Sucrose is the primary source of modern disease

[Alpha]

Hello,

Without quoting specific papers or studies unless requested, it's been very obvious to me that sucrose, which is one part glucose, one part fructose, is the main source of metabolic syndrome, which in turn is the umbrella condition that leads to the other more commonly known diseases such as Atherosclerosis Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD), Dementia, Diabates, Obesity, Stroke, and Renal disease. These diseases contribute to 25% of worldwide annual deaths, which for all intent and purposes, are almost entirely preventable. I have not included cancer, which is about 15% of total deaths on its own, to sugar given the highly complex and number of pathophysiologies involved to attribute it to one single factor, although I am happy to entertain the idea that it can be significantly reduced, or alternatively is highly predictable through sucrose consumption.

Table sugar, or added sugars are the main component of total sugars consumed by the average person in their diet, although high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), although banned or scarce in most of the developed world, is still being used widely in the US or East Asia, also falls under that category since they are essentially metabolically equivalent in the human body.

This is a thread to discuss and post resources regarding the most convincing, or the latest scientific research regarding sucrose, or fructose consumption.

 

[mayku-T-meelo]

I request the papers.

 

[Peatful]

I request the papers

 

[Razvan]

This could be only because table sugar is contaminated and devoid in nutrients.
Combined with pufa is detrimental.

 

[Alpha]

I request the papers.

Be more specific, there is massive availabile literature, which biochemical process or condition?

 

[PopSocket]

Be more specific, there is massive availabile literature, which biochemical process or condition?

I would like to see a known biochemical pathway through which sugar consumption causes inflammation in the body reliably ?

 

[Peatful]

I would like papers that debunk what is “proven” here:

Glycemia, starch, and sugar in context

Ray Peat

raypeat.com

Glucose and sucrose for diabetes.

Since the first doctor noticed, hundreds of years ago, that the urine of a diabetic patient tasted sweet, it has been common to call the condition the sugar disease, or sugar diabetes, and since nothing was known about physiological chemistry, it was commonly believed that eating too much sugar...

raypeat.com

 

[Peatful]

The role of dietary sugars in health: molecular composition or just calories? - European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

This review will focus on the question of whether dietary sugars are a relevant determinant in the global rise of overweight and obesity in adults, adolescents, and children. Initially, the review describes the current definitions for sugars in the diet and makes reference to them while...

www.nature.com

Conclusion:
TLDR-

Current scientific evidence does not support the conclusion that dietary sugars themselves are detrimental to human health and the cause of obesity as well as NCDs. Data from human studies clearly shows that it is the excess amount of calories, also consumed in form of dietary sugars, that promotes obesity and with that favors NCDs. For sucrose, further research is needed in order to evaluate the relevance of its molecular composition, especially in comparison with other macronutrients.

 

[Razvan]

The role of dietary sugars in health: molecular composition or just calories? - European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

This review will focus on the question of whether dietary sugars are a relevant determinant in the global rise of overweight and obesity in adults, adolescents, and children. Initially, the review describes the current definitions for sugars in the diet and makes reference to them while...

www.nature.com

Conclusion:
TLDR-

Current scientific evidence does not support the conclusion that dietary sugars themselves are detrimental to human health and the cause of obesity as well as NCDs. Data from human studies clearly shows that it is the excess amount of calories, also consumed in form of dietary sugars, that promotes obesity and with that favors NCDs. For sucrose, further research is needed in order to evaluate the relevance of its molecular composition, especially in comparison with other macronutrients.

Excessive calories cmon!
Eat 5k calories from oranges with milk and some fish see if u get obese.

 

[Peatful]

Excessive calories cmon!
Eat 5k calories from oranges with milk and some fish see if u get obese.

I know

You’re talking to the kcal queen here

Im trying to support the point that sugar plus LA or PUFA is the menace- not sucrose

 

[Alpha]

I would like to see a known biochemical pathway through which sugar consumption causes inflammation in the body reliably ?

This is a very broad question, however I will attempt to explain the biochemical process by which sucrose, to make the distinction more targeted, consumption can lead to inflammation is multifaceted and involves key steps that eventually leads to inflammation, initially transitory, then chronically.

1. Sucrose, a disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose, is quickly broken down in the gut and absorbed into the bloodstream. This rapid absorption can cause spikes in blood sugar levels.

2. The rise in blood glucose triggers the pancreas to release insulin, a hormone that helps cells absorb glucose from the bloodstream for energy. Given the unprocessed nature, and the presence of fructose molecule, it reliably causes the biggest insulin spike of any of the most commonly consumed foods. Overconsumption of sucrose leads to frequent insulin spikes that increases the daily AUC.

