1. What Are Sugars
The followings are most commonly known sugars:
Glucose (dextrose): a simple sugar (monosaccharide)
Fructose: a simple sugar (monosaccharide)
Galactose: a simple sugar (monosaccharide)
Sucrose (saccharose): a disaccharide with glucose and fructose
Maltose: a disaccharide with two unit of glucose
Lactose: a disaccharide with galactose and glucose, mostly found in dairy products
The followings get turned into sugar (glucose) in our body:
Starch: a polysaccharide with a large number of glucose units joined together by glycosidic bonds. Depending on the plant, starch generally contains 20 to 25% amylose and 75 to 80% amylopectin.
Maltodextrin: a polysaccharide produced from starch by partial hydrolysis, which will break down to glucose
2. What Are Refined Sugars and What Are Natural Sugars
Sugar belongs to carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are divided into 4 groups, monosaccharides (one simple sugar), disaccharides (2 simple sugars), oligosaccharides (more than 3-9 simple sugars), polysaccarides (more than 10 simple sugars).
Table sugar is a refined sugar; it is sucrose extracted from sugar cane or beet. Brown sugar, raw sugar etc. are all refined sugar.
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a refined sugar; it is 42% fructose and 58% glucose and manufactured from corn.
Manufactured galactose used in commercial bakeries is a refined sugar. It is also used to tone down overly acidic or tart flavors in foods.
Maltose found in high maltose corn syrup (HMCS), also referred to as maltodextrin, is a refined sugar. Maltose can also be made from barley, rice, potato etc.
Honey is almost a natural product and not considered refined sugar, but is mainly fructose (about 38.5%) and glucose (about 31.0%).
Maple syrup is also almost a natural product and not considered refined sugar; it is mainly sucrose and water.
Why do I consider honey and maple syrup almost natural rather than all natural? Because both products sold in the stores pass through some processing methods. The only true natural sugar is the sugar you get by eating whole fruits (fresh or frozen), such as apple, grapes, blue berries etc. Natural sugars also exist in sweet potatoes, corn and peas……
3. Is Sugar Good for You
Obviously, otherwise why would you be given intravenous glucose whenever you are in the hospital?
The reason why sugar gets such a bad rap is partly because we consume way too much (which leads to fatty acid and triglyceride synthesis)and partly because we consume refined sugar (empty calories with no nutrients). The latter is something like buying a pair of pliers from dollar store for a dollar and find out that it is a piece of junk so you throw it away and buy a pair of Stanley for $20.00. I still have my $20.00 pliers after I have used it for 10 years and it will probably last another 10. You can either drink a can of soda loaded with empty calories for $0.25 or getting the equivalent amount of sugar in frozen peas for 10 times the cost. The cheap soda makes you energized right away; and the latter just makes you full. I knew right away the pair of dollar store pliers was not good since it did not do a job required. We still do not know how to communicate with our bodies to find out what types of foods are good for us long term. We rely on scientists to find out. Often nutrition research is done through causality and we all know the chicken or the egg causality dilemma. We all love sugar through no fault of our own (evolution conditioned us to love sugar), and sugar is everywhere and cheap.
Unlike essential amino acids I do not believe that there are any essential sugars, though some claim that there are 8 of them. As studies show that sub-maximal endurance performance can be sustained despite the virtual exclusion of carbohydrate from the human diet ( see here). The only one that comes closest to essential sugar is glucose, but our body can breakdown many carbohydrates into glucose.
4. How to Incorporate Sugar into Your Diet
I try to follow a role model in the family as genetic make-up along with energy needs probably affect how much sugar you need. My maternal grandmother lived till 91 years old in good health. She ate very little and was vegetarian. She sat a lot (doing low vocal Buddhist chanting), so her energy need was little. The sugar she used occasionally was the sugar fellow villagers made from sugar cane. Basically, the sugar was made by boiling the juice squeezed from the sugar cane until majority of the water was evaporated. The sugar we got from the villagers looked like dark brown chocolate truffles. I spent my year 1 to 6 in that village and loved sugar cane season. Farmers set up outdoor cooking pits to boil the juice and all the kids running around eating sugar canes. When it got dark in the evening, we were then given these dark sugar clumps to take home. Now I would call those clumps natural sugar. My grandmother also loved persimmons, both fresh and dried, so she ate them as much as they were available to her. She ate white rice every day and it was her main source of calories. White rice breaks down to glucose.
