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Why Science Says Sugar Is Bad for Weight Loss - the MFP Hello Healthy Blog
diannethegeek
Posts: 14,776 Member
in Debate Club
I don't read the MFP blog very often, but someone mentioned their latest post in another thread. I'm bringing it to the Nutrition Debate forum for comment. Anyone want to take it point by point?
http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/science-says-sugar-bad-weight-loss/
http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/science-says-sugar-bad-weight-loss/
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Replies
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Dianne I do not see it as a debating subject in my case. I can only know and discuss the impact of sugar on my personal weight loss. Since I cut out both sugar and grains at the same time looking for a non Rx way to manage my joint and muscle pain I can not swear as to where it was sugar and/or grains causing my major health decline over the prior 40 years.
Cutting them both out gave me major pain relief in just 30 days. The 50 pounds of weight loss started earlier by just trying to starve myself by cutting back on sugar so I was down to 230 when I cut the sugar and grains. The last 30 pounds came off over the next six months and has stayed off for the last 12 months.
I am not sure about the impact on insulin in my case or how much sugar I was consuming. In just two weeks the cravings just faded away.
As to the brain chemicals changing all I know is my family say I am not a mean as I was 18 months ago.
It is my guess the sugar/carbs was messing up my gut flora because in just 6 months of eating <50 grams of carbs daily my 40 years of life defining IBS was gone and has not returned.
I had to see myself dead and in my coffin to get through the first two weeks of withdrawing from living on mainly carbs. After that the craving faded and 18 months later my new way of eating seems normal and the old way abnormal.
Some will make fun of Danielle Omar nice piece on sugar but for the rest I can suggest at least a fast read. It is based on solid science base on my own reading on the subject recently as well as my healthcare training in earning my OD degree many years ago.
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This strikes me as really horrible writing:
That last part. I mean, if you understand anything about nutrition, it should sound almost condescending. Replace sugar in blood sugar with glucose (which is really what dietitians and doctors would talk about) and you have: "When glucose passes into the bloodstream, your blood blood rises quickly." YaDontSay.png!One problem with eating too much added sugar is the way your body processes it. Sugar is a simple carbohydrate that is easy for your body to break down into glucose. When glucose passes into the bloodstream, your blood sugar rises quickly.
Replace sugar with pretty much any food.Sugar activates reward centers in your brain. As your intake increases, so does the release of serotonin and endorphins, powerful brain chemicals that make you feel calm, relaxed and happy.
No such thing as healthy food.And finally, we have to look at the types of foods that contain large amounts of added sugar. Let’s face it, excess sugar doesn’t show up in healthy food.
Oh shoot. I guess I didn't lose weight, I never developed a sugar strategy. Is sugar the final boss in a video game or something?It’s important to create a sugar strategy when trying to lose weight.1 -
The only reason I can see it as a bad thing is because it is much easier to overconsume since it's cheap and tasty. I have it daily. NOM0
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So now you're literally attributing low carb as making you a nicer person?GaleHawkins wrote: »Dianne I do not see it as a debating subject in my case. I can only know and discuss the impact of sugar on my personal weight loss. Since I cut out both sugar and grains at the same time looking for a non Rx way to manage my joint and muscle pain I can not swear as to where it was sugar and/or grains causing my major health decline over the prior 40 years.
Cutting them both out gave me major pain relief in just 30 days. The 50 pounds of weight loss started earlier by just trying to starve myself by cutting back on sugar so I was down to 230 when I cut the sugar and grains. The last 30 pounds came off over the next six months and has stayed off for the last 12 months.
I am not sure about the impact on insulin in my case or how much sugar I was consuming. In just two weeks the cravings just faded away.
As to the brain chemicals changing all I know is my family say I am not a mean as I was 18 months ago.
It is my guess the sugar/carbs was messing up my gut flora because in just 6 months of eating <50 grams of carbs daily my 40 years of life defining IBS was gone and has not returned.
I had to see myself dead and in my coffin to get through the first two weeks of withdrawing from living on mainly carbs. After that the craving faded and 18 months later my new way of eating seems normal and the old way abnormal.
