“I have eliminated refined sugar from my diet and eat as little as I possibly can,” Thompson told me, “because I believe ultimately it’s something I can do to decrease my risk of cancer.” Cantley put it this way: “Sugar scares me.”
These words aren't from obscure researchers. In fact, Dr. Craig Thompson is president of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in NYC, one of the largest cancer hospitals in the world, and Dr. Lewis Cantley is the director of the Cancer Center at one of Harvard Medical School's hospital systems, and the quotes come from Mr. Gary Taubes' essay in the NY Times Magazine titled "Is Sugar Toxic?"
These words aren't from obscure researchers. In fact, Dr. Craig Thompson is president of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in NYC, one of the largest cancer hospitals in the world, and Dr. Lewis Cantley is the director of the Cancer Center at one of Harvard Medical School's hospital systems, and the quotes come from Mr. Gary Taubes' essay in the NY Times Magazine titled "Is Sugar Toxic?"
His essay was the #1 most emailed article on the NY Times website earlier this week, and it caught my eye because it addresses a central thesis in my book: The large amounts of refined sugar hidden or added in our foods is why modern diets cause chronic disease. The award-winning journalist writes that we Americans eat an average of 75 pounds of refined sugar per year. That's a lot of refined sugar.
So, is sugar toxic? Depends. Like alcohol, refined sugar isn't toxic in small amounts. But lots of alcohol consumed every day for weeks on end is dangerous. So it is with refined sugar, whether we're talking sucrose (table sugar, which is roughly 50% glucose and 50% fructose) or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS, rough 55% fructose and the rest glucose), although the effects take longer to take root. The toxicity of sugar also depends on the person, as people respond differently.
So, is sugar toxic? Depends. Like alcohol, refined sugar isn't toxic in small amounts. But lots of alcohol consumed every day for weeks on end is dangerous. So it is with refined sugar, whether we're talking sucrose (table sugar, which is roughly 50% glucose and 50% fructose) or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS, rough 55% fructose and the rest glucose), although the effects take longer to take root. The toxicity of sugar also depends on the person, as people respond differently.
What I like about Mr. Taubes' essay is how he acknowledges that glucose, the bad guy he targeted in his books, may not be so bad after all compared with fructose. Like him, my case against modern diets was largely based on how much glucose there is in our diets, and on the understanding that glucose loads in the blood causes a rise in insulin levels, which tells cells to store glucose products as fat molecules called triglycerides.
Fructose, in contrast, doesn't cause the pancreas to release more insulin. But here's the thing. When the fructose load is high and fast, such as after drinking a can of Coca-Cola, it overwhelms the liver's ability to process it. Fructose is then broken down (or metabolized) and its parts used to make a fat molecule that's stored in the liver. If fructose hits the liver repeatedly, it becomes fatty. This is believed to give rise to insulin resistance.
Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at UC-San Francisco, makes a convincing case that fructose in refined sugars is the worst part of modern diets, not glucose. By the way, there's fructose in fruits. But the fructose from fruit doesn't hit the bloodstream (and thus the liver) as hard as fast as fructose in refined foods like Starbucks pastries, and thus the "natural sugars" in fruits aren't as harmful. Here's Dr. Lustig's now-famous lecture on YouTube, made all the more popular by Mr. Taubes's essay.
Whether you blame glucose (which causes a rise in insulin) or fructose (which can cause the liver to become fatty), the underlying message is that refined sugars -- sucrose (table sugar) and HFCS -- are bad. Here's a telling sign: Sugar researchers themselves avoid eating table sugar, as the quotes at the beginning attest.
Note: Here's a Q&A with the Mr. Gary Taubes of the "Is Sugar Toxic?" essay. It's been eye-opening to learn how many people don't like to hear that sugar is bad for you.
Fructose, in contrast, doesn't cause the pancreas to release more insulin. But here's the thing. When the fructose load is high and fast, such as after drinking a can of Coca-Cola, it overwhelms the liver's ability to process it. Fructose is then broken down (or metabolized) and its parts used to make a fat molecule that's stored in the liver. If fructose hits the liver repeatedly, it becomes fatty. This is believed to give rise to insulin resistance.
Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at UC-San Francisco, makes a convincing case that fructose in refined sugars is the worst part of modern diets, not glucose. By the way, there's fructose in fruits. But the fructose from fruit doesn't hit the bloodstream (and thus the liver) as hard as fast as fructose in refined foods like Starbucks pastries, and thus the "natural sugars" in fruits aren't as harmful. Here's Dr. Lustig's now-famous lecture on YouTube, made all the more popular by Mr. Taubes's essay.
Whether you blame glucose (which causes a rise in insulin) or fructose (which can cause the liver to become fatty), the underlying message is that refined sugars -- sucrose (table sugar) and HFCS -- are bad. Here's a telling sign: Sugar researchers themselves avoid eating table sugar, as the quotes at the beginning attest.
Note: Here's a Q&A with the Mr. Gary Taubes of the "Is Sugar Toxic?" essay. It's been eye-opening to learn how many people don't like to hear that sugar is bad for you.
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