I think sugar boost on an emergency case is not unhealthy. Unfortunately, most of us think every day life is an emergency. That’s how I thought when I was working. I used to boost myself every two hours with coffee, milk and sugar. Now if I need a sugar boost, I either drink fruit juice without added sugar or take a spoon of honey.
With the exception of occasional honey and fruit juice, all the sugars I eat now are from whole foods. I eat quite a lot of fruits each day. Right now I eat one apple, one cup of grapes and half pint of blue berries. Other sugar related foods I eat are white rice, sweet potatoes, spaghetti and pumpernickel bread. The pumpernickel bread I eat is made in Germany since the North American ones use too many additives.
I would like to eat less quantity in every thing, not just sugar. I am in the processing of training my body to do so. In the meantime, I am taking one day at a time and each day is One Great Day.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Scientists urge global investment and action plan to avert impending aging crisis
via eurekalert
July 14, 2010 – (BRONX, NY) – Now that scientists have learned so much about aging through laboratory studies, it's time to translate those findings into medicines that can benefit our aging population. That was the message delivered by a panel of 10 preeminent aging experts that included Jan Vijg, Ph.D., chair of genetics and the Lola and Saul Kramer Chair in Molecular Genetics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.
The expert panel was convened by the LifeStar Institute, a nonprofit organization that educates the public about the consequences of global aging and supports medical research aimed at preventing and curing age-related diseases. Their report was published in the July 14 issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine.
The aging process results in significant social and medical costs that will rise rapidly in the coming decades as the number of elderly people increases. To prevent what it calls "a global aging crisis," the panel recommends that the U.S. and other countries collaborate in an international initiative that will translate laboratory findings about aging into new kinds of medicines.
More specifically, the panel urged countries to use their public health agencies to inform citizens about how they can improve their lifestyles so that they can live longer and healthier lives. In addition, the panel wrote, there is a need to develop regenerative therapies that could restore youthful structure and function in older people by repairing and neutralizing the cellular damage that occurs with aging.
"There is this misunderstanding that aging is something that just happens to you, like the weather, and cannot be influenced," said Dr. Vijg. "The big surprise of the last decades is that, in many different animals, we can increase healthy life span in various ways. A program of developing and testing similar interventions in humans would make both medical and economic sense."
July 14, 2010 – (BRONX, NY) – Now that scientists have learned so much about aging through laboratory studies, it's time to translate those findings into medicines that can benefit our aging population. That was the message delivered by a panel of 10 preeminent aging experts that included Jan Vijg, Ph.D., chair of genetics and the Lola and Saul Kramer Chair in Molecular Genetics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.
The expert panel was convened by the LifeStar Institute, a nonprofit organization that educates the public about the consequences of global aging and supports medical research aimed at preventing and curing age-related diseases. Their report was published in the July 14 issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine.
The aging process results in significant social and medical costs that will rise rapidly in the coming decades as the number of elderly people increases. To prevent what it calls "a global aging crisis," the panel recommends that the U.S. and other countries collaborate in an international initiative that will translate laboratory findings about aging into new kinds of medicines.
More specifically, the panel urged countries to use their public health agencies to inform citizens about how they can improve their lifestyles so that they can live longer and healthier lives. In addition, the panel wrote, there is a need to develop regenerative therapies that could restore youthful structure and function in older people by repairing and neutralizing the cellular damage that occurs with aging.
"There is this misunderstanding that aging is something that just happens to you, like the weather, and cannot be influenced," said Dr. Vijg. "The big surprise of the last decades is that, in many different animals, we can increase healthy life span in various ways. A program of developing and testing similar interventions in humans would make both medical and economic sense."
