Anyone figured out / learned that sugar is poison?

djhnd
djhnd Posts: 89 Member
edited November 8 in Health and Weight Loss
This is not my original thought, lots of authors have published on this subject. But - did you know there's a "Say No to Sugar" group here at MFP? Currently it has about 1100 members and I bet most of them aren't active anymore. And the last five posts in there are from me!

Soooooo ---- if sugar is a problem for you, or you're wondering if you should cut it out / cut back on it - come on and join the group!

community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/4348-say-no-to-sugar
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Replies

  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    lol
  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
    I'll say no to arsenic and cyanide, but I don't consider sugar poison.
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
    What is the lethal dosage?
  • yuiconnor
    yuiconnor Posts: 32
    no nah no no no
    give me my sugar back :wink:
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    djhnd wrote: »
    This is not my original thought, lots of authors have published on this subject. But - did you know there's a "Say No to Sugar" group here at MFP? Currently it has about 1100 members and I bet most of them aren't active anymore. And the last five posts in there are from me!

    Soooooo ---- if sugar is a problem for you, or you're wondering if you should cut it out / cut back on it - come on and join the group!

    community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/4348-say-no-to-sugar

    Maybe the group isn't active any more because of the fact that there isn't a need for a group any more since sugar is obviously not poison? Just a thought.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    Anything in excess is bad for you, but no, sugar is not a poison. Some people think salt is a poison, but if you don't get enough of it, you die. Same goes for sugar. If you remove everything from your diet with sugar in it, you will die.
  • levitateme
    levitateme Posts: 999 Member
    I_Will_End_You wrote: »
    lol

    Same.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    TimothyFish wrote: »
    Anything in excess is bad for you, but no, sugar is not a poison. Some people think salt is a poison, but if you don't get enough of it, you die. Same goes for sugar. If you remove everything from your diet with sugar in it, you will die.
    LOL
  • willrun4bagels
    willrun4bagels Posts: 838 Member
    Not_Sure_if_Serious_meme.jpg
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    This is funny. In for the lulz!
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Many people believe that.

    Personally, I think fruit is the best thing around. Fairly low-cal, very yummy and has nutrients.

    Your body needs sugar. Sugar is so vital that if your body doesn't get it from an outside source, it will make it's own. It NEEDS sugar.

    You cannot keep sugar out of your body, even if you try.

    I eat my carbs. I don't slam others who don't! But if I were you, I wouldn't worry so much about eliminating sugar from the body (an exercise in futility) and would concentrate on eating healthier foods.

    Unless the doctor has told you to steer clear, there is no reason to do it. It isn't poison. But if you must, then you must.
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  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    MrM27 wrote: »
    djhnd wrote: »
    This is not my original thought, lots of authors have published on this subject. But - did you know there's a "Say No to Sugar" group here at MFP? Currently it has about 1100 members and I bet most of them aren't active anymore. And the last five posts in there are from me!

    Soooooo ---- if sugar is a problem for you, or you're wondering if you should cut it out / cut back on it - come on and join the group!

    community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/4348-say-no-to-sugar
    Looks like you're alone. Lol.

    THISGONBGUD.gif

    My absolute favorite GIF. Thanks for the laugh.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    The sun will burn out in 5000 years.
  • kristydi
    kristydi Posts: 781 Member
    Oh good a "sugar is evil" thread. Those always go so well. /sarcasm
  • djhnd
    djhnd Posts: 89 Member
    Thank goodness I succeed in getting a reaction! Perhaps some of you will have heard of the aphorism "one man's meat is another man's poison." Perhaps some of you have heard of the idea of slow poison - not every poison is like eating an amanita mushroom.

    Not everyone can eat the exact same things and get the same results. If you understand how many people actually have diabetes, and how many people are on the verge of getting it, and how many people are projected to get it, it's not as easy to dismiss the notion.

    Also, timothyfish, I was referring to refined sugar. But, to your point, people can live without fruit and sweets. You could even live without carrots! If you live on kale and chicken and nuts and beans and lettuce and oats, you won't die. Not even close. And you'll have cut out all sugar.

    nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

    opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/27/its-the-sugar-folks/

    blogs.scientificamerican.com/brainwaves/2013/07/15/is-sugar-really-toxic-sifting-through-the-evidence/

    nydailynews.com/life-style/health/white-poison-danger-sugar-beat-article-1.1605232

    youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

    ajcn.nutrition.org/content/86/4/899.short

    care.diabetesjournals.org/content/33/11/2477.short
  • willrun4bagels
    willrun4bagels Posts: 838 Member
    MrM27 wrote: »
    djhnd wrote: »
    This is not my original thought, lots of authors have published on this subject. But - did you know there's a "Say No to Sugar" group here at MFP? Currently it has about 1100 members and I bet most of them aren't active anymore. And the last five posts in there are from me!

    Soooooo ---- if sugar is a problem for you, or you're wondering if you should cut it out / cut back on it - come on and join the group!

    community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/4348-say-no-to-sugar
    Looks like you're alone. Lol.