Some will make fun of Danielle Omar nice piece on sugar but for the rest I can suggest at least a fast read. It is based on solid science base on my own reading on the subject recently as well as my healthcare training in earning my OD degree many years ago.0 -
It's harder to eat a lot of sugar and still be in a deficit but it's entirely doable and I'm living proof. I even "beat" (no more symptoms, last ultrasound shows no cysts) PCOS in the process of losing weight while still eating dessert every day. I refuse to deprive myself of anything.0
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I saw this article too. And the thing is, I've seen different versions of the exact same information from reputable sources for many years. Until I came to MFP, I didn't realize it was a disputed issue. To me, it seems like common sense and quite reasonable. I don't avoid sugar in any form, but is it really so unbalanced to think it could be beneficial to limit it?0
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So now you're literally attributing low carb as making you a nicer person?GaleHawkins wrote: »Dianne I do not see it as a debating subject in my case. I can only know and discuss the impact of sugar on my personal weight loss. Since I cut out both sugar and grains at the same time looking for a non Rx way to manage my joint and muscle pain I can not swear as to where it was sugar and/or grains causing my major health decline over the prior 40 years.
Cutting them both out gave me major pain relief in just 30 days. The 50 pounds of weight loss started earlier by just trying to starve myself by cutting back on sugar so I was down to 230 when I cut the sugar and grains. The last 30 pounds came off over the next six months and has stayed off for the last 12 months.
I am not sure about the impact on insulin in my case or how much sugar I was consuming. In just two weeks the cravings just faded away.
As to the brain chemicals changing all I know is my family say I am not a mean as I was 18 months ago.
It is my guess the sugar/carbs was messing up my gut flora because in just 6 months of eating <50 grams of carbs daily my 40 years of life defining IBS was gone and has not returned.
I had to see myself dead and in my coffin to get through the first two weeks of withdrawing from living on mainly carbs. After that the craving faded and 18 months later my new way of eating seems normal and the old way abnormal.
Some will make fun of Danielle Omar nice piece on sugar but for the rest I can suggest at least a fast read. It is based on solid science base on my own reading on the subject recently as well as my healthcare training in earning my OD degree many years ago.
It's possible Gale was in so much pain he was an @$$ to people. I'm the same way (not that carbs cause me pain).0 -
Sometimes I think when you get to debating the minutiae of the science, it's like you can't see the forest for the trees.0
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So now you're literally attributing low carb as making you a nicer person?GaleHawkins wrote: »Dianne I do not see it as a debating subject in my case. I can only know and discuss the impact of sugar on my personal weight loss. Since I cut out both sugar and grains at the same time looking for a non Rx way to manage my joint and muscle pain I can not swear as to where it was sugar and/or grains causing my major health decline over the prior 40 years.
Cutting them both out gave me major pain relief in just 30 days. The 50 pounds of weight loss started earlier by just trying to starve myself by cutting back on sugar so I was down to 230 when I cut the sugar and grains. The last 30 pounds came off over the next six months and has stayed off for the last 12 months.
I am not sure about the impact on insulin in my case or how much sugar I was consuming. In just two weeks the cravings just faded away.
As to the brain chemicals changing all I know is my family say I am not a mean as I was 18 months ago.
It is my guess the sugar/carbs was messing up my gut flora because in just 6 months of eating <50 grams of carbs daily my 40 years of life defining IBS was gone and has not returned.
I had to see myself dead and in my coffin to get through the first two weeks of withdrawing from living on mainly carbs. After that the craving faded and 18 months later my new way of eating seems normal and the old way abnormal.
Some will make fun of Danielle Omar nice piece on sugar but for the rest I can suggest at least a fast read. It is based on solid science base on my own reading on the subject recently as well as my healthcare training in earning my OD degree many years ago.
Stable blood sugar makes mood more stable.0 -
"Our fat cells are capable of creating chemical signals that lead to chronic inflammation, especially when you eat too many calories and too much sugar. Chronic inflammation in the body is detrimental because it’s a key indicator of heart disease among other chronic health conditions."