Cashew seed extract an effective anti-diabetic
via eurekalert
Montreal, July 14, 2010 – Cashew seed extract shows promise as an effective anti-diabetic, according to a new study from the University of Montreal (Canada) and the Université de Yaoundé (Cameroun). Published in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, the investigation analyzed the reputed health benefits of cashew tree products on diabetes, notably whether cashew extracts could improve the body's response to its own insulin.
Diabetes is caused when a person has high blood sugar because their body does not respond well to insulin and/or does not produce enough of the hormone. The illness, which affects nearly 220 million people worldwide, can provoke heart or kidney disease. The goal of the study was to examine the impact of leaves, bark, seeds and apples (bad translation, "pommes" in this context mean the fruits of the cashew, a note by Cassia Chen)) from cashew trees, native to northeastern Brazil and other countries of the southern hemisphere, on cells that respond to insulin.
"Of all the extracts tested, only cashew seed extract significantly stimulated blood sugar absorption by muscle cells," says senior author Pierre S. Haddad, a pharmacology professor at the University of Montreal's Faculty of Medicine. "Extracts of other plant parts had no such effect, indicating that cashew seed extract likely contains active compounds, which can have potential anti-diabetic properties."
Cashew tree products have long been alleged to be effective anti-inflammatory agents, counter high blood sugar and prevent insulin resistance among diabetics. "Our study validates the traditional use of cashew tree products in diabetes and points to some of its natural components that can serve to create new oral therapies," adds Dr. Haddad, who is also director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Team in Aboriginal Anti-Diabetic Medicines at the University of Montreal.
Montreal, July 14, 2010 – Cashew seed extract shows promise as an effective anti-diabetic, according to a new study from the University of Montreal (Canada) and the Université de Yaoundé (Cameroun). Published in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, the investigation analyzed the reputed health benefits of cashew tree products on diabetes, notably whether cashew extracts could improve the body's response to its own insulin.
Diabetes is caused when a person has high blood sugar because their body does not respond well to insulin and/or does not produce enough of the hormone. The illness, which affects nearly 220 million people worldwide, can provoke heart or kidney disease. The goal of the study was to examine the impact of leaves, bark, seeds and apples (bad translation, "pommes" in this context mean the fruits of the cashew, a note by Cassia Chen)) from cashew trees, native to northeastern Brazil and other countries of the southern hemisphere, on cells that respond to insulin.
"Of all the extracts tested, only cashew seed extract significantly stimulated blood sugar absorption by muscle cells," says senior author Pierre S. Haddad, a pharmacology professor at the University of Montreal's Faculty of Medicine. "Extracts of other plant parts had no such effect, indicating that cashew seed extract likely contains active compounds, which can have potential anti-diabetic properties."
Cashew tree products have long been alleged to be effective anti-inflammatory agents, counter high blood sugar and prevent insulin resistance among diabetics. "Our study validates the traditional use of cashew tree products in diabetes and points to some of its natural components that can serve to create new oral therapies," adds Dr. Haddad, who is also director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Team in Aboriginal Anti-Diabetic Medicines at the University of Montreal.
Monday, July 12, 2010
The Chinese Diet versus the North American Diet, a personal perspective
I do not pretend to know the diet in China nor North America. This is only a personal observation as a Chinese who has lived the last 22 years in Montreal, Canada and still goes to China once a year.
China is a very big country and people from different regions eat very differently from each other. Up till 20 years ago, people ate whatever foods available in their surrounding area (probably around 200 km radius). Therefore, people from the north usually only ate wheat and people from the south ate mostly rice (Yangtze River as a divider).
I was born and raised in a coastal district of Ningbo, Zhejiang province, so I know what people eat in that area most. Unless specifically stated, whenever I mention China in this article, I only mean this small coastal district.
