By Dr. Mercola
Evidence is mounting that sugar is the primary factor causing
not just obesity, but also many chronic and lethal diseases.
Dr. Robert Lustig, one of the leading experts on childhood
obesity, and arguably the number one enemy of the sugar lobby,
has published a well written article in the prestigious
scientific journal Nature arguing that sugar is a
poison.i
He believes that the negative health effects of sugar
consumption can no longer be ignored, any more than the health
effects of tobacco and alcohol could.
According to Dr. Lustig, via the website Diet Doctorii:
"The problem with sugar isn't just weight gain ... A
growing body of scientific evidence is showing that fructose
can trigger processes that lead to liver toxicity and a host
of other chronic diseases.
A little is not a problem, but a lot kills --
slowly."
For the first time in history, "lifestyle" diseases --
diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers -- are killing more
people than communicable diseases. And treating these
entirely preventable illnesses costs more than one-seventh
of the U.S. GDP. It stands to reason then that simply
preventing these diseases could save the US health care
system around one trillion dollars a year.
One of the primary, and likely most effective ways of
preventing these diseases would be to curb the outrageous
over-consumption of sugar.
Dr. Lustig rightfully argues that sugar used to be available
to our ancestors only as fruit or honey—and then only for a few
months of the year—compared to today, when sugar (primarily in
the form of high fructose corn syrup) is added to virtually all
processed foods and drinks; even items you normally would not
think of as being high in sugar. Tragically, many
infant formulas even contain more than 50 percent sugar!
"Nature made sugar hard to get; man made it easy," Dr.
Lustig says.
Fructose is NOT the Same as Glucose
Glucose is the form of energy you were designed to run on.
Every cell in your body, every bacterium -- and in fact, every
living thing on the Earth -- uses glucose for energy.
Fructose is not the same molecule. Glucose is a 6-member
ring, but fructose is a 5-member ring. Sucrose (table sugar) is
50 percent glucose and 50 percent fructose, and HFCS is 42-55
percent fructose.
If you received your fructose only from vegetables and fruits
(where it originates) as most people did a century ago, you'd
consume about 15 grams per day. Today the average is 73 grams
per day which is nearly 500 percent higher a dose and our bodies
simply can't tolerate that type of biochemical abuse.
Furthermore, in vegetables and fruits, the fructose is mixed in
with fiber, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and beneficial
phytonutrients, all of which help moderate the negative
metabolic effects. So it's not that fructose itself is
"poisonous"—it's the biologically inappropriate doses you're
exposed to that make it hazardous to your health and well-being.
How High Fructose Corn Syrup has Decimated Human Health
We now know, without a doubt, that it's the excessive sugar
content in the modern diet that is taking such a devastating
toll on people's health. According to GreenMedInfo.com,
scientific studies have linked fructose to about 78 different
diseases and health problemsiii.
Select the hyperlinks provided to review how fructose may:
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) was invented in Japan in 1966
and introduced to the American market in 1975. Food and beverage
manufacturers quickly began switching their sweeteners from
sucrose (table sugar) to corn syrup when they discovered that
high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) could save them a lot of money.
Sucrose costs about three times as much as HFCS. HFCS is also
about 20 percent sweeter than table sugar, so you need less to
achieve the same amount of sweetness.
In the mid 1970s, dietary fats were blamed for heart disease,
giving rise to the "low-fat craze," which resulted in an
explosion of processed nonfat and low fat convenience foods—most
of which tasted like sawdust unless sugar was added. Fructose
was then added to make all these fat-free products more
palatable. Yet as the low-fat craze spread, rates of heart
disease, diabetes, and obesity skyrocketed...
Clearly, there was a major flaw in the plan, and it's not
difficult to see that trading fat for sugar is not a
wise move.
The problem is that excessive fructose consumption leads to
insulin resistance, and insulin resistance appears to be the
root of many if not most of the diseases listed above. Insulin
resistance has even been found to be an underlying factor of
cancer.
How Fructose Increases Insulin Secretion and Worsens Your
Insulin Sensitivity
Interestingly, recent research published in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that
fructose can activate taste cells found on your pancreas, a
reaction that can increase your body's secretion of insuliniv.
And, while this is of particular concern for people prone to
diabetes, if statistics are any indication, this could include
virtually everyone.
At present, one in four Americans already have either
pre-diabetes or some form of diabetes, and type 2 diabetes
is directly linked to your diet, so anyone on a high-fructose
diet can be at risk.
