There is an obesity epidemic and several other diseases in the U.S, and they may be directly linked to fructose. Robert H. Lustig, M.D. professor at UCSF division of Endocrinology gave a lecture on Sugar, called Sugar the Bitter Truth, where he outlines why sugar is a toxic substance. The aim of his lecture is to reveal how sugar is directly linked to metabolic syndrome; obesity, cardio vascular disease (CVD), heart disease, type II diabetes, hepatic dysfunction, fetal insulin resistance, addiction. While the aim of this paper is to outline Lustig’s argument, list sugar alternatives, and look for any future developments.
Robert H. Lustig points out what he calls the coca cola conspiracy. This is how Coca Cola has systematically increased its serving size from just 6.5oz drink in 1915 all the way up to our 20oz serving we have today. The beverage company has also increased the salt in 1985, and as a result also increased the sugar content of the addictive beverage. Lustig points out that if you drink a 20oz Coca Cola everyday for a year you would gain 63 pounds. Lustig also points out that both HFCS and sucrose (glucose+fructose) are the same both are “equally bad”. Lustig specifically points out fructose to be the poison, although the corn refiners association would argue the opposite. HFCS could be why sugary drinks became so profitable for sugar drink manufactures although the hidden cost of subsidized corn rest on the American people, this is not the issue Lustig argues he maintains that it is cheap to the sugar drink manufactures, but the fact remains subsidized corn hidden cost to the public include environmental cost, health care cost. Environmental costs include the over application of chemical herbicides like atrazine which is used on most major sweet corn crops. While the health cost include the metabolic syndrome.
Lustig also point out how the Nixon administration may have had a huge impact on food policy in the US today, and outlines how indicating “A perfect Storm From Three Political Winds”. The first, Nixon wanted to make food a non-issue in a presidential election so the USDA secretary Earl Butz (1973) waged a war on poverty and began (WIC) a government subsidized food program for women and children. Second was the advent of HFCS in 1966 by Japanese scientist, and HFCS caused sugar prices to stabilize, and HFCS became very cheap finding its way into all processed foods. Third USDA, AMA, AHA call for dietary fat reduction in American’s diet, because the discovery that dietary fat rasis (LDL), so LDL was correlated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). We now know that that triglycerides and HDL is the best indicator of a heart attack. Lustig goes on to point out the “adulteration of the food supply” by removing fiber and lowering fat, then adding sugar for palatability to most processed foods. Lustig also states that fructose is a carbohydrate but is metabolized as a fat, and adds fructose is a toxin.
Ultimately Lustig uses biochemistry reactions to explain how fructose is a toxin. He indicates that a diet that includes large quantities of fiberless fructose is toxic because as insulin levels increase to process the extra sugar which doesn’t allow Leptin to signal the brain a full response or satiety thus we continue eating past this point.
Another article published in theguardian titled The demon drink: war on sugar by Renton reminds us of some interesting facts about the Korean War and the autopsies of Americans compared to the Koreans. The Americans casualties were found to have plaque in arteries while the Korean casualties had none. The article also indicates the American forces were also “fueled by Coca Cola” and also suggest this was what cased the plaque. The article goes on to indicate that sugar consumption increased in rich nations from 1970-2000 and although sugar consumption peaked in UK in 1982 and despite “no added sugar in carbonated drinks” obesity rate still remain high. The author blames breakfast juiced dinks that remove fiber and are high in sugar. The article sites Lustig as it states
“The fructose will all end up in the liver, which may not be able to metabolise (process) it fully, depleting vital chemicals in the organ and turning into fat. “It’s not about the calories,” says Dr Lustig. “It has nothing to do with the calories. It’s a poison by itself.”