Can someone versed in science-layman's terms translation tell me WTF that's supposed to mean? To me, I understand it as "too much sugar will make you fat and fat makes chronic inflammation so you'll get heart disease and other nasty things". What's inflammating about fat? How does fat cause me chronic inflammation? What IS chronic inflammation? And since I do eat excess sugar (which automatically turns to fat), how come my GP and blood tests haven't shown this inflammation?0 -
Not necessarily.Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
So now you're literally attributing low carb as making you a nicer person?GaleHawkins wrote: »Dianne I do not see it as a debating subject in my case. I can only know and discuss the impact of sugar on my personal weight loss. Since I cut out both sugar and grains at the same time looking for a non Rx way to manage my joint and muscle pain I can not swear as to where it was sugar and/or grains causing my major health decline over the prior 40 years.
Cutting them both out gave me major pain relief in just 30 days. The 50 pounds of weight loss started earlier by just trying to starve myself by cutting back on sugar so I was down to 230 when I cut the sugar and grains. The last 30 pounds came off over the next six months and has stayed off for the last 12 months.
I am not sure about the impact on insulin in my case or how much sugar I was consuming. In just two weeks the cravings just faded away.
As to the brain chemicals changing all I know is my family say I am not a mean as I was 18 months ago.
It is my guess the sugar/carbs was messing up my gut flora because in just 6 months of eating <50 grams of carbs daily my 40 years of life defining IBS was gone and has not returned.
I had to see myself dead and in my coffin to get through the first two weeks of withdrawing from living on mainly carbs. After that the craving faded and 18 months later my new way of eating seems normal and the old way abnormal.
Some will make fun of Danielle Omar nice piece on sugar but for the rest I can suggest at least a fast read. It is based on solid science base on my own reading on the subject recently as well as my healthcare training in earning my OD degree many years ago.
Stable blood sugar makes mood more stable.0 -
Stopping reading the Hello Healthy blogs made me a much happier person.
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The article is based on sound and current research. I agree with GaleHawkins - If you decrease your processed sugar intake, it doesn't take long before the cravings subside. I'm not into depriving myself either but I am into taking this opportunity to educate myself and modify my diet to support my health more fully. I now eat a lot of fruit and some dark chocolate most nights before bed. I try to follow the recommendations and keep my processed sugar intake as low as possible. Yeah, that means no more Skiddles nor orange juice in my smoothies but that's a small price for skinnier, healthier and more energetic.0
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The article is based on sound and current research. I agree with GaleHawkins - If you decrease your processed sugar intake, it doesn't take long before the cravings subside. I'm not into depriving myself either but I am into taking this opportunity to educate myself and modify my diet to support my health more fully. I now eat a lot of fruit and some dark chocolate most nights before bed. I try to follow the recommendations and keep my processed sugar intake as low as possible. Yeah, that means no more Skiddles nor orange juice in my smoothies but that's a small price for skinnier, healthier and more energetic.
The sugar in the fruit is the same sugar in processed foods.0 -
So now you're literally attributing low carb as making you a nicer person?GaleHawkins wrote: »Dianne I do not see it as a debating subject in my case. I can only know and discuss the impact of sugar on my personal weight loss. Since I cut out both sugar and grains at the same time looking for a non Rx way to manage my joint and muscle pain I can not swear as to where it was sugar and/or grains causing my major health decline over the prior 40 years.
Cutting them both out gave me major pain relief in just 30 days. The 50 pounds of weight loss started earlier by just trying to starve myself by cutting back on sugar so I was down to 230 when I cut the sugar and grains. The last 30 pounds came off over the next six months and has stayed off for the last 12 months.
I am not sure about the impact on insulin in my case or how much sugar I was consuming. In just two weeks the cravings just faded away.
As to the brain chemicals changing all I know is my family say I am not a mean as I was 18 months ago.
It is my guess the sugar/carbs was messing up my gut flora because in just 6 months of eating <50 grams of carbs daily my 40 years of life defining IBS was gone and has not returned.
