Dr. Lustig’s main focus throughout the presentation was the effects of fructose on the epidemic of obesity. He explains how we as a society place so much stress on fat intake and calories in versus calories out that we tend to neglect what is actually in our food. With much research, it has been determined that fructose does, in turn have an effect on the obesity epidemic. Throughout the lecture, many examples from this research show our biochemical response to our modern diets and are used to explain Dr. Lustig’s point of fructose poisoning.
He begins to construct his point by describing how our caloric intake or food intake has consistently gone up over the years and fat intake has gone down, but obesity has continued on a dramatic incline. The initial response to the obesity epidemic was to cut fat out of our diets, considering the logic was that fat in food caused fat in the body.
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According to Dr. Lustig, fructose is a major threat to the well being of people because it is an economic evil. Fructose is extremely inexpensive to produce, especially in large quantities, and is used in most foods we eat today. Avoidance of fructose consequently becomes difficult and majority of the population then ingests excessive amounts of the sugar. Metabolization of fructose causes the suppression of the effects of ghrelin and slows stimulation of insulin and leptin. Since the biochemical processes that involve ghrelin, insulin, and leptin are compromised the feeling of hunger doesn’t seem to leave or the sense of being full doesn’t appear. People therefore eat more than the body requires which can progress to cardiovascular disease, hypertension, obesity, and lipid problems; all a part of the metabolic syndrome. Which is why fructose is a biochemical precursor for a myriad of issues and should be
. . . In this issue of the JCI [Journal of Clinical Investigation], Stanhope and colleagues demonstrate that consumption of fructose-sweetened but not glucose-sweetened beverages for 10 weeks increases de novo lipid synthesis, promotes dyslipidemia, impairs insulin sensitivity, and increases visceral adiposity in overweight or obese adults” (Abstract). Fructose sweetener is another way to say high fructose corn syrup. This study proved that fructose sweetened drinks caused harm to the body and signaled a starting point for diseases such as metabolic syndrome, obesity, insulin difficulties, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and ultimately coronary heart disease. Not only does high fructose cause stress on the body, but fructose can also cause serious
He states, “...people love sugar especially, kids. And up to a cert point-the bliss point- the more sugar there is, the better.” In his analysis, Moss concludes what the American Heart Association has to say about the sugar content in processed foods. “ “High intake of dietary sugars in the setting of a worldwide pandemic of obesity and cardiovascular disease have heightened concerns about the adverse effects of excessive consumption of sugars.” It
When the 1970s introduced High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), a cheap sweetener alternative to sucrose in a fructose-glucose liquid form (fifty five percent fructose, forty two percent glucose, and three percent saccharides), it brought extensive numbers of health problems with it (Bray, 2004 & Johnson, 2010 ). Prior to the 70’s, on average, sugar contributed to four percent of daily caloric intake, however over the past four and a half decades, this statistic has increased to whopping sixteen percent, leading some scientist to consider it an “addiction” as they observe the sugar substitute wreak havoc on humans’ bodies worldwide (Butler, 2011). Along with hooking those who indulge sweets to it, High Fructose Corn Syrup also leads to obesity:
The article, Is Sugar Toxic?, by Gary Taubes is about how sugar may be the reason why we are all unhealthy and how sugar is not good for the body. This article is similar to the book, Year Of No Sugar, because in the book Eve, the author, talks about Lustig who was someone that she listened to on youtube and the article mentions him. Mr. Lustig states, “It’s not all about the calories”(Taubes), which in Eve’s memoir she says that it is also the sugar that is making us fat. The article exclaims that health effects about sugar go back longer than one may think. Taubes says that high fructose corn syrup has been replacing regular added sugar in soft drinks and other products because refined sugar, “had the reputation as a generally noxious
A study done on rats looked at how HFCS, sucrose, and water effects body weight, glucose metabolism, liver and serum triglycerides, and retroperitoneal fat deposits. They found that rats that consumed any type of sugary drinks will have a higher fasting insulin level and lower insulin
Another option was to limit the age of a person whom may be allowed to purchase sugar-added foods or drinks at schools, convenient stores, etc. Blaming added sugar as a cause of obesity is misleading to people as well as policy makers about the “truth of obesity”. Moreover, isolated reductions in added sugar ingestion will undoubtedly not lead to a decrease in obesity rates. Similar fallacies regarding added fats and the preferred decrease in fat intake have completely botched in the
The article entitled “UN Health Agency Points to 'Solid Evidence' Backing Its Call to Reduce Sugar Intake” stars that “We have solid evidence that keeping intake of free sugars to less than 10 percent of total energy intake reduces the risk of overweight, obesity and tooth decay," said, Dr. Francesco Branca, Director of WHO's Department of Nutrition for Health and Development. "Making policy changes to support this will be key if countries are to live up to their commitments to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases. " This essentially means that a reduction in sugar ingestion can lead to the prevention of dangerous diseases, but governments have to play a role in the process to this reduction. “The WHO's recommendations are based on evidence showing that adults who consume less sugar have lower body weight and that increasing the amount of sugars in the diet is associated with a weight increase.