Lustig goes on to explain that when the liver is contaminated other body systems begin to fail, including insulin production of the pancreas, leading to hart complications, immune system, cancer. Lustig states “fructose can fry your liver and cause all the same diseases as alcohol”, and goes on to explain that
“Key to the obesity debate is the charge that high insulin levels interfere with the hormone leptin, which is a signalling device that tells the brain when we’ve consumed enough. So you drink or eat fructose, and then you want more food. Sugary soft drinks deliver the fructose fastest to the organs that can’t handle it. And, of course, they are largely consumed by those most vulnerable to diseases: the poor and the young.”
Although the drink industry and science don’t see eye to eye on this matter, because organizations like the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA) believe a calorie is a calorie. Although Lustig counters this claim with the article Still believe a calorie is a calorie?
Regulatory issues here in the US seem to be proceeding. As some 30 states and city legislators from Hawaii, California to New York have talked about sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) “ban in schools, limiting portion size, and a sales tax. New York’s mayor, Michael Bloomberg proposed removing (SSBs) from “state food assistance programs”, and would also like to ban super size SSBs. While Denmark, France, Finland and Hungry have adopted a sugar sweetened beverage tax.
Lustig article in the huffigtonpost gives us four examples of why calories are not all created equally. Fiber, Lustig explains that if we consume 160 calories of almonds only 130 calories are absorbed, as the fiber slows the absorption the remaining 30 calories are consumed by bacteria in the intestine, because not all calories are the same. Protein, Lustig also explains that protein takes “twice as much energy to metabolize” when compared to a carbohydrate, while reducing hunger much better than the carbohydrate. Fat, while Lustig describes omega-3 are hart healthy while trans fats are not, again not all calories are the same. Finally sugar, as the author explains that sugar is two parts one the giver of life glucose”think molasses” and the other fructose the sweet taste we all love, and both molecules “burn at four calories per gram”, but they are not the same. Lustig goes on to state “If fructose were just like glucose, then sugar or high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) would be just like starch. But fructose in not glucose. Because a calorie is not a calorie”.
Another study goes on to state “The real tragedy is that by putting all our attention on cholesterol, we’ve virtually ignored the real causes of heart disease: inflammation, oxidative damage, stress, and sugar.” According to Bowden… some other fact include 1. Cholesterol is a minor player in heart disease 2. Cholesterol levels are a poor predictor of heart attacks 3. Half of heart attacks happen to people with normal cholesterol 4. Half of people with elevated colesteral have healthy hearts 5. Lowering cholesterol has an extremely limited benefit. A study was conducted two test groups men with smoking, bad eating habits, low exercise, and high stress who had previously had a heat attack, while half had a American guidelines diet, and the other a Mediterranean diet high in omega 3, vegetable. Many in the American diet study group died, while the Mediterranean group had a 70% reduction in deaths. So they go on to state that cholesterol was a non issue and give some suggestions to lower cholesterol. 1. Eat anti-inflammatory diet, 2.Reduce grains starches, sugar, and omega-6’s, 3.Manage your stress, 4.Exercice, 5.Drink only in moderation, 6.Don’t Smoke, 7.Supplement with antioxidant, vitamin C, coenzyme Q10, omega-3s.
Finally in conclusion we have attempted to outline Lustig’s argument, and introduced some international views from theguardian, futher more another researcher who also believes cholesterol is not to blame our obesity epidemic. Lustig dose a convincing job at linking political agendas, farm policy, and ultimately pinpointing fructose as a toxic substance that disrupts the liver particularly when consumed as a sweetened sugar beverage. It seems that its everyone’s responsibility to drink responsibly but if the substance is addictive and many studies find it is, then sugar may require some regulation or at least a national debate about how to limit children’s use of a toxic and addictive substance.
This paper was written for a toxicology class back in March 2014.
References
Robert H. Lustig M.D. Sugar the Bitter Truth. (2009) youtube.com
Alex Renton. The demon drink: war on sugar. (2013) http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/aug/04/demon-drink-war-on-sugar
Robert H. Lustig M.D. Still believe a calorie is a calorie? (2013) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-lustig-md/sugar-toxic_b_2759564.html
Jonny Bowden. (2013). The Great Cholesterol Myth. Natural Solutions, 62-65
