiciously parallels increases in obesity, diabetes, and a new condition called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease that now affects up to one-third of Americans. (You can read more about nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in a Harvard Health Letter article.)

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.


Every year I attend scores of talks on health and nutrition. Few prompt me to change what I do or what I eat. Lustig’s talk has me looking at the amount of sugar I take in, and thinking hard about sugar in my children’s diets.
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Replies

  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
    everything converts to fat.
    don't overcomplicate everything, thats not what this site is about. sure some foods are worse than others when not aten in moderation but this is about calories in vs. out
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
    Please STOP with your scare tactics.

    Over consumption of ANYTHING turns to fat.

    Sugar is NOT the devil.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    Another chicken little post on sugar . . .
  • Strokingdiction
    Strokingdiction Posts: 1,164 Member
    What everyone above me said except the OP.
  • MystikPixie
    MystikPixie Posts: 342 Member
    That cereal looks delicious!!
  • cpdiminish
    cpdiminish Posts: 84
    Thanks for sharing. I love knowing the science and don't see why anyone would think this post was scary or complicated. The process is called gluconeogenesis and the liver is actually involved in the metabolism of things other than fructose.

    Even people who are already extremely fit might want to know more about the way we metabolise food because those who have really low fat percentages and have restricted caloric intake could have problems on the other end of the spectrum.

    Way too many people on this site forget that fitness is more than just weight or muscle tone. Information like this is much more interesting than just repeating the mantra "calories in-calories out".
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    Oh Joanne, do you think we can't google? Here's another snip from the article that you conveniently left out:
    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.

    And here's a link to the article in its entirety, since I have a little thing called ethics:

    http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-fructose-bad-for-you-201104262425
  • defauIt
    defauIt Posts: 118 Member
    Everything converts to fat if you eat too much of it. Fat is just the natural way your body stores surplus energy so it can use it later when it needs it.

    Don't eat surplus calories and you don't need to worry about anything getting turned into fat.

    It honestly seems like some people refuse to believe in very simple science and instead go out of their way to find some absurd boogeyman to blame all their problems on.
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    TADA
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  • Galatea_Stone
    Galatea_Stone Posts: 2,037 Member
    Oh Joanne, do you think we can't google? Here's another snip from the article that you conveniently left out:
    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.

    And here's a link to the article in its entirety, since I have a little thing called ethics:

    http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-fructose-bad-for-you-201104262425

    I love it when someone throws in the awesome part of the articles. Thank you.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Great, now I'm craving Fruit Loops and the store is closed. :grumble:
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  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    We don't mind opposing viewpoints in our quest for knowledge here at MFP, do we?
    This review challenges the fructose hypothesis by comparing normal U.S. levels and patterns of fructose intake with contemporary experimental models and looking for substantive cause-and-effect evidence from real-world diets. It is concluded that 1) fructose intake at normal population levels and patterns does not cause biochemical outcomes substantially different from other dietary sugars and 2) extreme experimental models that feature hyperdosing or significantly alter the usual dietary glucose-to-fructose ratio are not predictive of typical human outcomes or useful to public health policymakers. It is recommended that granting agencies and journal editors require more physiologically relevant experimental designs and clinically important outcomes for fructose research.

    From Challenging the Fructose Hypothesis: New Perspectives on Fructose Consumption and Metabolism (March 2013)
    http://advances.nutrition.org/content/4/2/246.full
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Oh Joanne, do you think we can't google? Here's another snip from the article that you conveniently left out:
    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.

    And here's a link to the article in its entirety, since I have a little thing called ethics:

    http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-fructose-bad-for-you-201104262425

    antonio-banderas-ooo.gif


    Oh and big surprise. Joanne cherry picked the article. :laugh:
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    I laughed pretty hard at this. :laugh:
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    I eat a LOT of sugar. Far more than I should, I know. And yet...I've cut my triglycerides to less than half In The last year. They're far below the top of normal -heck, actually below the optimal level!