In order to prevent the negative effects that come with sugar, people need to slow down on consuming it so
High Fructose Corn Syrup and Obesity If you could blame one thing for obesity, what would it be? Some scientists argue that it is high fructose corn syrup or H.F.C.S. Others disagree. Scientist has been having debates about the reason of the obesity epidemic.
Acknowledging that this new epidemic does not discriminate against anybody, is an appeal to pathos, stimulating the feeling of fear. Table 1 on page 354, is entirely about the percentages of population that are considered overweight/obese by race and gender, supporting the idea that obesity does not only effect people of a certain race or age. The authors do not rely on an appeal to pathos, but it is present throughout the writing. Multiple times Morrill and Chinn remind the audience of the alarming rate that the percentages of people included in the category of overweight are increasing. By stating that about nine million children in the United States are currently overweight, along with the statistic “If the current trend continues, approximately one-third of all children…born in 2000 will develop diabetes”(Morrill, 356), the authors’ use of the emotional appeal of children being affected by this epidemic boosts the sense of pathos.
The purpose behind this essay is to spark the minds of readers to take action on obesity. This growing problem of obesity in America will not be solved by taking ridiculous measures, such as ceasing the sale of clothing items above the size medium. I enhanced the effect of this piece by satirizing the topic and including satirical devices such as comparison, imagery, and humor. By comparing the healthy versus obese people to a seesaw, readers can now imagine this seesaw tipping back and forth as a representation of health among Americans. While listing ideas considered in reality but turned down in this essay, I mention the elimination of soda cups the size of a person’s swimming pool.
Sugar especially is the culprit when it comes to health problems from food. Sugars are addictive empty calories providing no nutritional value thus causing you to over eat and intake excess calories which will turn into fat. Studies even show that the consumption of sugar can cause endorphins to be released into the brain as a reward system or to feel good from the sugar consumed, which causes you to eat more. It is
Obesity Proposal Obesity is a major problem in the United States. With the rates on obesity constantly rising we have to come up with a way to solve the problem somehow. Fortunately, there are some way that we can help and that includes helping the youth understand obesity, encouraging restaurants to improve their menus and nutrition facts and opening space for citizens so they can become fit and active. One of the main issues as to why America is obese is because of all the opportunities they have available to them.
Processed foods and beverages are the biggest sources of added sugar (and High fructose) in the diet. Sugar is very unhealthy and can have serious adverse effects on metabolism when consumed in excess. Sugar contains a lot of calories, with no essential nutrients. It also causes tooth decay by feeding the harmful bacteria in the mouth. For people who are inactive and eat a processed food, large amounts of fructose from added sugars get turned into fat in the liver.
Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, which include soft drinks, fruit drinks, ice tea, energy and vitamin water drinks across the globe. Regular consumption of sugary sweetened beverages have been associated with weight gain, obesity and diabetes. The role of sugary sweetened beverages in the development of related chronic metabole diseases such as metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, has not been quantitatively reviewed . How is consuming sugary beverages harmful to the body ?