Is all sugar bad sugar?

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Replies

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    OrganicSFS wrote: »
    eating fruits therefore will not cause you to overeat them.

    Eating no food causes me to overeat it. I either overeat it (which is a choice) or I do not. The food has no say in it.
    Now, ADDED SUGAR is bad sugar, and gross intake of this sugar damages the vital organs of your body.

    So adding sugar to foods that have the properties of the fruit that you say make the sugar okay (like fiber and micronutrients -- say adding it to rhubarb or oatmeal) somehow is BAD even though it has the same qualities of the fruit which is GOOD? Uh, okay. (Also, what about dairy, which has no fiber?)

    This is why understanding is good. There's a reason to watched added sugar more (it's usually in higher calorie items, though the calories aren't necessarily from sugar itself mostly), but it has nothing to do with the effect of the sugar. Read the WHO's explanation for its limits. Quite sensible, unlike some of the ridiculous alarmism here.
    This is the kind of sugar, you should be avoiding at all cost. So, if you want to stay healthy, avoid eating processed food, like corn syrup, pastries, candies, soft-drinks and the likes.

    How do you define "processed foods"? Because most of the pastries I eat I wouldn't consider particularly processed (except as everything is), but they have sugar. All of the yogurt I eat is processed, yet its sugar is only natural sugar.

    Also, please explain why eating an overall healthy diet plus some ice cream for dessert (say half a cup) makes me unhealthy, even if I do better at getting in my protein and fiber and veggies and overall micros than someone who phobically avoids ice cream (for which I pity that person).
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    bohonomad wrote: »
    I'm a chocoholic and suggar addict and I've been trying to cut it out since I'm trying to lose weight and pretty scared of the possibility of dibetes. Even though I feel like I'm not eating that much sugar I still keep going over my daily limit with the fruit I eat. Is it okay if the sugar comes from fruit?? I still want more! helppp!

    unless you have a medical condition that makes you sensitive to sugar there is no reason to avoid it…

    overall diet and dodge is what matters, not individual food type. Make sure you hit your calorie/macro/micro goals…

    Also, the sugar level that MFP gives you is ridiculously low….
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    bohonomad wrote: »
    I'm a chocoholic and suggar addict and I've been trying to cut it out since I'm trying to lose weight and pretty scared of the possibility of dibetes. Even though I feel like I'm not eating that much sugar I still keep going over my daily limit with the fruit I eat. Is it okay if the sugar comes from fruit?? I still want more! helppp!

    bohonomad everyone is different. Personally I wish I had cut out sugar 40 years ago so that I might have fewer health issues today. Losing the sugar for four months now has greatly improved my health so far. Actually some think the worse kind of sugar is fructose from fruit since one of its objective is to trigger weight gain.

    ajcn.nutrition.org/content/76/5/911.full

    and the troll bot has chimed in …

    ignore the fake profile person ...
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    Refined/added sugar is the stuff most doctors council against. A little bit is fine, too much isn't great. Refined sugar is not something that's easy to avoid in this day and age, so I still eat chocolate - love it - but try to stay within my MFP sugar goal.

    Natural sugar - e.g. in fruit - comes wrapped in fibre, so we digest it more slowly / differently, than the refined stuff. I don't worry if I go over my sugar goal on MFP because of fruit, but I do worry if I go over because I ate too much cake (i.e. refined sugar)...

    so if I add table sugar to metamusil is it then good, because "fiber"..??? OR is it bad, because "added"????

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
    OrganicSFS wrote: »
    @bohonomad
    Sugar that are naturally contained in fruits and vegetables like glucose and fructose are good sugar. They are balanced by other properties of the fruits and veggies and slow down sugar digestion in the body. You need them for quick energy. Eating fruits therefore will not cause you to overeat them. Now, ADDED SUGAR is bad sugar, and gross intake of this sugar damages the vital organs of your body. This is the kind of sugar, you should be avoiding at all cost. So, if you want to stay healthy, avoid eating processed food, like corn syrup, pastries, candies, soft-drinks and the likes.

    complete and utter nonsense...
  • Stellablue1986
    Stellablue1986 Posts: 2 Member
    Hi there, I'm a nutritional epidemiology student at the Friedman school for nutrition at Tufts University. In my [informed] opinion, sugars are not created equal. Fructose tends to push itself into the metabolic pathways leading towards lipid production, and is not used immediately for energy, whereas glucose goes to all the body tissues to immediately be used for energy because it is the preferred energy source for tissues. Therefore glucose is preferable to fructose. In addition, other factors influence the blood sugar response aside from just sugar. Fruit contains fiber, which slows the absorption of sugar. But, you still shouldn't eat too much fruit because it contains fructose. While it is true that genetics contribute massively to Type II Diabetes onset, we have only accounted for about 10% of the heredity so far in genetics studies, so most of that is still a mystery. However almost everyone develops T2DM by the time they are elderly, so everyone should still watch their sugar intake, and exercise plenty to use up the extra energy. If you'd like, go get your Hemoglobin A1C (a test for pre-diabetes and T2DM) checked at the doc to make sure you are in the "safe" range.
  • UnicornAmanda
    UnicornAmanda Posts: 294 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Diabetes comes from genetics/being overweight or obese, not from consuming too much sugar.


