Thursday, April 28, 2011

Sugar: The Bitter Truth

The "Sugar: The Bitter Truth" lecture taught me that most of the fructose (sucrose is fructose+glucose) and alcohol (ethanol) we consume is metabolized as fat, whereas only a little of the glucose we consume is metabolized as fat. The reason is that fructose and ethanol don't trigger insulin production. Since no insulin is produced the brain doesn't shut off the hunger feeling, so want to eat more. This is why high-fructose corn syrup and heavy drinking are bad for you. As the lecturer put it, "fructose is fat, sugar is fat." The reason why God couples fructose and fiber (e.g., sugar cane) is that this naturally limits our fructose intake. Interestingly, HFCS became popular when the FDA recommended a low-fat diet; however, dietary fat isn't the only thing that makes us fat, fructose does too.

I learned to avoid sugared drinks. Since The China Study suggests milk can cause cancer, I'm sticking to water and Vitamin Water Zero. I'll try to eat my carbohydrates with fiber. I'll wait 20 mins before getting a second portion.

1 comment:

lorrwill said...

With no scientific evidence to explain why, I noted that people started getting seriously fat when fat-free products became all the rage.

The manufacturers substituted sugar for the fat. This explains that dietary fail.