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Why do people keep defending sugar?

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Replies

  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    @magnusthenerd A fat one that becomes a sugar one. Ayup. Do you know how many physicians address obesity head-on. Not very many. You are correct.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,572 Member
    One thing I get tired of with these posts is these people that talk about type 2 diabetes with just an elementary etiology of the disease that they confound the diagnostic methods with the progression of the disease.
    T2D is not merely a disruption of glucose metabolism, it is not caused directly by glucose metabolism, and in fact, the earliest signs of it are not even the disruption in glucose homeostasis. Before someone with T2D has high glucose levels, they will actually have problems in fat deposition first, but it is not an easily detected condition. So even if we wanted to go with how T2D starts, it isn't a sugar disorder, it is technically a fat one that becomes a sugar one.

    When it comes to actually treating T2D, overwhelmingly, the treatments that work besides drugs are not dietary interventions focused on sugar, but focused on weight loss, which means fat lost from the body. Most cases that are within 2 years of diagnoses can be treated via losing weight - unfortunately, it tends to be a fair amount of weight in short time, around 15kg, in months. Maintaining that loss maintains the reversals in the conditions.
    I have yet to hear of any study what-so-ever showing such promise via controlling sugar or carbohydrate while maintaining the same weight.

    Now do TD1. :)
  • RockingWithLJ
    RockingWithLJ Posts: 243 Member
    Sugar (& other highly processed carbs) has no nutritional benefits, so why are so many people defending it?

    Fruit & veg are good for you because they have high levels of nutrition, and the fibre content helps to mitigate the bad effects of the sugar content.

    So although a lot of people lose weight while keeping their sugar levels high, is this something to be applauded or a reason to defend sugar?


    I have my sugar high because of the 3 servings of fruit I have daily. If I was eating other types of sugar, 6 teaspoons is more than enough.
    I agree with you though: Sugar is not good if you're trying to get tight and tone especially. Once I'm at a good body fat % I plan to drop my sugar to almost nothing.
    High sodium is a huge no for me too; I'll save that for another time
  • Dayannahernandez30
    Dayannahernandez30 Posts: 30 Member
    The human body need a little bit of everything... moderation it the key
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,572 Member
    glassyo wrote: »
    One thing I get tired of with these posts is these people that talk about type 2 diabetes with just an elementary etiology of the disease that they confound the diagnostic methods with the progression of the disease.
    T2D is not merely a disruption of glucose metabolism, it is not caused directly by glucose metabolism, and in fact, the earliest signs of it are not even the disruption in glucose homeostasis. Before someone with T2D has high glucose levels, they will actually have problems in fat deposition first, but it is not an easily detected condition. So even if we wanted to go with how T2D starts, it isn't a sugar disorder, it is technically a fat one that becomes a sugar one.

    When it comes to actually treating T2D, overwhelmingly, the treatments that work besides drugs are not dietary interventions focused on sugar, but focused on weight loss, which means fat lost from the body. Most cases that are within 2 years of diagnoses can be treated via losing weight - unfortunately, it tends to be a fair amount of weight in short time, around 15kg, in months. Maintaining that loss maintains the reversals in the conditions.
    I have yet to hear of any study what-so-ever showing such promise via controlling sugar or carbohydrate while maintaining the same weight.

    Now do TD1. :)

    I know the comment is being tongue in cheek, so in that vein I think T1D had good marketing in being called juvenile diabetes. It is harder for people to demonize a disease as if it is purely a lifestyle consequence when it shows up in innocent kids. T1D is in most cases an autoimmune disease with the body attacking its own pancreas cells.

    Actually, I was being serious (for once!). You did a good job of explaining TD1 and I tend to focus on the sugar not causing diabetes aspect because...well...if people could see what I eat, I should have been in a diabetic coma a loooooooooooooong time ago. :)
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    @magnusthenerd In a nutshell and not the whole bushel, one of the best descriptions I've ever read about the progression of T2. You've described my history to a Texas Tea and I'm going to memorize it for my relatives.
  • josh250to180
    josh250to180 Posts: 32 Member
    edited July 2020
    A biology class really helps the understanding of this topic. It goes into cellular respiration, and what really happens with the two different types of sugars we eat. Highly recommend it at your local community college or khan academy.

    With that said, I don’t keep table sugar in the house. For me, sugary things are like cigarettes. I won’t go buy a pack 99 days, but when I do, I can’t leave the pack alone.

    My almond milk is unsweetened. My sodas are diet. No cereals for me. I don’t quite know why, but I get that sugar crash real bad if I eat or drink sugary stuff. Makes me jittery until I eat something.

    I would say that if you live a lifestyle where you can put the sugars to work, allow your body to process them, then you do you. But if you don’t, your body will convert it into fat and bad cholesterol that will affect your heart and bloodstream, leading to other diseases.

    The liver can be your best friend or your worst enemy.