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Study Links Sugar Intake to Higher Disease Risks
By Dr. David Lipschitz
When
I was a child, my mother thought my brother was not going to live
because he was so painfully thin. He did not eat much, and she pushed
as many calories into him as possible.
Gradually over the years, his weight became acceptable, and by the time he was
in his 30s, he was pleasantly plump, gradually increasing in weight with each
passing year.
There is no question that something happens to our metabolism when we become
young adults. This alteration (not well understood, I might add) leads to the
beginning of weight gain that averages about a pound per year until about age
65 and then levels off. Weight gain becomes less common after age 75.
In the past 50 years, being overweight has become the norm rather than the exception,
and children are becoming ever more obese. We have blamed this change on a sedentary
lifestyle, unhealthy food choices, large portion sizes and the consumption of
far too many calories.
In the mid- and late-20th century, fat and cholesterol took the blame. A low-fat
diet became everyone’s goal. Fat intake was restricted, but starch and
sugar were not, and sadly we became even more rotund.
Recently, a great deal of evidence is accumulating that refined sugars, such
as table sugar or sucrose and high fructose corn syrup, are a major cause of
weight gain. Many decried sugar’s negative effects on health, including
an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, weight gain and, of course, dental
issues.
Even though this was well accepted by some, the research evidence left much to
be desired, and many experts in the field felt that the cause was not how much
sugar one consumed but how many calories.
In a new study published in the prestigious journal BMJ, researchers demonstrated
a very significant correlation between increased sugar intake and weight gain.
And — vice versa — reducing sugar intake led to weight loss.
The link between sugar intake and weight was very strong in adults but less so
in children, presumably because their diet is so varied. However, if you looked
only at sugary drinks consumed, the more sugar taken in by children, the fatter
they were.
The World Health Organization recommends that refined sugar should constitute
less than 10 percent of total calories consumed. According to the U.S. Department
of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, sugar intake
in Americans ranges from 16 percent to 20 percent of total calories consumed.
And when the fat content of the diet is restricted, excess carbohydrates from
starches, cookies and other fat-free products are used to assure a calorie intake
that causes satiety.
Too much sugar and starch in the diet leads to weight gain and the so-called “metabolic
syndrome.” In the body, refined sugars and carbohydrates are converted
to glucose. To maintain a normal blood sugar, excessive amounts of insulin are
released from the pancreas, and the glucose is pumped into cells where the excess
is converted into a special form of fat called triglycerides. These enter the
bloodstream and are stored in fat cells.
As weight is gained, insulin loses its ability to reduce blood sugar to normal.
This is referred to as insulin resistance, and it leads to Type 2 diabetes. These
individuals are overweight, have very high triglyceride blood levels and are
prone to cholesterol deposits in blood vessels and heart disease, stroke, high
blood pressure and kidney disease.
The most remarkable aspect of this “self-made” disease is that it
is eminently curable by diet and exercise.
Anyone who has developed the metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance and is
overweight should see a diabetic educator. An appropriate diet and an exercise
regimen frequently return the blood sugar to normal, reduce the risk of heart
disease and prevent hypertension.
The fact that sugar and, to a lesser extent, too much starch, have negative impacts
on our weight provides more compelling evidence that the best diet is prudent,
contains the right amounts of fat, fruits and vegetables, protein and sugar and
starch in moderation. Combined with exercise and a healthy outlook on life, serious
illness can be prevented and a longer life assured.
This page and its contents ©2013
Metropolitan News Company, Inc.
