The War on Sugar (Part I)

I was reading  Oxygen, a women’s fitness magazine.  It was sitting there, the exercise information generally translates to men, and the pictures are easy on the eyes. 

Unfortunately it is packed full of bad information.  One article reminds me of the War on Sugar.

There is no doubt that an abundance of simple carbohydrate calories contributes to the increasing American girth, as well as amplification of maladies like type II diabetes.  In analysis of the phenomenon it has been popular to demonize carbohydrates themselves, especially in the popular press.  But how bad is sugar in its basic form?

Simply put, sugar (essentially biologically available simple carbohydrates like sucrose, fructose and glucose) is the basis of where your energy comes from.  The main metabolic pathways that fuel life itself begin with a sugar molecule.  Sugars are made by plants and are loaded into fruits.  Sugars are so important that the human body will sacrifice other biomolecules to make them, a process called gluconeogenesis.

Sugars are so important, but throughout human history were not often encountered, especially in the familiar form.  Outside of the last 50-100 years in the industrialized world, and even today in the developing world, sugar is a rare commodity.  Before transcontinental transportation sugar was usually only found as a sweet treat inside of seasonal fruits and vegetables as well as the milk sugars in dairy products.

When we consider necessity against availability it is no question that we find it so attractive to the palate.   The high-energy goodness of sugar was something that once found, had to be consumed in quantity.  The human brain evolved to recognize sugar (along with fat) as outstanding sources of satiety, delivering huge caloric gains to sustain intensity in hunting, gathering, survival, and reproduction.   The desire to consume simple carbohydrates was likely a highly selected trait, yet one that works against us in the modern age.

Over the next few days I’ll discuss sugar and sugar alternatives.  Where do they come from? What are they?  How do they work and how are they metabolized? Is there evidence of harm?  What the hell is high-fructose corn syrup?  What is the Miracle Berry and how does it work?

This is information we all need to know, but nobody really does.  The popular press never gets this right. The article in Oxygen quotes a registered dietician that is off her rocker and blinded by the naturalist fallacy.  She makes scientifically bankrupt claims and extolls the benefits of “clean natural sweetners” that are widely now in use.  Funny, there are no long-term data to illustrate their safety, which is what the “all natural” types demand from other technologies.

These topics will be the subjects covered in January.