Up till 20 years ago, people in the city ate mostly rice, tofu, eggs, shell fish, fish, vegetables, nuts and fruits. In the rural area, yum and corn was their main source of carbohydrates instead of rice. If you lived in a fishing village, shell fish and fish (often salted in order to be kept) were your main source of protein. If you were a farmer, eggs and pork (in the form of ham or sausage, Chinese style, the sophisticated versions you can still find them in Chinatowns in mostly North American cities) were your main source of protein. Green vegetables were available fresh all year around and people in both the city and rural area ate plenty for lunch and super. However, for breakfast, vegetables were eaten in preserved form (fermented and salty). In the fall and winter, only the citrus types of fruits were available in that area. May to July, there were many types of fruits available. July to September we ate mostly melons (water melon, honey dew, cantaloupes etc.). I did not get to eat apple or banana as one is grown in the north and another in the south.
People ate moderately for economic reasons. We usually had a big feast every year during the Spring Festival.
Before I was 16 years old and left home, I was fed with the following for breakfast almost every single day:
One scrambled egg, few walnuts chopped up, and 2 teaspoons of sugar cooked in about 2 cups of boiled water.
One bowl of hot liquid rice (congee)
Some salty preserved vegetables (usually fermented) and salty shell fish (marinated in salt and sometimes with alcohol)
We had soup (Chinese style, lot of liquid, not much substance, basically salty water) almost every super.
Canned carnation milk was part of my diet as a baby, as I was told. Fresh cow’s milk was a luxury and yogurt was unheard of.
Were people healthier following this type of diet? I have no idea. The average longevity is better today in China than 20 years ago just like everywhere else in the world. The maximum longevities have not changed much. There are quite few females living beyond 90 today as 20 years ago. But one fact remains clear and obvious; NOBODY was FAT 20 years ago in that area.
20 years ago, Coke and Pepsi were drinks for the elite, available only in bars in 4-5 star hotels. Now it has gotten much cheaper and available everywhere. Almost all the Coke and Pepsi drinks are sold with sugar added. I could not find any diet Coke or Pepsi last time I was there (February this year).
5 to 10 years ago, KFC opened in that small coastal county where I was born. McDonald’s and Pizza Hut are not that far either (less than an hour’s drive away).
I was there in February this year; a brand new huge Tesco (British grocery chain) opened there and was packed with shoppers every day.
Every year, I noticed more and more fat people (mostly people under 25 years of age). There are even fat camps for obese children in China, which were unheard of 20 years ago.
When it comes to water intake, 20 years ago, in addition to rice congee and soup, rich people drank hot tea and poor people and children drank boiled hot water. Now children (excluding those from extremely poverty) drink western style cold drinks loaded with refined sugar.
Fresh milk and yogurt are abundant today. I once saw one child ate 10 of the 6 oz yogurt at an all you can eat breakfast restaurant in a hotel.
In another 20 years, there will not be any difference between how we eat in North America and in China. Hopefully by then we will find out what is the optimal diet for us humans and we will all eat healthier.
China is a very big country and people from different regions eat very differently from each other. Up till 20 years ago, people ate whatever foods available in their surrounding area (probably around 200 km radius). Therefore, people from the north usually only ate wheat and people from the south ate mostly rice (Yangtze River as a divider).
I was born and raised in a coastal district of Ningbo, Zhejiang province, so I know what people eat in that area most. Unless specifically stated, whenever I mention China in this article, I only mean this small coastal district.
Up till 20 years ago, people in the city ate mostly rice, tofu, eggs, shell fish, fish, vegetables, nuts and fruits. In the rural area, yum and corn was their main source of carbohydrates instead of rice. If you lived in a fishing village, shell fish and fish (often salted in order to be kept) were your main source of protein. If you were a farmer, eggs and pork (in the form of ham or sausage, Chinese style, the sophisticated versions you can still find them in Chinatowns in mostly North American cities) were your main source of protein. Green vegetables were available fresh all year around and people in both the city and rural area ate plenty for lunch and super. However, for breakfast, vegetables were eaten in preserved form (fermented and salty). In the fall and winter, only the citrus types of fruits were available in that area. May to July, there were many types of fruits available. July to September we ate mostly melons (water melon, honey dew, cantaloupes etc.). I did not get to eat apple or banana as one is grown in the north and another in the south.
People ate moderately for economic reasons. We usually had a big feast every year during the Spring Festival.
