Established Member
Do you belive that sugar is a toxin?
Do you believe that sugar is a toxin? There was a segment (repeat I think) on 60 Minutes Sunday and it said that sugar is as addictive as some opiods and that it is toxic/may cause cancer/etc... Apparently when then took alot of the fat out of food, they replaced it with sugar. I eat alot of sugar. BTW like the new place...nice colors.
Established Member
I think most things are toxic if you ingest enough, and there is some level of natural sugar in most plants. But I think the more immediate danger from sugar is heart disease rather than cancer.
How did they say it was addictive? Is it mostly a physical addiction or a psychological addiction?
Established Member
It lights up the same pleasure centres (production of dopamine) as does the real hard drugs, ie. opiods...heroin, etc.Originally Posted by primummobile
Order of Kilopi
a) "Toxin" is one of those red-flag scare words used by the Supplements, Complementary and Alternative Medicine 'industry'. If 60 Minutes Sunday interviewed someone who used that term unironically, it's safe to ignore whatever it is that person said. Unless they're talking about pesticides, industrial waste, or that guy who cleans the snake pit.
b) You can overdose ingesting too much of anything. It's pretty much what the compound adjective "too much" means.
c) We do eat a lot of sugary foods. Also fat, protein, salt, and food in general.
/ Off to breakfast, where I'm going to eat too much of everything in c).
Administrator
Frankly I think the idea is absurd. In enough quantity anything is toxic, but sugar is a fundamental nutrient.
I wonder if the pleasure centers light up if you drink a big glass of ice cold water if you are really thirsty.
Order of Kilopi
With better justification, one can argue any of the fat-soluble vitamins are toxic (Hypervitaminosis A and Hypervitaminosis D are very real conditions). There are a lot of elements needed in minute amounts in the human diet, like selenium or zinc, but are toxic in excess.
Refined sugar -- and I don't think it matters if it's refined to the point of being white sugar -- is not good for you, but in reasonable quantities, i.e., much less than most USians have in their diets, it's not dangerous. It is, however, empty calories. My way of avoiding it is I simply don't drink soda, like colas or ginger ale, and I don't drink sweetened ice tea. (I also don't put sugar in my coffee or tea). I think it's really important to minimize sugar-laced drinks from kids.
Last edited by swampyankee; 2012-Aug-07 at 01:13 PM. Reason: minor wording correction
Order of Kilopi
Oxygen is a toxin. Water is a toxin. Vitamins A, D, E, and some forms of B are toxins. Iron is a toxin. Dosage is everything.
STARGAZING: All I see are the lights of a billion places I'll never go. --Howard Tayler, Schlock Mercenary
Senior Member
My Wife "hooked" me on Splenda, and now I couldn't live without it...don't know if it's "better" than sugar or not.
It's sweet either way...
Established Member
I remember when Splenda first started to become popular around 12-15 years ago. I received the same email forward at least five times. Everyone was in a panic because lab rats that were fed ten times the amount anyone would ever consume developed cancerous tumors. But I don't buy into that. The biggest cause of cancer is "life". If we want to cure cancer all we have to do is get rid of that.
Order of Kilopi
Yes; Although water is toxic too. So; saying it's toxic doesn't mean anything to me unless you show me how toxic.
Found it on cbsnews' site:
Is sugar toxic? 60 minutes (14:00)
They did have an overall gloom and doom tone to it, but taken realistically, a lot of it does make sense.
They do introduce the story as "Sugar, the way many people are eating it today..." which is probably true. The same can be said about ANY risky behavior.
Triggering the receptors is one thing, but what about withdrawl and continued need for it? More research is needed.
Like Swift indicated, the receptors could probably be triggered by anything, but whats the long term effect?
From the way they explain it, "cause" is a very poor word. It may contribute to it, but it's still the normal body's processes that could result in cancer rather than a reaction to a foreign substance.
Specifically the claim that "we already reduced fat in our diet but heart disease and such are still skyrocketing".
I completely disagree. Just look at our Because Death simply isn't going to come soon enough for some people... thread.
We may have reduced overall fat content in the food, but fat intake is still a problem. We may just be binging more.
It sounds like there are political undertones to this story. I wish I could delve deeper in that area on this board. But; I can't, and there's a good reason for it.
