Comments on: Sugar and kids: The toxic truth
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- I recently attended a swim meet for my grandson. I was shocked by the cultural practice of swim meet parents and officials to pump their kids with sugar...tons of sugar!!! Everywhere around the pool was a form of sugar... cotton candy machine, snow cones, ice cream parfait, sodas... Volunteers even walk around with trays filled with cake slices & fruit punch type drinks and just hand them out for free. All in the name of your child winning a race? Honestly, I was in shock that what seemed to be an athletic event was nothing more than a **** fight or Greyhound race... Just seeing who could pump their kid up the most sugar to win!!! I witnesses between heats the ritual of pumping up your child. I am not talking a little sugar, I am talking... cotton candy, snow cone, cookies, 2 sodas and a parfait... in one child in a hour!!! But this was going on all around me with all the children. I was horrified, and could only think that this would make a great undercover feature story. I think this culture needs to be exposed. These children were ages 8 - 10... Not old enough to know better or question there parents. Many of these so called athletes were very over weight with belly fat. How could this be happening in this day and age? Clearly a dirty little secret that could use exposure. This event took place in South Lake Tahoe CA. Present at the race were teams from Tahoe, Mammoth and as far a Burlingame, CA I pray that you will look into this. So timely with your recent feature on Toxic Sugar. Thank you Dr. G! These kids need your help~
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- While I greatly admire Dr. Gupta, I think it is overboard to call sugar "toxic." It must certainly be used in moderation and too many foods have sugar added, in one form or another and I'd like the food manufacturers to end that practice. But Toxic? I don't think so. Toxic is a substance that usually causes immediate harm and sickness like insecticide or arsenic. As a food substance, it seems an extreme designation.
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- Thank you, thank you, thank you, 60 Minutes and Dr. Gupta! I honestly cheered out loud when I watched this segment on 60 minutes. This is a HUGE public health issue that has been ignored by mainstream media for far too long, and which many have been trying to bring to the forefront of public awareness for many, many years. It made me feel that the ship of false dietary paradigms based on previously flawed science, is finally beginning to turn. Now if we could also bring to light the fact that natural, saturated fats are actually good for you, and processed vegetable oils are equally toxic to sugar, then the nutritional/health puzzle might truly get solved, and millions of people will live longer and healthier without surgery, or prescription medications. Again, thank you for this spot that I am now virally sharing with all my friends, who will trust this source.
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- Dr. Gupta has done a terrific job. I belong to a gym that alerted me to this information 6 months ago. I have cut out added sugar (but not fruits) and two amazing things have happened. I lost weight and my tastes changed. I know this because the first time I tried to eat plain greek yogurt just a few months ago, I thought it tasted vile. Now, I can eat it straight easily. Our bodies do adjust and seek out sugar the more you eat it, and it is ruining our bodies, it just isn't natural for us to eat that much sugar.
I don't need studies (although they will help others to see the truth), all I needed was to do this simple thing and watch my body transform.
For those of you naysayers, what would be the harm of trying to cut out all processed sugar for a month? Why exactly would you resist doing something for just 30 days? - Reply to this comment
- Thank You 60 Minutes for this program. This is a step in the right direction and long over due. What I am concerned about is people will increase the use of sugar substitutes to kick the habit because many of these are excitotoxins and will have serious consequences for the brain. 60 Minutes did a story on this many years ago on aspartame and the story is on Youtube. Fruit mentioned in the story as being good but many fruits of today were not originally as sweet in the past. It was mankind that did selective breeding to make them sweet. Michael Pollan did a show on PBS featuring Johnny Appleseed. Most of the apples in the 1800's were sour and people made hard cider out of them instead of eating the fruit. Oranges were also breed to be very sweet. Another point left out is wheat. You are told about good grain goodness but the glycemic index of whole wheat bread is 72, white bread is 69, table sugar is 59 and a Snickers bar is 41. My source is from Wheat Belly, page 34. As stated in the story, people did as they were told and cut out the fat in the diet. If you take out the fat, protein stays fairly constant, then carbohydrates go up. Maybe the problem with health in this county is that we have been told a big fat lie. Ask Gary Taubes about this.