Before I was 16 years old and left home, I was fed with the following for breakfast almost every single day:
One scrambled egg, few walnuts chopped up, and 2 teaspoons of sugar cooked in about 2 cups of boiled water.
One bowl of hot liquid rice (congee)
Some salty preserved vegetables (usually fermented) and salty shell fish (marinated in salt and sometimes with alcohol)
We had soup (Chinese style, lot of liquid, not much substance, basically salty water) almost every super.
Canned carnation milk was part of my diet as a baby, as I was told. Fresh cow’s milk was a luxury and yogurt was unheard of.
Were people healthier following this type of diet? I have no idea. The average longevity is better today in China than 20 years ago just like everywhere else in the world. The maximum longevities have not changed much. There are quite few females living beyond 90 today as 20 years ago. But one fact remains clear and obvious; NOBODY was FAT 20 years ago in that area.
20 years ago, Coke and Pepsi were drinks for the elite, available only in bars in 4-5 star hotels. Now it has gotten much cheaper and available everywhere. Almost all the Coke and Pepsi drinks are sold with sugar added. I could not find any diet Coke or Pepsi last time I was there (February this year).
5 to 10 years ago, KFC opened in that small coastal county where I was born. McDonald’s and Pizza Hut are not that far either (less than an hour’s drive away).
I was there in February this year; a brand new huge Tesco (British grocery chain) opened there and was packed with shoppers every day.
Every year, I noticed more and more fat people (mostly people under 25 years of age). There are even fat camps for obese children in China, which were unheard of 20 years ago.
When it comes to water intake, 20 years ago, in addition to rice congee and soup, rich people drank hot tea and poor people and children drank boiled hot water. Now children (excluding those from extremely poverty) drink western style cold drinks loaded with refined sugar.
Fresh milk and yogurt are abundant today. I once saw one child ate 10 of the 6 oz yogurt at an all you can eat breakfast restaurant in a hotel.
In another 20 years, there will not be any difference between how we eat in North America and in China. Hopefully by then we will find out what is the optimal diet for us humans and we will all eat healthier.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
AH, IS THIS NOT HAPPINESS (2)
Severe thunderstorm (66 millimeters of rain fell in less than an hour) hit us yesterday (news here).
First phone line got jammed up, and then water pouring down alongside the drain pipe into the basement. R had to climb up a ladder onto the roof to fish out a Red Bull can that got stuck in the drain. As if that's still not enough, one computer went dead.
Locking up the door and all our worries, we walked right out into the rain.
Walking along the St-Lawrence River in the rain, feeling totally alive and seeing naked men coming out of the river after a swim, AH, IS THIS NOT HAPPINESS!!!
First phone line got jammed up, and then water pouring down alongside the drain pipe into the basement. R had to climb up a ladder onto the roof to fish out a Red Bull can that got stuck in the drain. As if that's still not enough, one computer went dead.
Locking up the door and all our worries, we walked right out into the rain.
Walking along the St-Lawrence River in the rain, feeling totally alive and seeing naked men coming out of the river after a swim, AH, IS THIS NOT HAPPINESS!!!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Leptin, Living Environment and Cancer
Cancer is not only influenced by its micro-environment but also by a broader environment, according to a new study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (see here).
In this study, the scientists showed that tumors (melanoma and colon cancer) of mice in an enriched housing (20 mice in large containers equipped with toys, hiding places and running wheels, along with unlimited food and water as compared to control group) were 80 percent smaller than those in control animals (5 in smaller, standard containers with no toys but with unlimited food and water) within six weeks. Almost 20 percent of the animals in the enriched group had no visible tumors at all. Control animals, on the other hand, all had visible tumors.
"The anti-cancer effect we observed in this study was not due simply to increased activity by the animals, but rather it was induced by social and physical challenges that are associated with the release of stress hormones from the adrenal gland.” said During, one of the authors.
The same effect can be mimicked by blocking leptin or by activating HAS (hypothalamic-sympathoneural-adipocyte) pathway, which in turn lower the serum leptin level.
Leptin is a hormone that is primarily produced in a type of fat tissue called white adipose tissue. The level of circulating leptin is directly proportional to the total amount of fat in the body, in another word, higher amount of body fat means higher amount of circulating leptin.