I had to see myself dead and in my coffin to get through the first two weeks of withdrawing from living on mainly carbs. After that the craving faded and 18 months later my new way of eating seems normal and the old way abnormal.
Some will make fun of Danielle Omar nice piece on sugar but for the rest I can suggest at least a fast read. It is based on solid science base on my own reading on the subject recently as well as my healthcare training in earning my OD degree many years ago.
It's possible Gale was in so much pain he was an @$$ to people. I'm the same way (not that carbs cause me pain).
@zyxst I guess you have a good point since carbs cause me pain. Glad they do not in your case. While I do not see cutting carbs as a universal solution to all pain but it is a solution all could try cost free to see.0 -
"Our fat cells are capable of creating chemical signals that lead to chronic inflammation, especially when you eat too many calories and too much sugar. Chronic inflammation in the body is detrimental because it’s a key indicator of heart disease among other chronic health conditions."
Can someone versed in science-layman's terms translation tell me WTF that's supposed to mean? To me, I understand it as "too much sugar will make you fat and fat makes chronic inflammation so you'll get heart disease and other nasty things". What's inflammating about fat? How does fat cause me chronic inflammation? What IS chronic inflammation? And since I do eat excess sugar (which automatically turns to fat), how come my GP and blood tests haven't shown this inflammation?
It's very poorly written; saying something is harmful because it indicates another condition exists makes no sense at all. Additionally, whether or not inflammation causes heart disease or vice versa is inconclusive at the moment.
The whole article seemed to imply that excess sugar automatically equals an in excess calories.0 -
The only reason I can see it as a bad thing is because it is much easier to overconsume since it's cheap and tasty. I have it daily. NOM
Only thing I'd disagree with about this is that plain sugar isn't that tasty (there's a funny article from some years ago in a running or triathlon magazine about a guy who experimented with eating only gels for a week -- wish I could find it for MFP, he didn't enjoy it). What's amazingly tasty is sugar+fat (and also fat+other things, IMO, but I've never had the biggest sweet tooth).
Haven't read the blog piece yet, but I will force myself to tomorrow!0 -
snickerscharlie wrote: »Stopping reading the Hello Healthy blogs made me a much happier person.
:-)0 -
GaleHawkins wrote: »
So now you're literally attributing low carb as making you a nicer person?GaleHawkins wrote: »Dianne I do not see it as a debating subject in my case. I can only know and discuss the impact of sugar on my personal weight loss. Since I cut out both sugar and grains at the same time looking for a non Rx way to manage my joint and muscle pain I can not swear as to where it was sugar and/or grains causing my major health decline over the prior 40 years.
Cutting them both out gave me major pain relief in just 30 days. The 50 pounds of weight loss started earlier by just trying to starve myself by cutting back on sugar so I was down to 230 when I cut the sugar and grains. The last 30 pounds came off over the next six months and has stayed off for the last 12 months.
I am not sure about the impact on insulin in my case or how much sugar I was consuming. In just two weeks the cravings just faded away.
As to the brain chemicals changing all I know is my family say I am not a mean as I was 18 months ago.
It is my guess the sugar/carbs was messing up my gut flora because in just 6 months of eating <50 grams of carbs daily my 40 years of life defining IBS was gone and has not returned.
I had to see myself dead and in my coffin to get through the first two weeks of withdrawing from living on mainly carbs. After that the craving faded and 18 months later my new way of eating seems normal and the old way abnormal.
Some will make fun of Danielle Omar nice piece on sugar but for the rest I can suggest at least a fast read. It is based on solid science base on my own reading on the subject recently as well as my healthcare training in earning my OD degree many years ago.
It's possible Gale was in so much pain he was an @$$ to people. I'm the same way (not that carbs cause me pain).
@zyxst I guess you have a good point since carbs cause me pain. Glad they do not in your case. While I do not see cutting carbs as a universal solution to all pain but it is a solution all could try cost free to see.
