paulgads82 Member

I should get my levels checked. They were a little high when I was obese so it would be interesting to see the change. I still eat animal fat, Obvs.

Pretty much.

It's strange, as I've lost weight whilst virtually bed bound through illness and still eating sugar. If the response to this is that sugar is only addictive or encourages you to eat more for some people, then how can it be a physical attribute of sugar? This is the plausibility aspect I can't get round.

Nobody is entrenched, we are just waiting for actual evidence.

Again, I am not dismissing your experience, I am saying personal experience is not scientific evidence that sugar itself is addictive. This is literally why we have science, to remove human bias, faulty reasoning and subjectivity. There is no way for an individual to demonstrate a substance is physically addictive. Your…

Well I have certainly tried to keep it evidence based. Not sure what I can do other than ask for evidence. There are reasons why personal experience doesnt count as evidence which I hope I've explained.

I don't mean to be rude but I've given enough opportunities for people to provide scientific evidence. I've given some, you've provided a belief. That's not how science works and its clear this is not going to be scientific debate but one based on belief and a misunderstanding of the scientific process.

Sorry but not going to get drawn into fallacious arguments.

I will retract my claims upon production of evidence, but it needs to be scientific evidence.

A few studies are linked and explained in that scientific American article as well as an explanation of why rats aren't applicable. Through all the debate it could be decided immediately with a simple link to a robust peer reviewed study that has been further validated. There aren't any so far.

The Guardian and YouTube hits aren't reliable measures for scientific credibility. Is this a joke?

This is the link to the fructose study you've been asking for though http://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1743-7075-9-89

It's not a personal preference. Lustig isn't credible. Credibility isn't a fashion or opinion.

Let's assume the rat experiment is applicable, which virtually nobody does in science, but let's assume it does. One study is not enough. What's next? A human study?

Corporations could be filling our foods with water without concern as to the negative health effects.

Yes but what relevance does that have? You can't argue obesity stats with anecdotes.

I wouldn't be that confident about Italy. http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/Pages/statistics-and-causes-of-the-obesity-epidemic-in-the-UK.aspx

But it often is the fault of dieting. The wrong type of dieting. Slow, consistent weight loss is the key to success, the author seems close but the focus is naturally on neuroscience. When you have a hammer every problem looks like a nail.

It's not a U.S. problem. We have obesity in the UK. Look at Guam too. There's nothing specific to the U.S. that doesn't apply to many other countries. Ignorance. Access to delicious food. Lack of exercise. Most of us live in a time of plenty, historically speaking. Plentiful food. Plentiful spare time.

Sweet potatoes. I can bosh 4 for lunch easily.

I limit pasta because for the calorie load I don't feel particularly full or enjoy it that much. If you love pasta, eat pasta, just keep within your calorie goal.

We are not a homogeneous entity ;)

For this debate to progress it needs stronger arguments than "Sugar is addictive".

Me neither. I've had it happen to me too, but it has no bearing on this debate.

Who here has said sugar addiction is "all in the head" ?

After all my comments I don't know anyone could say I think psychological addiction is made up.

I have an illness where people face similar issues and the worst experiences seem to be had by women. The cause being unknown doesn't help much either. I still get the occasional comment from certain doctors.

So why is it insulting?

Nobody is playing addiction top trumps on my part!

You're insulted by having a psychological problem? Why? Are they inferior? Psychological illnesses have physical components. Nobody uses the phrase "in your head" to describe psychological issues or illnesses. Certainly not "just in your head". I am starting to wonder if there's a certaina amount of stigma and prejudice…