    ^^this. sugar is in many, many things, including fruit. I really wouldn't worry about your sugar intake unless you already are at risk for a medical condition and your dr. wants you to limit something.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,810 Member
    Hi there, I'm a nutritional epidemiology student at the Friedman school for nutrition at Tufts University. In my [informed] opinion, sugars are not created equal. Fructose tends to push itself into the metabolic pathways leading towards lipid production, and is not used immediately for energy, whereas glucose goes to all the body tissues to immediately be used for energy because it is the preferred energy source for tissues. Therefore glucose is preferable to fructose. In addition, other factors influence the blood sugar response aside from just sugar. Fruit contains fiber, which slows the absorption of sugar. But, you still shouldn't eat too much fruit because it contains fructose. While it is true that genetics contribute massively to Type II Diabetes onset, we have only accounted for about 10% of the heredity so far in genetics studies, so most of that is still a mystery. However almost everyone develops T2DM by the time they are elderly, so everyone should still watch their sugar intake, and exercise plenty to use up the extra energy. If you'd like, go get your Hemoglobin A1C (a test for pre-diabetes and T2DM) checked at the doc to make sure you are in the "safe" range.
    I stopped at epidemiology student. Fructose fear mongering seem to be prevalent in epidemiology circles, maybe look at RCT, dosage etc and get back to us.

  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,123 Member
    Hi there, I'm a nutritional epidemiology student at the Friedman school for nutrition at Tufts University. In my [informed] opinion, sugars are not created equal. Fructose tends to push itself into the metabolic pathways leading towards lipid production, and is not used immediately for energy, whereas glucose goes to all the body tissues to immediately be used for energy because it is the preferred energy source for tissues. Therefore glucose is preferable to fructose. In addition, other factors influence the blood sugar response aside from just sugar. Fruit contains fiber, which slows the absorption of sugar. But, you still shouldn't eat too much fruit because it contains fructose. While it is true that genetics contribute massively to Type II Diabetes onset, we have only accounted for about 10% of the heredity so far in genetics studies, so most of that is still a mystery. However almost everyone develops T2DM by the time they are elderly, so everyone should still watch their sugar intake, and exercise plenty to use up the extra energy. If you'd like, go get your Hemoglobin A1C (a test for pre-diabetes and T2DM) checked at the doc to make sure you are in the "safe" range.

    I respectfully disagree. Ultimately, all mono/di/polysaccherides are broken down into glucose, but fructose and sucrose take an additional step and are processed into glucose by the liver. For general health and to avoid wicked post-meal spikes (note that I am a type 1 diabetic), I prefer fructose and sucrose, because they have to take that additional step to become glucose (which gives my insulin bolus more time to process due to the fact that I have to inject subcutaneously). If I am treating hypoglycemia, I prefer using glucose or dextrose (d-glucose), because it does not have to go through that additional step before it can enter the blood stream and bring up my blood glucose.

    Some of the other things that affect glycemic response include whether there is fat and protein in the meal (I need to approach bolusing for high-carb high-fat meals differently than high-carb low-fat meals). I agree that fiber will also slow down glycemic response, but I noticed that it has less of an affect on my post-meal spikes than if I manipulated the macro distribution of the meal.

    There is one thing that frustrates me that is not accounted for in studies on T2DM. There is a portion (about 10%) of those who are diagnosed as type 2 who instead have LADA ("type 1.5" -a more latent form of type 1 typically seen in adults. Like type 1, certain antibodies are also present, but the average amount of time it takes for a LADA person to begin insulin therapy is about 6 years compared to immediately for type 1). In most studies, these people who are eventually diagnosed with LADA are included in diagnosis statistics for T2DM.

    I would not say that everyone develops T2DM by a certain age, but it would be more appropriate to say that everyone develops some degree of insulin resistance by a certain age. When it comes to diagnosis, I believe there is also criteria based off a random or fasting blood glucose check (off the top of my head, I think a fasting BG reading above 126 or a random BG reading above 200 points to a diabetes diagnosis), and it might be a cheaper alternative for if people are at a higher risk of developing T2DM. And, for the millionth time CONSUMING SUGAR DOES NOT CAUSE TYPE 2 DIABETES. Consuming an excess of ANY sugar that results in a calorie surplus will cause weight gain, and being overweight or obese can significantly increase the risk of developing T2DM, but consuming sugar will not directly cause T2DM.
  • emmalou25mk
    emmalou25mk Posts: 25 Member
    I'm a type 1 diabetic and recently I have started to incorporate a lot more natural sources of sugar into my diet, as opposed to refined sugar in cakes and sweets. I eat 2 pieces of fruit a day (usually a banana and blueberries - but i do like to change it up) and use things like maple syrup and cacao powder in my baking to give me the sweetness I like. From doing this, I have gained better diabetes control than I have managed previously, and have less spikes in my blood sugar. I've also managed to steadily lose around 1lb a week by doing this - although this can probably also be contributed to me eating alot cleaner than I had before.

    Different things work for different people though. Maple Syrup may not impact my blood sugar levels as much as it may impact another Type 1. I think it's just finding out what works for your body.

    Try the website Deliciously Ella for some great recipes that are refined sugar free.