3. Unlike glucose, fructose is primarily metabolized in the liver. High intake of fructose (which forms half of sucrose) can overwhelm the liver's processing capacity, leading to several metabolic disturbances:
- Excess fructose can be converted into fats (triglycerides) through DNL. This process can lead to fat accumulation in the liver (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, NAFLD), which is associated with inflammation and the primary cause of hepatic (and consequently) systemic insuling resistance
- Fructose metabolism can lead to increased production of uric acid, a byproduct that, at high levels, may cause inflammation and oxidative stress.

5. Excess energy and DNL from sucrose leads to the expansion of adipose tissue. Overstretched adipocytes (fat cells) can become hypoxic (low in oxygen) and stressed, releasing pro-inflammatory cytokines and adipokines. This is already well established in CRP for overweight and obese subjects.

6. High blood glucose levels increase oxidative stress, leading to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These ROS can damage cells and tissues, triggering an inflammatory response.

7. Certain components of the immune system, particularly macrophages and other inflammatory cells, can be activated by these metabolic disturbances caused by high sucrose consumption, further exacerbating inflammation.

8. In insulin resistance, there is an increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-1β and IL-6. These cytokines are produced in response to prolonged exposure to free fatty acids (FFAs) and glucose, particularly in the β-cells of the pancreas. This production triggers various transcription-mediated molecular pathways, such as TXNIP, MYD88, NF-κB, TLRs, caspases, and inflammasomes, leading to inflammation.

9. In obesity, which often accompanies insulin resistance, the adipose tissue and liver become key sites for inflammation. This is even more true for visceral fat, it's almost 4x as inflammatory as adipose fat, and hepatic fat is 10x as inflammatory as adipose far. In the liver, steatosis, visceral fat, and obesity activate inflammatory signaling pathways, with cytokines and FFAs produced by hepatocytes or abdominal fat tissue potentially activating Kupffer cells (resident hepatic macrophages). This hepatic inflammation is a significant factor in insulin resistance. Fructose (and alcohol sugar) is known to increase hepatic and visceral fat the highest, regardless of calorie consumption.

10. IL-6, a cytokine whose levels are positively correlated with insulin resistance. IL-6 impacts non-oxidative glucose metabolism and lipoprotein lipase activity, influencing plasma triglyceride levels. It also activates the suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins, which can block the activation of the insulin receptor, contributing to insulin resistance as a negative feedback. More specifically, the inflammation response depends on the mechanism. Glucose induces short term postprandial oxidation and associated inflammation, eventually leading to long term insulin resistance, while fructose induces long term insulin resistance and increase in pro-inflammatory cytokine responses through overconsumption from more blunted insulin response, and associated gradual increase in hepatic and visceral fat.

Mechanisms of inflammatory responses and development of insulin resistance: how are they interlinked? - Journal of Biomedical Science

Background Insulin resistance (IR) is one of the major hallmark for pathogenesis and etiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). IR is directly interlinked with various inflammatory responses which play crucial role in the development of IR. Inflammatory responses play a crucial role in the...

jbiomedsci.biomedcentral.com

JCI - Inflammation and insulin resistance

www.jci.org

 

[Peatful]

Sugar based dressings are used in long term wound care

Honey and sugar is used 1-5 days in acute veterinary wound care

Effects of honey and sugar dressings on wound healing - PubMed

Honey appears to be more effective than sugar in reducing bacterial contamination and promoting wound healing, and slightly less painful than sugar during dressing changes and motion.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Schizophonia]

These are just epistemological relationships, they have no value except to those who use them to (dishonestly) advance their agenda.
Are there just people who became fat, obese, and demented just because they ate sugar here and there?

 

[Alpha]

The role of dietary sugars in health: molecular composition or just calories? - European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

This review will focus on the question of whether dietary sugars are a relevant determinant in the global rise of overweight and obesity in adults, adolescents, and children. Initially, the review describes the current definitions for sugars in the diet and makes reference to them while...

www.nature.com

Conclusion:
TLDR-

Current scientific evidence does not support the conclusion that dietary sugars themselves are detrimental to human health and the cause of obesity as well as NCDs. Data from human studies clearly shows that it is the excess amount of calories, also consumed in form of dietary sugars, that promotes obesity and with that favors NCDs. For sucrose, further research is needed in order to evaluate the relevance of its molecular composition, especially in comparison with other macronutrients.