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- CBS News should be embarrased to have aired this. Just because it is a dramatic set of claims doesn't mean 60 Minutes should air it if it is totally bogus. For a reasonable, more scientific, analysis of this topic, see: http://awayfromthebench.wordpress.com/. 60 Minutes should do a follow-up based on real science.
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- We've known about this since the 70s. We also have known about very efficient ways of concentrating light into solar panels for free energy. Doesn't make it a reality for the masses.
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- There was no information presented in this 60 minutes report to even remotely support the idea that a calorie varies from a calorie. The definition of calories was worked out long ago as was the number of calories present in protein, carbohydrates, fat and alcohol. The number of calories present in a pound of body fat and the number of calories required to use up a pound of fat hasn't changed. The problem is that people are looking for a quick fix. Give me a pill, give me a shot, give me an antibiotic; but, don't tell me I have to cut calories and exercise. Tell me I have to cut fat. That's alright as long as I can sit down and eat something loaded with carbohydrates. In fact, the diet in the U.S. is classic "anecdotal" support for the calorie issue. Changes in what people eat have not reduced heart disease, cancer, diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypertension, .... These changes have been associated with either maintaining the number of calories or increasing the number of calories people eat. The failure of some people to grasp this important concept is an indictment of the American education system as it exists today.
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- I am rather confused about this whole premise of sugar being "toxic". First, people who pay some attention know that it is best for our bodies to eat sensibly and simply, to read labels and avoid processed and fast foods except occasionally. So - it is not sugar that is toxic and causing all the health problems. It is the chosen over-consumption of any and all foods. Bottom line is that you overeat, you get fat and the more you overeat, the fatter you get, no matter who you are. Not rocket science and not difficult to find out quickly why you're fat and why you are so unhealthy. Why brand one particular thing toxic when it is actually the misuse of it that causes the problems? More than that, though - as a long time Type I diabetic I have been taught that all food you eat converts into glucose (or sugar) to be used by cells of the body - from carbs (sugars and starchs) to protein and fat. Because of that, a diabetic diet is made up of particular numbers of grams of each daily, according to the calories per day each person requires, and that is balanced with intake of insulin in order to try to simulate the way a normal, non-diabetic body works. Difference is that a normal body produces insulin on its own according to sugar in the blood and the liver releases sugar when blood sugar is getting too low - thereby stablizing blood sugar. But, regardless of whether that sugar in the blood comes from eating candy or eating potatoes or eating a steak, it is STILL sugar - or glucose! So how is it one is going to eliminate sugar from the diet because it is toxic? Yes, I know - overconsumption of sugary foods is bad for us, diabetic or not. But so is overconsumption of starchy foods and fatty foods and proteins. But if it all is converted to sugar to be used by the body, why is sugar in all forms worse than anything else if all are eaten in moderation? Another thing is the part on this segment saying that sugar feeds cancerous tumors and may be making it worse? If blood is flowing to the tumor, it will be fed sugar, no matter what food that sugar came from. I am simply NOT seeing that the arguments from this doctor hold water when all that is happening is normal for any living body!
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- First of all, thank goodness mainstream media is finally shedding light on what so many folks have understood for so very long. This little segment didn't go into the details as to what occurs molecularly upon sugar consumption (and why sugar is toxic), but Im thankful that the word is getting out. 1/3 of American children are either obese or overweight, which is accompanied by a host of other preventable diseases and it is directly correlated to excess sugar intake. Parents, cut the sugar - eat whole foods instead of processed junk and cook more meals at home. I do have to say however, that I find it humorous how so many commentators jump to defense on these types of segments...yes, this just might mean that in order to lose weight and get healthy, you will have to face your sugar addiction! I disagree with the "nutritionist" above who recommends sugar in moderation. Most folks have NO CLUE as to what moderation truly means and again, sugar is in just about every single processed food item out there...even found in certain meats!!! Also, one more thing...refined carbohydrates are processed in the body just like table sugar...so we need to cut back on refined grains, too (white breads, pastas, cereals, etc.).
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