Sugar doesn't hurt you - as long as you eat it in moderation
 

Data from many randomized control trials (RCTs) do not support linkages between sugar consumption at normal levels within the human diet and various adverse metabolic and health-related effects. Fructose and glucose are typically consumed together in roughly equal proportions from high-fructose corn syrup (also known as isoglucose in Europe) or sucrose. The purpose of this review is to present data from recent RCTs and findings from recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses related to sugar consumption and its putative health effects. This review evaluates findings from recent randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses into the relationship of sugar consumption and a range of health-related issues including energy-regulating hormones, obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and accumulation of liver fat and neurologic responses. Data from these sources do not support linkages between sugar consumption at normal levels within the human diet and various adverse metabolic and health-related effects.


Sugars, obesity, and cardiovascular disease: results from recent randomized control trials. - PubMed - NCBI

+1. Absolutely ridiculous to quote peer reviewed journals rather than relying on opinions of anonymous internet posters.

A lot of people are starting to think that sugar has some kind of magical power to make people fat, above and beyond the calories in it. Sugar isn't evil. If you're healthy and eat a balanced diet, you don't have to worry about the stuff anonymous internet posters are saying. :)

+1

Somehow I've managed to lose weight and get some great results from blood work and health tests I've had ... and still eat sugar! :)

So you mean eating something that occurs naturally in fruits and other foods isn't harmful when eaten in moderation? Wow!

But yes, the issue with eating sugar is it's just really easy to get in A LOT of calories and still not be full. It's simple science and like 3rd grade mathematics involved.

There's that tricky catch phrase, "normal levels." What's that mean? Does it mean that if you do develop obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and accumulation of liver fat and neurologic responses, you ate more than "normal levels" of sugar, but if you don't develop any of those problems, you're eating "normal levels" of sugar?

In fact, if you exercise a lot, sugar can be good for you: Eating practices of the best endurance athletes in the world | ACTIVE

I use quite a lot of sugar when I exercise and lose weight and get stronger quite nicely.

In other news: water is wet!

If you develop any of those diseases, it might be that you ate too much sugar, but for many of them it probably had little or nothing to do with sugar. I mean, there are a lot of things that will cause cardiovascular diseases or neuroligical responses. And too much corn chips make people fat. But if you don't have diabetes or something like it, you should be able to find a healthy level for you.

In the context of cycling sugar/simple carbs are not necessarily bad since you're burning off blood sugar during endurance exercise. It's much more of a problem for people with metabolic syndrome.

Sugar provides no satiety, like proteins, fats and complex starches do...Sugar addicts are always hungry and need to eat or drink their sugar snacks every 20 minutes or else they're get hungry and have an energy crash. Sugar addiction is real. You can't get addicted to proteins, fats or starches but you can get easily addicted to sugar. It's very easy to overeat sugar, it's difficult to overeat proteins, fats and complex starches because they fill you up fast and provide a lot of satiety. Majority of the people don't exercise hard enough to justify eating sugar. And even if you do exercise you can get all the energy you need to perform and recover by eating complex carbs instead of pure sugar.

So which of the following would you recommend I consume 15 min prior to my race start, in lieu of a gel?

5 large carrots or 3/4 cup of cooked bulgur wheat?

Just want to be sure I'm fueling right per the Internet.

I'm going to start eating more sugar now.

Thank you, Seattle Forrest. I owe you a case of beer

Sometimes I get scolded for drinking maple syrup straight from the bottle.

But yeah, it's fine that the study found that consumption of sugar at "normal levels" doesn't lead to disease, but consumption of most foods at "normal levels" also does not lead to obesity, diabetes, heart conditions, disease, etc.

Unfortunately the linked abstract does not explain what normal levels of sugar consumption are, nor does it comment on what percentage of the US population engages in consumption of sugar at normal levels, vs. those who consume sugar at abnormally elevated levels...

PS: Rippe Health

Rippe Partners: Coca-Cola, General Mills, Hunts, Dr. Pepper/Snapple, Welch's, Corn Refiners Association ( :eek: ), 100% Pure Florida, Kraft Foods, McDonalds...

All things in moderation was the sage advice of the venerable Dr. Jean Mayer

These things are absolutely true. Sugar is dense with calories, and has no nutrients. So it shouldn't be the staple of your diet. But it's not poison. A lot of people have been vilifying sugar the way people vilified fat not long ago. As long as you're healthy and eat it in moderation, it won't hurt you.

Sure, but it also doesn't explain why the Mayans built pyramids, because these questions are outside the scope of the research.

You can find recommendations for sugar intake from the WHO and other bodies, and I'm sure there are lots of surveys to see what's normal/typical for sugar intake. A lot of Americans eat more sugar and more food in general than is healthy, but the question is whether moderate amounts of sugar are harmful, and the answer is no, not if you don't have diabetes or a similar illness.

The problem here is, how are you defining "moderate"/"moderation"? The average inactive person simply doesn't need a lot of sugar, so it doesn't take much before they are maxing out their muscle/liver glycogen stores and it's spilling over and getting converted into worse forms of energy.


Everybody knows that sugar isn't bad for you if you're active enough to use it. That's not news and anyone surprised by it deserves a slap upside the head.

Moderate amounts of nearly any consumable is fine, but immoderate amounts tend to be harmful. Without the context, without knowing what constitutes "normal amounts" in that particular study, hard to afford it any useful conclusions. Also, without knowing how much of the population consumes sugar in "normal amounts" vs. those who overindulge in sugar, there's really no context for how applicable the study is with regard to a majority of the population. If only 2% of the population manage to eat whatever constitutes "normal amounts," then the conclusions of the study really don't broadly apply to most...

How do you know the "normal amounts" cited in the abstract have anything to do with the sources you cited?

Such a study become especially questionable when just a modicum of research reveals that one of the co-authors partners for profit with corporations like McDonalds, Coca-Cola, and the Corn Refiner's Association...

You use energy sitting on the couch or laying in bed. This is called your basal metabolic rate. Unless they're in a coma even the most sedentary person is going to use energy beyond that, getting up and going to the bathroom, walking to their car to go to work, etc. So if your liver and muscle glycogen stores are full and you have a spoonful of sugar in your coffee, you'll probably use that during the course of your day. If you have a pint of iced cream with every meal, that might be a problem. Or it might not if you're training for a marathon.

Nothing I didn't already know. Free fatty acids are the predominant fuel used when sitting on the couch or laying in bed, though.

Ouch.

lol...Forrest posts an article about a study claiming sugar is not harmful which was authored by someone who works for the sugar association. Way to go!

Exactly. If you're out riding 100 miles, by all means, take in some sugar. But, if you are sitting at your desk for 8 hours, driving for 2, and then lying on the couch in front of a TV for 5 more when you get home, don't even think about it.

Besides, no matter how you slice it, sugar is bad for your teeth.