Leptin is a circulating signal that reduces appetite. The absence of a leptin (or its receptor) leads to uncontrolled food intake and resulting obesity. However, in general, obese people have an unusually high circulating concentration of leptin (1), leading to the conclusion that these people are resistant to leptin.
Fasting or following a very-low-calorie-diet, on the other hand, lowers leptin levels (2).
Studies published recently suggest that the consumption of high amounts of fructose causes leptin resistance and elevated triglycerides in rats. Rats fed high-fructose diet subsequently ate more and gained more weight than controlled rats fed a high fat, high calorie diet (3). In North America, consumer foods and products typically use high-fructose corn syrup as a sugar substitute. In the United States, it has become very common in processed foods and beverages, including soft drinks, yogurt, industrial bread, cookies, salad dressing, and tomato soup (4).
What does it all mean?
I always believed that obesity was not caused solely by over-eating. If anyone has ever been to Guangzhou, China, it is easy to see that people there eat a lot and still stay skinny. Therefore, it must be foods that we in North America repeatedly eat that people there do not eat (or the other way around) that is making us gain weight. Refined sugar is probably one of the foods.
(1) Considine RV, Sinha MK, Heiman ML, Kriauciunas A, Stephens TW, Nyce MR, Ohannesian JP, Marco CC, McKee LJ & Bauer TL (1996). "Serum Immunoreactive-Leptin Concentrations in Normal-Weight and Obese Humans". N Engl J Med 334 (5): 292–295.
(2):
• Dubuc G, Phinney S, Stern J, Havel P (1998). "Changes of serum leptin and endocrine and metabolic parameters after 7 days of energy restriction in men and women". Metab. Clin. Exp. 47 (4): 429–34.
• Pratley R, Nicolson M, Bogardus C, Ravussin E (1997). "Plasma leptin responses to fasting in Pima Indians". Am. J. Physiol. 273 (3 Pt 1): E644–9.
• Weigle D, Duell P, Connor W, Steiner R, Soules M, Kuijper J (1997). "Effect of fasting, refeeding, and dietary fat restriction on plasma leptin levels". J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 82 (2): 561–5.
(3):
• Vasselli JR (November 2008). "Fructose-induced leptin resistance: discovery of an unsuspected form of the phenomenon and its significance. Focus on "Fructose-induced leptin resistance exacerbates weight gain in response to subsequent high-fat feeding," by Shapiro et al.". Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol. 295 (5): R1365–9.
• Shapiro A, Mu W, Roncal C, Cheng KY, Johnson RJ, Scarpace PJ (November 2008).
“Frutose-induced leptin resistance exacerbates weight gain in response to subsequent high-fat feeding. Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol. 295 (5): R1370–5.
(4) Warner, Melanie (July 2, 2006). “A Sweetener With a Bad Rap”. The New York Times.
In this study, the scientists showed that tumors (melanoma and colon cancer) of mice in an enriched housing (20 mice in large containers equipped with toys, hiding places and running wheels, along with unlimited food and water as compared to control group) were 80 percent smaller than those in control animals (5 in smaller, standard containers with no toys but with unlimited food and water) within six weeks. Almost 20 percent of the animals in the enriched group had no visible tumors at all. Control animals, on the other hand, all had visible tumors.
"The anti-cancer effect we observed in this study was not due simply to increased activity by the animals, but rather it was induced by social and physical challenges that are associated with the release of stress hormones from the adrenal gland.” said During, one of the authors.
The same effect can be mimicked by blocking leptin or by activating HAS (hypothalamic-sympathoneural-adipocyte) pathway, which in turn lower the serum leptin level.
Leptin is a hormone that is primarily produced in a type of fat tissue called white adipose tissue. The level of circulating leptin is directly proportional to the total amount of fat in the body, in another word, higher amount of body fat means higher amount of circulating leptin.
Leptin is a circulating signal that reduces appetite. The absence of a leptin (or its receptor) leads to uncontrolled food intake and resulting obesity. However, in general, obese people have an unusually high circulating concentration of leptin (1), leading to the conclusion that these people are resistant to leptin.