In this study, the researchers were able to demonstrate that
fructose activates the same proteins in your pancreatic cells
that your tongue uses to taste sweets. And when these cells are
exposed to both glucose and fructose, they secrete more
insulin than they do when exposed to glucose alone. According to
Science Newsv:
"Most sugars join the [metabolic assembly line] at a
point where a supervisory enzyme can control the flow of
goods. But fructose comes in farther down, where it can lead
to an overproduction of fat. And because fructose ...
doesn't stimulate the same insulin response that glucose
does, the hormone isn't doing the other regulatory things it
usually does, like moderating appetite."
Limiting Sugar is Also Vital for Longevity
By increasing your insulin and leptin levels (and
subsequently decreasing receptor sensitivity for both of these
vital hormones), excessive sugar/fructose consumption not only
increases your risk of type 2 diabetes, it also accelerates
aging in general. In fact, limiting sugar in your diet is a
well-known key to longevity, because of all the molecules
capable of inflicting damage in your body, sugar molecules are
probably the most damaging.
Two years ago, the journal Nutrients published an excellent
report on the impact of fructose on aging.vi
Fructose is a particularly potent pro-inflammatory agent
that creates advanced glycation end products, commonly known as
"AGEs."
AGEs are a complex group of damaging compounds that form when
sugar reacts with amino acids. Besides oxidation, glycation and
the subsequent formation of AGEs is one of the major molecular
mechanisms causing ongoing damage in your body, which leads to
disease, (premature) aging and, eventually, death. According to
the authors:
"[T]he data are supportive that endogenous AGEs are
associated with declining organ functioning. It appears that
dietary AGEs may also be related... As of today, restriction
of dietary intake of AGEs and exercise has been shown to
safely reduce circulating AGEs, with further reduction in
oxidative stress and inflammatory markers."
In short, if you want to live a long healthy life, you need
to restrict your consumption of sugar, particularly fructose. As
a standard recommendation to limit glycation, I strongly advise
keeping your TOTAL fructose consumption below 25 grams per day.
Most people would be wise to limit their fructose to 15 grams
or less however, especially if you have elevated uric acid
levels, which can be used as a predictor for
fructose toxicity. This includes keeping track of your
fructose intake from whole fruits. To evaluate the fructose
content of many common fruits, please see this helpful
fructose chart. I recommend this lower level of 15 grams a
day simply because if you consume processed foods or sweet
beverages at all, you're virtually guaranteed to
consume "hidden" sources of fructose that can have a major
impact on your health.
When I have mentioned this in the past many people have
strongly disagreed with me as they believe fruit is fine because
it is natural. And it may be ok for some people, especially
those doing long and intense exercise sessions. However, there
is an easy way for you to find out your risk. If your uric acid
is above 5.0 would be wise to follow the rule. The higher above
5.0 your uric acid is, the worse your risk for damage. If your
uric acid is between 3.5 and 5 you should be fine. I believe I
must have a genetic polymorphism for uric acid as mine is always
above 5.5 even with intense exercise and less than five grams of
fructose a day, so I nearly always avoid fruit.
The authors of that paper offer an in-depth review of the
many health hazards of fructose, due to its pro-inflammatory
actions:
"Accumulation of AGEs has been found in healthy aging
persons, and this accumulation is higher during high glucose
concentrations. Microvascular and macrovascular damage, seen
in diabetes, is attributed to the accumulation of AGEs in
tissues, but it is also associated with atherosclerosis,
Alzheimer's disease, end stage renal disease, rheumatoid
arthritis, sarcopenia, cataracts, and other degenerative
ophthalmic diseases, Parkinson's disease, vascular dementia
and several other chronic diseases. For instance, Bar et al.
have demonstrated differential increases of AGEs products in
Alzheimer's dementia and vascular dementia compared to
controls. It has also been suggested that AGEs are involved
in the loss of bone density and muscular mass associated
with aging."
How to Tame Your Sugar Cravings
If you're struggling with sugar addiction, I recommend trying
an energy psychology technique called
Turbo Tapping, which has helped many "soda addicts" kick
their sweet habit. If you still want to use a sweetener
occasionally, here's what I recommend in lieu of sugar:
- Use the sweet herb stevia.
- Use organic cane sugar in moderation.
- Use organic raw honey in moderation.
Avoid ALL
artificial sweeteners, which can damage your health even
more quickly than fructose.
Agave syrup has been touted as a healthy alternative by
many, but don't fall for it. It's a highly processed sap that is
almost all fructose, and should therefore be avoided.
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