The History Of Sugar

[Leo Gura]

6 minutes ago, Thought Art said:

Too much could be a bad thing, which I think is the general consensus of nutrition science. If it was as simple as fuel for life we wouldn’t be dealing with people with diabetes for example. Sugar definitely affects the homeostasis of the body… as I’ve learned in my layman understanding of this subject. 

Too much if anything is bad.

People are unhealthy because they eat excessive volume of junk for decades. That does not implicate pure sugar in moderate quantities.

If you ate sugar below your daily calorie use, I don't see much of a health hazard.

The issue is that sugar makes food taste too good so food is overconsumed.

If you replaced cane sugar with pure glucose I think it would be healthy. Cane sugar is 50% fructose, which seems less healthy than glucose.

I don't see how pure glucose it bad for the body. Your cells literally need glucose to work.

Edited 19 hours ago by Leo Gura

[Thought Art]

@Leo Gura That is a fair nuance to share and I think it’s likely true. My sister is a dietician and I think she agrees with you based on how she talks to me about things. 
 

…. in Chinese medicine Sugar is extreme Yin. Too much is bad. Too Yin. 

Edited 19 hours ago by Thought Art

[Thought Art]

Without a basic understanding of Holistic Systems thinking I don’t think nutrition can be understood or properly contemplated.

[OBEler]

26 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

Too much if anything is bad.

People are unhealthy because they eat excessive volume of junk for decades. That does not implicate pure sugar in moderate quantities.

If you ate sugar below your daily calorie use, I don't see much of a health hazard.

The issue is that sugar makes food taste too good so food is overconsumed.

If you replaced cane sugar with pure glucose I think it would be healthy. Cane sugar is 50% fructose, which seems less healthy than glucose.

I don't see how pure glucose it bad for the body. Your cells literally need glucose to work.

Because sugar leads to Blood glucose spikes → causes insulin surges → promotes fat storage and insulin resistance 

Edited 18 hours ago by OBEler

[Thought Art]

@OBEler Even that, isn’t always true. Diet plays a big roll in this. If you eat black beans for example prior to eating sugar you can essentially illuminate blood sugar spikes. Even if the beans have been completely digested and in large intestine. 
 

I think, quantity and how often and how you eat sugar in relationship to your whole diet matters. 

Edited 18 hours ago by Thought Art

[MsNobody]

 

[Yimpa]

I will be eating a bowl of blueberries tonight. It only has a moderate amount of sugar. Plus, neuroscience research shows that blueberries can enhance cognitive function, memory, and brain health. Thank you!

[Wilhelm44]

4 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

I dispute that eating a bucket of refined sugar is bad for health.

Pure glucose is the energy of life.

One of those examples of group-think.

How do you know sugar is unhealthy?

Because you feel crap later after eating a lot of refined sugar. It gives you a sugar hi and then you crash. Also not good for teeth. Come on Leo, the proof is in the pudding with this one.  I don't need science to tell me that eating a lot of sugar weakens the immune system.  (Edit - sorry I see you talking about fruit sugar. That I agree is healthy. But refined sugar, definitely not.)

Edited 14 hours ago by Wilhelm44

[Natasha Tori Maru]

I could eat a lot of sugar in my daily intake and keep calories below my maintenance, and still have metabolic damage. 

There will be tooth decay, and the eventual degradation of insulin pathways due to the pancreas being overloaded to reduce blood sugar. 

There is a reason refined sugar (or even glucose) isn't an essential nutrient. Glucose is an essential SUBSTANCE for life, but not nutrient. The body can convert other types of energy into the glucose it needs. In addition, excessive insulin in the blood from higher refined sugar intake will increase fat storage in general. That's exactly what insuline does - moves sugar in the blood to fat stores. It is very easy to have too much. Way too easy.

I think it is safer to say some refined sugar in the diet is okay in balance - but it is one of the easiest ways to brick your system. It's just not needed for humans. Even a medium/high percentage of refined sugar in the diet while remaining within caloric needs will erode insuline pathways.

Poison in the dose.

Edited 12 hours ago by Natasha Tori Maru

[Leo Gura]

2 hours ago, Wilhelm44 said:

Because you feel crap later after eating a lot of refined sugar.

I don't.

[Natasha Tori Maru]

8 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

I don't.

That doesn't mean that damage isn't occurring internally.

Most people feel crap after the huge crash from overeating refined sugar. The high blood sugar is dangerous for the body, so the pancreas dumps shitloads of insulin to remove the sugar from the blood. So energy is dramatically lowered - hence the crash. And typically, you eat again soon after due to this crash in an attempt to push the now low blood sugar back up.

Do that too much and you give yourself metabolic damage.

I think a balanced approach is more appropriate.

[Wilhelm44]

34 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

I don't.

Alien consciousness

[NewKidOnTheBlock]

35 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

I don't.

A proper American answer. LOL

[Leo Gura]

1 hour ago, Natasha Tori Maru said:

That doesn't mean that damage isn't occurring internally.

True.

I am not saying it is healthy. Just questioning conventional dogma.

[Peo]

10 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

The issue is that sugar makes food taste too good so food is overconsumed.

Good for people who are skinny and need to eat more though. 

[Girzo]

There's an issue with diabetes and insulin. Diet-induced type-2 diabetes is a real thing. It for sure is easier not to get it when you abstain from sugar.

[Leo Gura]

29 minutes ago, Girzo said:

There's an issue with diabetes and insulin. Diet-induced type-2 diabetes is a real thing. It for sure is easier not to get it when you abstain from sugar.

This is people who are obese and eat terribly.

Don't blame that on sugar per se.

Sugar can be eaten while not being overweight.

Edited 8 hours ago by Leo Gura

[NewKidOnTheBlock]

In this day and age, there is so much sugar in everything you literaly need to do your best to dodge it. I will certainly abide by the conventional common sense wisdom in this case

70% of Americans can be clasified as overweight

Edited 7 hours ago by NewKidOnTheBlock

[UnbornTao]

15 hours ago, MsNobody said:

 

Cognition fits better here, in my view.

[Mannyb]

Sugar is good when the energy is used.

On one side you have elite athletes using sugar.

On the other, the overweight consuming it with nowhere for that energy to go.

 

It’s all about energy efficiency and balance.

I used to avoid sugar completely and would almost faint during intense workouts.
One bit of sugar later, and what felt impossible suddenly became easy.

 

Sugar is great for quick energy.

But when glycogen stores are already full, any excess glucose has nowhere to go. It’s then converted into triglycerides and stored as fat.

 

That’s what happens to most people: they enjoy a snack but don’t actually use the calories.

Fast spikes in blood sugar can be great for performance, but when they’re constant and unused, they create insulin resistance.

Sugar spikes insulin.

With constant spikes and no output, cells stop responding. That’s how insulin resistance begins, the first step toward metabolic disease.