I suppose people could try anything. If I ate your diet (as explained on MFP, crazy high in sat fat and calories you drink and crazy low in fiber or veg), pretty sure I'd feel awful.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »The only reason I can see it as a bad thing is because it is much easier to overconsume since it's cheap and tasty. I have it daily. NOM
Only thing I'd disagree with about this is that plain sugar isn't that tasty (there's a funny article from some years ago in a running or triathlon magazine about a guy who experimented with eating only gels for a week -- wish I could find it for MFP, he didn't enjoy it). What's amazingly tasty is sugar+fat (and also fat+other things, IMO, but I've never had the biggest sweet tooth).
Haven't read the blog piece yet, but I will force myself to tomorrow!
clearly you never were the kind of fatty mcfatfat who actually ATE SPOONFULS OF TABLE SUGAR ONE AFTER THE OTHER.
Yes. 17-year-old-me championed this one.
[edited by MFP Moderator]0 -
Jesus Map..don't get banned for goodness sake ..ain't worth it!
I used to eat out of bags of sugar too. Still do occasionally.0 -
No, I think the number of people who enjoy spoonfuls of sugar enough to have more than a tiny number of calories from it is vanishingly low. Seriously, there is a reason for endurance athletes (of which I am the rankest amateur) to eat gels or other sugary foods, like sports drinks, and most of us *kitten* about the taste. True, an unfortunate number of people probably eat high sugar (and often fat) coffee drinks and lots of sugary soda, though, even if it's so not my thing and dumb to claim it's worse or more addictive than other foods people find tasty (like cheese).
Far more people overeat cookie dough (sugar + fat) or bacon (fat + protein) or french fries (carbs + fat) or cheese (mostly fat) or (my favorite in all the world) roasted chicken with skin cooked with potatoes and asparagus or brussels sprouts. That anyone could prefer straight sugar to that is inconceivable to me, and I include dopamine (and the fact that the chicken, etc. will spike it) as part of my evidence. Straight sugar is one-dimensional, has no richness of taste at all.0 -
Mapalicious wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »The only reason I can see it as a bad thing is because it is much easier to overconsume since it's cheap and tasty. I have it daily. NOM
Only thing I'd disagree with about this is that plain sugar isn't that tasty (there's a funny article from some years ago in a running or triathlon magazine about a guy who experimented with eating only gels for a week -- wish I could find it for MFP, he didn't enjoy it). What's amazingly tasty is sugar+fat (and also fat+other things, IMO, but I've never had the biggest sweet tooth).
Haven't read the blog piece yet, but I will force myself to tomorrow!
clearly you never were the kind of fatty mcfatfat who actually ATE SPOONFULS OF TABLE SUGAR ONE AFTER THE OTHER.
Yes. 17-year-old-me championed this one.
There are people here who love their sugar and see no problem not keeping track of it.
It will be a forever, round and round unwinnable debate.
Don't let it stress you out so much! you are responsible for your own health and well being, and they theirs
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"Our fat cells are capable of creating chemical signals that lead to chronic inflammation, especially when you eat too many calories and too much sugar. Chronic inflammation in the body is detrimental because it’s a key indicator of heart disease among other chronic health conditions."
Can someone versed in science-layman's terms translation tell me WTF that's supposed to mean? To me, I understand it as "too much sugar will make you fat and fat makes chronic inflammation so you'll get heart disease and other nasty things". What's inflammating about fat? How does fat cause me chronic inflammation? What IS chronic inflammation? And since I do eat excess sugar (which automatically turns to fat), how come my GP and blood tests haven't shown this inflammation?
Have you been tested for C reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and plasma viscosity - these are used as markers of inflammation.
The mechanism might be something like "As more glucose is delivered to the fat cells, they produce an excess of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which in turn starts an inflammatory cascade within the cell." "Clogging arteries" may be due to inflammation of the arterial wall.
Further reading at http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/83/2/461S.full or something more readable at https://chriskresser.com/how-inflammation-makes-you-fat-and-diabetic-and-vice-versa/0 -
diannethegeek wrote: »I don't read the MFP blog very often, but someone mentioned their latest post in another thread. I'm bringing it to the Nutrition Debate forum for comment. Anyone want to take it point by point?
http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/science-says-sugar-bad-weight-loss/
P1 The first paragraph says the new dietary guidelines for Americans limits sugar to 10% of daily calories, when in fact the guidelines say 10% of added sugars. The WHO use "free sugars", I haven't looked closely at the US definition of "added". The primary argument in the guidelines is that there isn't room in a typical calorie intake for more than 10% of calories after taking all the other recommendations into account.