    Maybe you really can outrun a bad diet? Or...sugar actually isn't evil...
  • Forty6and2
    Forty6and2 Posts: 2,492 Member
    Dear OP

    gif-king-db6e6427e25a5190f6a7681caae06804.gif

    Sincerely, MFP
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    I prefer Lucky Charms...dry.

    I eat all the crappy cereal first and then enjoy the marshmallows.

    Oh, I also eat at calorie maintenance of deficit (except when bulking) and have a healthy body weight so I don't have to worry about these "sky is falling" claims about sugar.
  • ZombieEarhart
    ZombieEarhart Posts: 320 Member
    You again?! OP, you have all the marks of a true zealot.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    I prefer Lucky Charms...dry.

    I eat all the crappy cereal first and then enjoy the marshmallows.

    Oh, I also eat at calorie maintenance of deficit (except when bulking) and have a healthy body weight so I don't have to worry about these "sky is falling" claims about sugar.

    It's a tie with Fruit Loops and Lucky Charms. Then I heard they have Fruit Loops with the same kind of marshmallows as Lucky Charms. Need to try this.

    I eat it the same way.
  • Backupvegan
    Backupvegan Posts: 1
    I think that post means an extra banana today for me
  • DavePFJ
    DavePFJ Posts: 212 Member
    Has anyone tried the Hersheys cookies and cream cereal? I'm afraid to commit to a full box without having tried it first.
  • PJPrimrose
    PJPrimrose Posts: 916 Member
    I eat a crap-ton of sugar and my blood work is damn near perfect. I'm also tall and lanky as hell while being middle aged and female. So....the real question is, if I start scarfing up fruit loops (bleh but if it works...) will I get J-LO's butt even though I'm of Slovak ancestry? I come from an entire country of tall, skinny *kitten* people but you never know....:wink:
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    I prefer Lucky Charms...dry.

    I eat all the crappy cereal first and then enjoy the marshmallows.

    Oh, I also eat at calorie maintenance of deficit (except when bulking) and have a healthy body weight so I don't have to worry about these "sky is falling" claims about sugar.

    It's a tie with Fruit Loops and Lucky Charms. Then I heard they have Fruit Loops with the same kind of marshmallows as Lucky Charms. Need to try this.

    I eat it the same way.

    Shut the front door!

    So the relatively "crappy" cereal I have to endure to get to the good part could be FRUIT LOOPS instead of I-CAN'T-BELIEVE-IT'S-NOT-CARDBOARD LUCKY CHARMS?!?

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  • George_Baileys_Ghost
    George_Baileys_Ghost Posts: 1,524 Member
    Oh Joanne, do you think we can't google? Here's another snip from the article that you conveniently left out:
    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.

    And here's a link to the article in its entirety, since I have a little thing called ethics:

    http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-fructose-bad-for-you-201104262425

    antonio-banderas-ooo.gif


    Oh and big surprise. Joanne cherry picked the article. :laugh:

    That is a bit of brilliance. This post has changed my mind. For my pre-bedtime snack tonight, I'm switching from my flour bag back to my sugar bag. :drinker:
  • One_Last_Time
    One_Last_Time Posts: 125
    So were never suppose to eat fruit again? 17g sugar in a fuji apple. I think the facts posted about sugar intake a long time ago are NOT including fruit. I go over sugar every day because of fruit, that's 2-3 servings.
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
    You guys are ignoring the Apple Jacks with marshmallows in them.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,972 Member
    This is a good explanation of how sugar converts to fat in the body when eaten in excess.
    So don't eat it in excess. Meaning, don't go over one's recommended calories, not grams of sugar per day.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Trechechus
    Trechechus Posts: 2,819 Member
    Fructose's religious preferences are none of my business.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    Oh Joanne, do you think we can't google? Here's another snip from the article that you conveniently left out:
    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.

    And here's a link to the article in its entirety, since I have a little thing called ethics:

    http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-fructose-bad-for-you-201104262425
    I LOVE IT! Great detective work! OP conveniently leaves out the most important part of the article!!!!! As stated by everyone else, sugar is not the enemy over consumption of total calories is!!!!!

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