Fasting or following a very-low-calorie-diet, on the other hand, lowers leptin levels (2).
Studies published recently suggest that the consumption of high amounts of fructose causes leptin resistance and elevated triglycerides in rats. Rats fed high-fructose diet subsequently ate more and gained more weight than controlled rats fed a high fat, high calorie diet (3). In North America, consumer foods and products typically use high-fructose corn syrup as a sugar substitute. In the United States, it has become very common in processed foods and beverages, including soft drinks, yogurt, industrial bread, cookies, salad dressing, and tomato soup (4).
What does it all mean?
I always believed that obesity was not caused solely by over-eating. If anyone has ever been to Guangzhou, China, it is easy to see that people there eat a lot and still stay skinny. Therefore, it must be foods that we in North America repeatedly eat that people there do not eat (or the other way around) that is making us gain weight. Refined sugar is probably one of the foods.
(1) Considine RV, Sinha MK, Heiman ML, Kriauciunas A, Stephens TW, Nyce MR, Ohannesian JP, Marco CC, McKee LJ & Bauer TL (1996). "Serum Immunoreactive-Leptin Concentrations in Normal-Weight and Obese Humans". N Engl J Med 334 (5): 292–295.
(2):
• Dubuc G, Phinney S, Stern J, Havel P (1998). "Changes of serum leptin and endocrine and metabolic parameters after 7 days of energy restriction in men and women". Metab. Clin. Exp. 47 (4): 429–34.
• Pratley R, Nicolson M, Bogardus C, Ravussin E (1997). "Plasma leptin responses to fasting in Pima Indians". Am. J. Physiol. 273 (3 Pt 1): E644–9.
• Weigle D, Duell P, Connor W, Steiner R, Soules M, Kuijper J (1997). "Effect of fasting, refeeding, and dietary fat restriction on plasma leptin levels". J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 82 (2): 561–5.
(3):
• Vasselli JR (November 2008). "Fructose-induced leptin resistance: discovery of an unsuspected form of the phenomenon and its significance. Focus on "Fructose-induced leptin resistance exacerbates weight gain in response to subsequent high-fat feeding," by Shapiro et al.". Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol. 295 (5): R1365–9.
• Shapiro A, Mu W, Roncal C, Cheng KY, Johnson RJ, Scarpace PJ (November 2008).
“Frutose-induced leptin resistance exacerbates weight gain in response to subsequent high-fat feeding. Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol. 295 (5): R1370–5.
(4) Warner, Melanie (July 2, 2006). “A Sweetener With a Bad Rap”. The New York Times.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
If you do not like yourself, you cannot like other people
a quote from "Time Enough for Love
" by Robert A. Heinlein
Here is another one:
Never appeal to a man's "better nature." He may not have one. Invoking his self-interest gives you more leverage.
" by Robert A. HeinleinHere is another one:
Never appeal to a man's "better nature." He may not have one. Invoking his self-interest gives you more leverage.
Friday, July 2, 2010
High Fructose Diet May Contribute to High Blood Pressure
via Science Daily
People who eat a diet high in fructose, in the form of added sugar, are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure, or hypertension, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN).
Average sugar consumption in Canada has decreased between 1997 and 2007 from 37.1 kg to 32.1 kg per person per year, which is good news in a way. Still on average Canadians consumes 88g or 22 teaspoons of sugar per person per day, that’s a lot of sugar.
Worse news is that this data does not include sugar in pre-prepared items, i.e. processed food and beverages. So in reality, how much sugar do we consume?
People who eat a diet high in fructose, in the form of added sugar, are at increased risk of developing high blood pressure, or hypertension, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN).
Average sugar consumption in Canada has decreased between 1997 and 2007 from 37.1 kg to 32.1 kg per person per year, which is good news in a way. Still on average Canadians consumes 88g or 22 teaspoons of sugar per person per day, that’s a lot of sugar.
Worse news is that this data does not include sugar in pre-prepared items, i.e. processed food and beverages. So in reality, how much sugar do we consume?
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