    THISGONBGUD.gif

    That GIF. I'm dying. I need to start carrying stuff around like that guy does.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    In because it's Friday.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    The dose makes the poison.

    It's always been a strong selling point to try and blame obesity on a single food ingredient, or "chemical"(lol) or an entire macronutrient. It's no different with people who try to push sugar avoidance.

    Moderation doesn't sell well.

  • djhnd
    djhnd Posts: 89 Member
    My first experience of how MFP message boards aren't that much different from any other message boards! Not exactly a place for reasoned discourse, and a place for people to give opinions bare of facts and knowledge. Ah well, that's the interwebz for you. Well, if you'd like to learn more, I've provided seven references for you. If you're a historian, look up what two time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling said about fructose!
  • KylaDenay
    KylaDenay Posts: 1,585 Member
    I need the entertainment today
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    djhnd wrote: »
    My first experience of how MFP message boards aren't that much different from any other message boards! Not exactly a place for reasoned discourse, and a place for people to give opinions bare of facts and knowledge. Ah well, that's the interwebz for you. Well, if you'd like to learn more, I've provided seven references for you. If you're a historian, look up what two time Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling said about fructose!

    I am bored but those seven links would be a waste of time to view.

  • djhnd
    djhnd Posts: 89 Member
    sidesteel, thank you for the second reasonable post on this thread. I agree about moderation, in general - however, I'm curious if your opinion would change after reading each of the links I've posted. It's true, a teaspoon of sugar a day won't hurt anyone. Nor will a pound a year.

    However the average american eats 75 lbs of sugar per year. Average!!!! So, there goes your moderation LOL. Since I don't eat any, someone's eating a half pound of sugar a day
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  • djhnd
    djhnd Posts: 89 Member
    "There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which can not fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance-that principle is contempt prior to investigation."

    --HERBERT SPENCER

    p.s. You're welcome, yopeeps
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    djhnd wrote: »
    sidesteel, thank you for the second reasonable post on this thread. I agree about moderation, in general - however, I'm curious if your opinion would change after reading each of the links I've posted. It's true, a teaspoon of sugar a day won't hurt anyone. Nor will a pound a year.

    However the average american eats 75 lbs of sugar per year. Average!!!! So, there goes your moderation LOL. Since I don't eat any, someone's eating a half pound of sugar a day
    But you're advocating cutting out sugar. All we're saying is that people should eat sugar in moderation with a focus on nutrient dense foods. While most Americans may not follow this advice, that doesn't suddenly make sugar a poison.
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  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
    There is sugar in almost everything. Sooooo.... Pretty sure you do eat sugar. Are you talking about table sugar? Unless you live off of meat and low carb veggies you are most certainly eating sugar. It's not a poison.
  • richardositosanchez
    richardositosanchez Posts: 260 Member
    Oh boy, another Sugar Is The Antichrist post! I'm waiting for article about how sugar is responsible for ebola. LOL!
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    edited November 2014
    djhnd wrote: »
    sidesteel, thank you for the second reasonable post on this thread. I agree about moderation, in general - however, I'm curious if your opinion would change after reading each of the links I've posted. It's true, a teaspoon of sugar a day won't hurt anyone. Nor will a pound a year.

    However the average american eats 75 lbs of sugar per year. Average!!!! So, there goes your moderation LOL. Since I don't eat any, someone's eating a half pound of sugar a day

    It depends on what question you're asking me. I've read a fair amount of studies on sugar, certainly not all of them.

    I can tell you that I've yet to see data demonstrating deleterious effects of sugar in a diet where nutrient needs are met and total energy intake is kept under control. And I doubt if one exists using diets that meet these conditions.

    If I understand correctly the AHA sugar recommendations (for example) are primarily based on the concern that excess sugar either causes excess energy intake which then leads to health problems and that excess sugar intake can push necessary nutrients off the table. (IIRC this one: https://circ.ahajournals.org/content/120/11/1011.full.pdf+html)

    And those are both legitimate concerns.

    Do I think the standard american diet probably has too much sugar? Yes, but it also has too many calories and too little nutrient dense foods.

    I don't support the idea that food ingredients should be avoided and I don't support claims of foods being toxic without paying attention to dose and context.

    Food avoidance and rigid dieting practices are likely far more detrimental than sugar.

    If you want to form a productive group that will actually help people, then be inclusive and talk about how to form better habits and improve people's relationship with foods, and that starts by not fearing individual ingredients.

    I actually think it does more harm than good to tell people that something in their food is toxic or poisonous unless: A) It actually is. and B) You can demonstrate the dosage and necessary context at which that occurs.

    Finally, before anyone comes back with a strawman argument, I am not advocating a diet composed entirely of sugar nor am I suggesting that people just look at calories and nothing else. It's possible to "over-do" it on sugar for reasons stated previously in this post -- but the solution isn't to eliminate sugar or declare it as toxic or poisonous.

This discussion has been closed.

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