P2 In the second paragraph the increasing global consumption figures arise from increasing per capita consumption in developing countries and/or population growth. In the EU and some countries per capita consumption is level or declining.
P3 - 20 oz soda, LOL. A can of full sugar soda, which nobody needs to drink, would be about 6.5% of daily calories. Basically the guidelines are saying don't drink sugar sweetened beverages (SSB), without actually saying that.
P4 Some epidemiology may manage to tease out an association between high intake of SSB and obesity etc, but that's about it. The risk ratios are small, and the high SSB population is often economically challenged too. Some studies have also teased out associations between high intakes of certain fruits and diabetes, or fruit consumption and ovarian cancer, but the signal is not large compared to the background noise.
P5 Sucrose (table sugar, which I assume is what the author means) is a disaccharide of fructose and glucose, the latter is "blood sugar". It's true to say that with only 5 grams of glucose in circulation in the blood it doesn't take much intake of glucose to increase it a lot and a functioning pancreas will indeed seek to bring it back down again. Starch is a molecule made up of glucose (no fructose) and it breaks down fast and actually raises blood sugar faster than table sugar per 50 grams of carbohydrate. Much of this paragraph is about "glycemic carbohydrates" rather than sugar per se.
P6 Intake of glycemic carbohydrates will increase insulin levels and this will impair the release of fat from fat cells, also increasing the oxidation of carbohydrate by suppressing oxidation of fat. The glucose is stored in liver and muscle glycogen too, but the primary short term response is to oxidise it for fuel. Increasing adiposity / obesity is implicated in increasing inflammation which may be part of the timeline of type 2 diabetes, artery problems, heart disease etc, as may other factors like persistently elevated blood insulin levels.0 -
My thoughts exactly.I saw this article too. And the thing is, I've seen different versions of the exact same information from reputable sources for many years. Until I came to MFP, I didn't realize it was a disputed issue. To me, it seems like common sense and quite reasonable. I don't avoid sugar in any form, but is it really so unbalanced to think it could be beneficial to limit it?
My main issue with the article is that it doesn't really acknowledge that eating tremendous amounts of carbs in general (not just added sugar) can also overwork the pancreas and result in excess insulin being released.
I think the important message is that while added sugar certainly does not have to be cut out from the diet, keeping it within the guidelines should be the goal.
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There always has to be simple answers for simple people. This is one of those cases.0
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"Our fat cells are capable of creating chemical signals that lead to chronic inflammation, especially when you eat too many calories and too much sugar. Chronic inflammation in the body is detrimental because it’s a key indicator of heart disease among other chronic health conditions."
Can someone versed in science-layman's terms translation tell me WTF that's supposed to mean? To me, I understand it as "too much sugar will make you fat and fat makes chronic inflammation so you'll get heart disease and other nasty things". What's inflammating about fat? How does fat cause me chronic inflammation? What IS chronic inflammation? And since I do eat excess sugar (which automatically turns to fat), how come my GP and blood tests haven't shown this inflammation?
Have you been tested for C reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and plasma viscosity - these are used as markers of inflammation.
The mechanism might be something like "As more glucose is delivered to the fat cells, they produce an excess of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which in turn starts an inflammatory cascade within the cell." "Clogging arteries" may be due to inflammation of the arterial wall.
Further reading at http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/83/2/461S.full or something more readable at https://chriskresser.com/how-inflammation-makes-you-fat-and-diabetic-and-vice-versa/
It would be better if they tested actual interferon pathway and associated pathway activations, but those tests haven't made to the bedside. Maybe someday. The existing tests are 'hey there's something going on' as opposed to the newer ones used in research that are 'hey, you've got a viral infection (or a bacterial infection, or what is likely to be an autoimmune reaction, etc)'.0
This discussion has been closed.
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