Sugar Addiction
A Major Cause for Obesity and Chronic Disease
Sugar Addiction
'Death by sugar may not be an overstatement—evidence is mounting that sugar is THE MAJOR FACTOR causing obesity and chronic disease.'
Robert H. Lustig
'Just a spoon full of sugar...'
Sugar addiction is THE major problem in keeping ourselves healthy... because it has become virtually impossible to buy any (processed) food without sugar...
this would include... pasta, cereals, sauces and dressings, obviously all snacks... in short... everything!
There is overwhelming evidence that sugar in our food, in all its forms...
IS MAKING US SICK.
Please watch this video... it really puts things into perspective!
Lecture by Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin.
Series: UCSF Mini Medical School for the Public [7/2009] [Health and Medicine]
Sugar Addiction - a summary
Glucose is the form of energy our body was designed to run on.
Every cell in your body, every bacterium — and in fact, every living thing on the Earth — uses glucose for energy.
But... how much is the right amount?
sugar addiction
What is Glucose?
Fructose? - and - High-fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)?
'Glucose (pronounced /ˈɡluːkoʊs, -koʊz/; C6H12O6, also known as D-glucose, dextrose, or grape sugar and fructose) is a simple sugar (monosaccharide) and an important carbohydrate in biology. Cells use it as the primary source of energy and a metabolic intermediate. Glucose is one of the main products of photosynthesis and starts cellular respiration, absorbed directly into the bloodstream during digestion.
Pure, dry fructose is a very sweet, white, odorless, crystalline solid and is the most water-soluble of all the sugars.
From plant sources, fructose is found in honey, tree and vine fruits, flowers, berries and most root vegetables.
High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a mixture of glucose and fructose as monosaccharides.
All forms of fructose, including fruits and juices, are commonly added to foods and drinks for palatability, taste enhancement and improved browning of some foods, such as baked goods.
About 240,000 tons of crystalline fructose are produced annually.'
Wikipedia
sugar addiction
Sugar intake - over time...
In vegetables and fruits, glucose is found, together with vitamins, minerals, enzymes, beneficial phytonutrients and fiber, all which moderate a negative metabolic effects.
The single largest source of calories for 'Western cultures' (Americans) comes from sugar—specifically high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
* In 1700, the average person consumed about 4 pounds of sugar per year.
* In 1800, the average person consumed about 18 pounds of sugar per year.
* In 1900, individual consumption had risen to 90 pounds of sugar per year.
* In 2009, more than 50 percent of all Americans consume one-half pound of sugar PER DAY — translating to a 180 pounds of sugar per year!
Sugar Addiction
Sugar is loaded into soft drinks, fruit juices, sports drinks, and "hidden" in almost all processed foods.
Most infant formula has the sugar equivalent of one can of Coca-Cola, so babies are being metabolically poisoned from day one when fed with formula.
Making matters worse, all of the fiber has been removed from processed foods, so there is essentially no nutritive value at all.
The very products most people rely on to lose weight—the low-fat diet foods—are often the ones highest in fructose.
It isn't that fructose itself is bad — it is the MASSIVE DOSES we are exposed to, that make it so dangerous.
How Sugar makes us Sick
The entire burden of metabolizing fructose falls on our liver.
Today, 55 percent of sweeteners used in food and beverage manufacturing are made from corn, and the number one source of calories in America is soda, in the form of high fructose corn syrup.
Food and beverage manufacturers began switching their sweeteners from sucrose to corn syrup in the 1970s, when they discovered that HFCS was not only far cheaper to make, but it is also about 20 percent sweeter than conventional table sugar.
In HFCS the fructose and the glucose are not bound together (chemically), as they are in table sugar, so there is no need for your body to break it down.
Therefore, the fructose is absorbed immediately, going straight to our liver.
Too much fructose creates a metabolic disaster in our body… So where does all of this fructose go, once we consume it?
It is turned into FAT.
(More) Sugar Addiction Disasters
Diabetes
Fructose turns off our body's appetite-control system (!) – it does not appropriately stimulate insulin, which in turn does not suppress ghrelin (the "hunger hormone") and doesn't stimulate leptin (the "satiety hormone"), which together result in our eating more than we should and with this developing insulin resistance.
'Ghrelin is a hormone produced mainly by P/D1 cells lining the fundus of the human stomach and epsilon cells of the pancreas that stimulates hunger. Ghrelin levels increase before meals and decrease after meals. It is considered the counterpart of the hormone leptin, produced by adipose tissue, which induces satiation when present at higher levels. In some bariatric procedures, the level of ghrelin is reduced in patients, thus causing satiation before it would normally occur.'
Wikipedia
So... here's the answer to the rise in diabetes all over the 'Western Food Eating World'...
sugar addiction
Overweight, Cholesterol and High Blood Pressure
Fructose rapidly leads to weight gain and abdominal obesity ("belly tire"), decreased HDL, increased LDL, elevated triglycerides, elevated blood sugar, and high blood pressure—i.e., classic metabolic syndrome.
'Metabolic syndrome is a combination of medical disorders that, when occurring together, increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes.[1] It affects one in five people in the United States and prevalence increases with age. Some studies have shown the prevalence in the USA to be an estimated 25% of the population.'
Wikipedia
Alcoholism without the buzz
Fructose metabolism is very similar to ethanol metabolism, which has a multitude of toxic effects, including NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease).
It is alcohol without the buzz!
Yes! Sugar addiction shows with all the same symptoms as found in alcoholism!
There's HOPE... :)
It is important to remember that fructose alone isn't evil, as fruits are certainly beneficial. But when it is consumed at high amounts, fructose is absolutely devastating.
Fortunately, your body has an amazing ability to heal itself when given the basic nutrition it needs, and the liver has an incredible ability to regenerate.
Limiting the intake of fructose... by replacing all sweetened beverages and fruit juices with pure water... will help return to healthy weight and normal insulin levels.
Our health WILL improve and we return to a state of vitality, as nature intended.
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