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SUGAR 101 WITH SARAH WILSON

• Fructose is metabolized in the liver
• Glucose is metabolized and used up by the cells in your body; used as energy directly
• Fructose is not used as energy so we eat more of it because we're not getting energy from it; Our liver stores it as fat; excess insulin is produced which leads to insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes
• Uric acid levels are raised -> raises blood pressure -> hypertension/kidney disease
• Fails to turn off our appetite mechanisms (hormone called leptin)

- We don't just eat more sugar, we eat more of everything else as well

• Sugar is more addictive than cocaine and heroin (*If it's not a randomized control trial let them know)

Sugar makes us fat
• Appetite hormone! Not just the sugar
• Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, tooth decay, accelerated aging and wrinkles, hypertension, insomnia, dizziness, allergies, hair loss, add/adhd, Alzheimer's

• It's (mostly) about the fructose
• Table sugar is 50% fructose & 50% glucose

 - Agave 90%; HFCS 55%; Coconut sugar 38-48.5%
 - Honey/Maple 35-45%; Dates 33%

• Some have more nutrients, but so minimal

 - Honey is 2% nutrients that we can eat from other places
 - We tend to eat more because we think they are healthy
 - Health food stores are some of the most unhealthy places

• "It's natural" - So is arsenic and petroleum
• Evolution - In cave man days, sugar was rare & we expended a lot of energy to get it
• 100 years ago we ate 20lbs of sugar a year, now we eat 220lbs

• Only eat whole fruits - eat low fructose fruits

ARE ALL SUGARS CREATED EQUAL?

CARB CHEMISTRY

DIGESTION OF SUGAR
• Digestion of some begins before we even swallow; enzyme in our mouth that begins the process of breaking down sugars
• Body wants to split the carbs into monosaccharides (particularly glucose, which is easy to absorb & utilize)
• Once food makes its way to the stomach, digestion of sugars is put on hold due to the stomach's acidic environment

 - Most sugar digestion occurs in the small intestine, where the smaller, more useable monosaccharides can be absorbed & used for energy or stored for later

• To store energy, liver joins glucose molecules, creating larger structure that can be easily stored & broken down when energy is needed
• If liver already has enough stored energy, extra glucose is packaged into fat as a form of long-term storage

• Many sugars ending in "-ose" (sucrose, fructose, and glucose)

BLOOD SUGAR (aka blood glucose)

• Sugars are carbs composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
• Two most common: glucose & fructose
• We're genetically programmed to seek out sweet foods

 - Breast milk
 - Taste indicated that a food was safe to eat

DISACCHARIDES
• "Di" means two
• Made up of two monosaccharides joined together
• Sucrose (glucose & fructose); maltose (glucose & glucose); lactose (glucose & galactose)
• Can be found in table sugar, beer, & dairy products

POLYSACCHARIDES
• "Poly": Many
• Made up of long chains of connecting monosaccharides
• Complex carbs such as starch, glycogen, & fiber

MONOSACCHARIDES
• "Mono" means one - simple sugars (glucose)
• Building blocks for more complex carbs & naturally in fruits, vegetables, & milk

NATURAL SUGAR vs ADDED SUGAR

• Amount of glucose we have circulating in our blood
• Goes up following a meal & during times of stress or illness
• Goes down during times of rest, when meals are skipped, and following extreme exercise
• Body continuously works to adjust & regulate our blood sugar levels through hormonal signalling

*Blood sugar is regulated by two main hormones: insulin & glucagon
• INSULIN: Secreted when blood sugar levels are high (also known as Hyperglycemia) to help clear sugar from the blood & move it to cells where it can be stored
• GLUCAGON: Secreted when blood sugar is low (aka Hypoglycemia) to break down stored glucose & help raise blood sugar levels back to normal

• Some foods are digested & absorbed more quickly than others; can cause a sharp spike in blood sugar levels
• Continuously elevated blood sugar may lead to weight gain & may compromise health over time

Blood sugar spikes can be prevented by consuming:
• Whole grains
• Fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, & legumes
• Meals that offer a balance of macronutrients (carbs, proteins, & fats) These all help slow digestion & reduce the amount of glucose being exposed to the system at the same time

Sweet Tip 2:
• Foods that cause a sharp spike in blood sugars are considered HIGH-GLYCEMIC FODOS

NATURAL SUGARS
• Exist naturally in foods like fruits/veg
• Foods that come packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, & fiber (reduce the glucose spike that can lead to compromised health)
• When consumed in the form of whole foods, fiber also helps increase satiety (limits the amount consumed at one sitting)
• Natural sugars increase as fruit or veg ripens

ADDED SUGARS
• Added during processing
• Soda, grain based desserts, sauces, dips, candies
• High cal, low nutritional value
• Also less likely to be consumed as part of a balanced meal (more likely to lead to a significant rise in blood glucose

 - Without fiber to signal fullness, foods that contain added sugars are more likely to be consumed in excess

• No matter what we eat & regardless of the sources, the body is efficient at breaking down food into glucose
• Many people feel that the source of sugar doesn't matter… It's very important to distinguish between the two types: natural & added

*Controversial added sugar: HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP
• Considered a major contributor to the obesity epidemic
• Commonly used to sweeten beverages (e.g. sodas & sports drinks)

HOW ADDED SUGAR AFFECTS THE BODY

• Increase likelihood of memory deficits & risk for Alzheimer's disease
• May increase blood pressure & triglycerides, which may cause cardiovascular disease
• Leads to insulin resistance & causes elevated blood sugar & an increased risk of type 2 diabetes
• Misplaces nutrient-dense calories & may lead to malnourishment & vitamin deficiencies, even if calorie needs are being met or exceeded
• May increase likelihood of dental caries
• May increase risk of asthma
• May distort feelings of satiety following a meal, causing overeating and an increased risk of obesity
• May disrupt the gut microbiome and negatively impair immunity
• Promotes inflammation, the underlying cause of many chronic diseases

SUGAR & HORMONES W/ SARAH WILSON

• Blood sugar imbalances inflame the digestive tract & cause leaky gut
• Sugar causes inflammation
• Sugar compromises the ability of our white cells to destroy toxins which cause inflammation
• Inflammation in the body compromises most immune function
• Sugar causes hormone imbalances

• Sugar causes our pancreas to secrete insulin to move excess sugar from our blood into the cells
• If this process is abused by eating too much sugar, the cells loose this ability

 - Pancreas responds by pumping out even more insulin
 - Leading to insulin resistance

• We're programmed to see low blood sugar as a threat to survival, so our adrenal glands release cortisol -> cortisol tells the liver to increase the amount of glucose available, bringing blood sugar back to normal
• Cortisol is the fight or flight hormone -> causes an increase in heart-rate, oxygen, blood-flow, while shutting down digestion, growth, and reproduction

 - All energy can go to our brains & muscles

• Too much cortisol stimulated by low blood sugar levels weakens your adrenal glands to the point where they produce lower levels of sex hormones

 - This leads to hormone imbalances that impacts fertility

• Insulin surges also increase the destruction of the thyroid gland

 - If cortisol is used/abused from eating sugar daily, this all suppresses the pituitary function which is vital to thyroid function

• Thyroid controls everything in the body that makes us feel human; every cell has receptors
• Thyroid disease affects about 50 million Americans & Americans have about 50 million metabolic disease
• What causes leaky gut and adrenal stress? Low thyroid function

• Client might have normal levels of glucose in their blood, but because they're slow to respond to it and absorb it, they can very easily get hyperglycemic
• PCOS

• Low carb diets can create thyroid symptoms
• Like an evolutionary response - when carbs disappear

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