That is a good source. However, the TLDR is throwing out the baby with the bathwater for practical purposes for several reasons.

First, randomised, or prospective studies are usually not long enough to see a significant difference isocalorically.

Two, isocaloric interventions using isocaloric exchanges, are not practical, because none of us are under lab conditions where calories are accurately measured and restricted for a significant period of time, which eliminates the major cause of T2D, obesity, or many of the various diseases I mentioned, which is energy surplus consumption through sucrose. If you look back at the meta-analysis you posted from Nature, it is overwhelmingly clear if subjects are asked to increase or decrease sucrose consumption, there is a significant associated effect of weight gain and weight loss, even done over short periods of time. In fact one of the studies showed significant weight loss and hepatic fat loss in only 9 days post intervention.

The third problem is that adiposity is rarely measured accurately, rather it is weight that is used as a proxy for that. Where body composition undoubtley changed isocalorically through a high sucrose or added sugar consumption compared to higher quality sources of carbohydrates which are typically also associated with other crucial macro and micro nutrients.

 

[Alpha]

Sugar based dressings are used in long term wound care

Honey and sugar is used 1-5 days in acute veterinary wound care

Effects of honey and sugar dressings on wound healing - PubMed

Honey appears to be more effective than sugar in reducing bacterial contamination and promoting wound healing, and slightly less painful than sugar during dressing changes and motion.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

True, I have used Manuka Honey with great success on a gaping wound I had. Although honey has other structural properties that allows it be an excellent skin barrier and antibiotic.

This is the same reason why sugar is typically added to common food items like bread, it is a good preservative and used to retain moisture and increase shelf life.

 

[Peatful]

True, I have used Manuka Honey with great success on a gaping wound I had. Although honey has other structural properties that allows it be an excellent skin barrier and antibiotic.

This is the same reason why sugar is typically added to common food items like bread, it is a good preservative and used to retain moisture and increase shelf life.

Do you think Sugar could be inflammatory, and non-inflammatory at the same time?

 

[Alpha]

These are just epistemological relationships, they have no value except to those who use them to (dishonestly) advance their agenda.
Are there just people who became fat, obese, and demented just because they ate sugar here and there?

Of course there has been. If you look at a chart of united states age adjusted obesity and sugar consumption. Obesity peaked in the 2000s among children and adults, and has since come off slightly on the back of anti-sugar campaigns in 1999.

 

[Alpha]

Do you think Sugar could be inflammatory, and non-inflammatory at the same time?

There is not a single biochemical pathway where I can see pure sucrose being anti-inflammatory. Everything points to it being inflammatory and disruptive, starting from the gut lining where it is first absorbed, to the peripheral cells where it eventually ends up in. In fact sucrose rapidly drops cortisol levels, the primary anti-inflammatory hormone in the body. If you are a pro-peat fan, there's nothing we know off that raises blood and brain tryptophan like pure sucrose ingestion, the main precursor for serotonin production.

If we are talking about fruits, that is a different matter, there are typically complimentary nutrients whether it is fiber that binds to glucose, or phenols that acts as antioxidants against ROS released by the sugars, in a way act as natural mechanisms that protects you from its isolated harmful impacts.

Same story with PUFAs in the form of hydrogenated vegetable oils. Almost all things purely derived from their natural food sources are not meant to be consumed, or exhibit detrimental effects. The few exceptions are ones that counter modern diets like fish oils.

 

[PopSocket]

There is not a single biochemical pathway where I can see pure sucrose being anti-inflammatory. Everything points to it being inflammatory and disruptive, starting from the gut lining where it is first absorbed, to the peripheral cells where it eventually ends up in.

If we are talking about fruits, that is a differe t matter, there are typically complimentary nutrients whether it is fiber that binds to glucose, or phenols that acts as antioxidants against ROS released by the sugars, in a way act as natural mechanisms that protects you from its isolated harmful impacts.

Same story with PUFAs in the form of hydrogenated vegetable oils. Almost all things purely derived from their natural food sources are not meant to be consumed, or exhibit detrimental effects. The few exceptions are ones that counter modern diets like fish oils.

Fish oils are the exception and they are actually good in isolated form ?

 

[Alpha]

Fish oils are the exception and they are actually good in isolated form ?

Yes, without changing topics of the thread, if you consume PUFAs in your daily diet, which you undoubtedly are, you need to consume 1-2g of combined EPA+DHA a day. You're body is very inefficient at converting them endogenously unless you are pregnant for the baby's brain development. The ideal omega-3 index is around 8-12%, where most people are in the 2-4%.