Established Member
Scare tactics sell.
People were dying of cancer and heart disease hundreds of years ago before 'modern sugar-laced diets'.
And people die of cancer and heart diseases who are religious vegetarians and health food practitioners.
Order of Kilopi
Well of course it's a toxin! So is milk, sunflower seeds, llama hairs -- everything!
It's difficult to imagine a fate worse than being alive. :-p
Forum Welcomer
Don't forget the damage potential of sunlight...
Order of Kilopi
All food is basically sugar.
Solfe
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'That was tops! Who's not good at math? I was all, "Four!"' - Finn, Adventure Time.
Administrator
That's not really true. There are plenty of other carbohydrates, protein, etc. But sugar is a naturally occurring part of my foods.
Order of Kilopi
Maybe I am being a little too literal?
Solfe
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'That was tops! Who's not good at math? I was all, "Four!"' - Finn, Adventure Time.
Order of Kilopi
I was kind of thinking the same, but I wonder about the context. When people say "sugar," do they mean sucrose? What about fructose, for example?
As above, so below
Established Member
If one is diabetic ---I am sure that he/she would argue either way---I have met a few diabetics who have said that sugar is an evil ---I happen to think that it is a necessary evil---like much of is said to be bad for the human body.
Order of Kilopi
Even good, in sufficient quantities, is evil.
Et tu BAUT? Quantum mutatus ab illo.
Banned
The only things which aren't toxic in sufficient concentrations in our bodies are substances with which our body doesn't react.
Ouch! No bias against healthy, wholesome foods, Moose?
Order of Kilopi
Nope. Only against overreaching, unjustifiable pseudo-medical claims by non-medical 'practitioners'. Not a fan of fear-based deceptive marketing, either.
Banned
No rational person enjoys being subjected to fear-based marketing. That doesn't mean that such market is void of truth, however. Areyou ok with the concept that organic foods can be healthier for you, insofar as they've less toxic pesticide residues than foods in general? On another note, ever tried grass-fed beef? I don't know about the health benefits of it, but it's much tastier than stuff I normally buy at the supermarket!
As for organics, I'll buy them if they're comparable to the price of regular foods. But let's carry this on in another thread I've created so we don't derail this one.
Back to the topic, I read years ago of a doctor who used a mixture of powdered sugar and antibiotics to treat certain wounds. So, was the sugar toxic to those bacteria?
Order of Kilopi
A thing to remember: nutritionist is not a protected title, anyone can call themselves nutritionist, including me.
If you want to be somewhat assured of a scientific basis of what they're saying, ask a dietitian. They at least have a relevant bachelor's.
__________________________________________________
Reductionist and proud of it.
Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn. Benjamin Franklin
Chase after the truth like all hell and you'll free yourself, even though you never touch its coat tails. Clarence Darrow
A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read. Mark Twain
Order of Kilopi
Actually, sugar has been used for ages as a preservative. I think it has more to do with the mechanism of osmotic pressure than than a chemical toxic effect.
Et tu BAUT? Quantum mutatus ab illo.
Banned
So, in the gelatinous goo form we find in preserves, the osmotic pressure is still present in sufficient quantify to disrupt microbial cellular function?
Order of Kilopi
If they're made classicly, i.e. lots of sugar, then yes.
Most modern 'preserves' don't have enough because of the sugar scares so require additional chemicals to keep activity low.
__________________________________________________
Reductionist and proud of it.
Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn. Benjamin Franklin
Chase after the truth like all hell and you'll free yourself, even though you never touch its coat tails. Clarence Darrow
A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read. Mark Twain
Order of Kilopi
I recall something about some jelly/jam/marmalade/preserve makers or sellers in the US getting in trouble because they labeled their jelly/jam/marmalade/preserves as containing "No artificial preservatives!" Of course, this was true, but it was also misleading, in that artificial preservatives had never been used in them.
Established Member
Sugar is a basic/important ingredient in life functions. Foods are broken down into sugar by life's natural reactions, then used to provide energy for bodily fundctions. Sugars are essential in life cycles.
Too much sugar, of course, is not good, as excess energies will be stored as fats and carbs.
But I have forgotten most of my Biology.
PO'T
Order of Kilopi
Apparently, via desiccation.
Et tu BAUT? Quantum mutatus ab illo.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote