How Blood Sugar Levels Affect Weight Loss (episode#1)

[mudassar anwar]

When we eat, our body converts digestible carbohydrates into blood sugar (glucose), our main source of energy. Our blood sugar level can affect how hungry and how energetic we feel, both important factors when we are watching how we eat and exercise. It also determines whether we burn fat or store it.
Our pancreas creates a hormone called insulin that transports blood sugar into our body's cells where it is used for energy. When we eat refined grains that have had most of their fiber stripped away, sugar, or other carbohydrate-rich foods that are quickly processed into blood sugar, the pancreas goes into overtime to produce the insulin necessary for all this blood sugar to be used for energy. This insulin surge tells our body that plenty of energy is readily available and that it should stop burning fat and start storing it.
However, the greater concern with the insulin surge is not that it tells our body to start storing fat. Whatever we eat and don't burn up eventually gets turned into fat anyway.
The greater concern is that the insulin surge causes too much blood sugar to be transported out of our blood and this results in our blood sugar and insulin levels dropping below normal. This leaves us feeling tired and hungry and wanting to eat more. The unfortunate result of this scenario is that it makes us want to eat something else with a high sugar content. When we do, we start the cycle all over again. ....................

[Masha]

How do you know when enough sugar is enough? I dont always calculate accurately and I dont have the most accurate information. Is there a certain meal plan I can stick to . Do you know of a basic diet plan?

[Keith]

Originally Posted by Masha

How do you know when enough sugar is enough? I dont always calculate accurately and I dont have the most accurate information.

You can tell by your energy levels. If you eat something and you get a big burst of energy followed by a slump an hour later, then there was too much high-GI carb in it.

Not immediately useful, but at least you know for next time.

[EDIT] Note that the problem isn't with sugar but rather with high-Glycemic carbohydrates. Sugar isn't great, but there are foods with a higher glycemic response than plain sugar - baked potato or white bread, for example. (Ironically, deep-fried chips are lower GI than baked potato because all that fat slows carb absorption - I still wouldn't recommend them as healthy. ).

P.S. A while back I switched from regular coffee to decaf, and still get much the same hit off it that I ever did. I came to the conclusion that I actually get more of an energy boost from the sugar (or in my case chocolate ) in the coffee than from the caffeine. And yes, I still get the accompanying slump.

[m0vingon]

Originally Posted by Masha

How do you know when enough sugar is enough? I dont always calculate accurately and I dont have the most accurate information. Is there a certain meal plan I can stick to . Do you know of a basic diet plan?

If you're concerned about sugar- or more specifically, about stabilizing your insulin levels, you could look into the diabetic diets. In reality, though, the key elements are to be sure to eat complex carbs (whole wheat, as unprocessed as possible, high fibre) and to balance carb intake with protein. Protein and fibre "slow down" the insulin spike associated with simple carbs.

You can find tons of info online about this stuff. You could try starting with a search for "glycemic index" and go from there. I know I didn't answer your question directly, but that's because there isn't really a good answer (numbers-wise) for it. It's more about balance than numbers.

[escapee]

http://www.mercola.com/2000/oct/8/sugar_cancer.htm

JFYI
One of my Aunts who fond of drinking coke lost the battle to breast cancer in early 40, leaving 4 young children and husband. She had even requested coke to be "served" in the funeral before she passed away. If i knew how evil sugar is 10 years ago ....... Thing would have been very much different.

Understanding and using the glycemic index is an important aspect of diet modification for cancer patients. However, there is also evidence that sugars may feed cancer more efficiently than starches (comprised of long chains of simple sugars), making the index slightly misleading. A study of rats fed diets with equal calories from sugars and starches, for example, found the animals on the high-sugar diet developed more cases of breast cancer.

The glycemic index is a useful tool in guiding the cancer patient toward a healthier diet, but it is not infallible. By using the glycemic index alone, one could be led to thinking a cup of white sugar is healthier than a baked potato.

This is because the glycemic index rating of a sugary food may be lower than that of a starchy food. To be safe, I recommend less fruit, more vegetables, and little to no refined sugars in the diet of cancer patients.

[m0vingon]

In regards to Coke, I think it's a lot more than the sugar at issue. More specifically, caramel colour and caffeine as well as the ?mystery ingredient" that they have patented. Apparently the jury is still out as whether or not Coke still may contain traces of the coca leaves that were included in the original product. IMO, it's pretty scary stuff. Sorry,i know this is a tad off from the original topic.

[openeyes]

Originally Posted by Masha

How do you know when enough sugar is enough?

The body doesn't require any dietary sugar. The whole point of low carb diets is that the body can readily produce what it needs from fat and protein. Meanwhile any excess carbs are converted to fat. If you're going to eat carbs (berries, greens, nuts and seeds can be quite good for you), go for those which are lower on the glycemic index, as they won't raise your blood sugar as much and thus will contribute less to insulin resistance. Eating carbs with fat/protein also slows down the release of sugar into the bloodstream, effectively lowering the glycemic index again.

[escapee]

For me there is no question that refined sugar is the main poison in coke though there could be other hidden poisonous ingredients that are equally dangerous.

When starches and complex sugars (like those in honey and fruits) are digested, they are broken down into simple sugars called "monosaccharides", which are usable substances-nutriments. When starches and sugars are taken together and undergo fermentation, they are broken down into carbon dioxide, acetic acid, alcohol and water. With the exception of the water, all these are unusable substances-poisons. When proteins are digested, they are broken down into amino acids, which are usable substances-nutriments. When proteins are taken with sugar, they putrefy; they are broken down into a variety of ptomaines and leucomaines, which are nonusable substances-poisons. Enzymic digestion of foods prepares them for use by our body. Bacterial decomposition makes them unfit for use by our body. The first process gives us nutriments; the second gives us poisons.

BTW, Usable mosaccharides combine with protein to form Glycoprotein.

Glycoproteins are important for immune cell recognition, especially in mammals.

[DQueens]

I am sorry to hear about your aunt. However, as a person who know many people who are currently battling, have lost battles and have won battles to cancer i know that blaming an entire disease (especially one so complex as breast cancer) on one improper lifestyle is not helpful to anyone. it is very unlikely that your aunt's demise was based solely on coke. I'll bite, however, coke is certainly not good for you. But if breast cancer is due to people drinking coke, then how can it be that so many coca cola drinkers go on to lead long healthy lives and that there are breast cancer sufferers that have never consumed a coke or hardly ever do. Cancer has little to do with sugar consumption. If anything, sugar can be helpful to patients undergoing chemo and radiation treatment because it is easy on the stomach and a complete loss of appetite is common for chemo patients. The quotes that you are citing are very poorly worded and written, which makes me believe that they're source is not a completely reliable one. Please dont make outrageous claims and preach false information (or inadequate information) when people come on this board who are actually seeking help.

As for the person who said the body does not need sugar to survive? The brain's preferred source of energy is sugar.
If you do not eat enough sugar or carbohydrates your liver start to produce ketone bodies which are soluble fats that the cells of the body can use as fuel. The brain can use these but the high acidity of these compounds results in acidic blood, which is not a condition you want you're body to be in. While your brain cells can function on ketones, it doest not prefer them and therefore does not work optimally when they are its main source of fuel, as in a no or low carb diet. As a result i think you will find some starving people, extreme dieters or low carbers seem a little "not all there."

To the person who asked what kind of carbs are good for you and how much sugar is too much. I like to stick with the rule of: try to limit servings of food with sugar as the first or second ingredient to one or less a day and substitute all white or processed breads, pastas and grain for whole wheat and whole grain. Try to make sure all the source of carbs you eat are 4g or fibre or more per serving. Thsi helps stabilize blood glucose levels because it slows carb absorption from your intestines.

[escapee]

If anything, sugar can be helpful to patients undergoing chemo and radiation treatment because it is easy on the stomach and a complete loss of appetite is common for chemo patients.

LMAO, what a disaster . An invasive conventional treatment plus poison(refined sugar) for the so called cancer treatment. OMG.

we identified 6,220 women with type 2 diabetes and 5,189 incident cases of invasive breast cancer, Women with type 2 diabetes had a modestly elevated incidence of breast cancer (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.17; 95% CI 1.01-1.35) compared with women without diabetes, independent of age, obesity, family history of breast cancer, history of benign breast disease, reproductive factors, physical activity, and alcohol consumption.

Entrez PubMed

Dietary Glycemic Load and Risk of Colorectal Cancer in the Women's Health Study -- Higginbotham et al. 96 (3): 229 -- JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute

Dietary Sugar, Glycemic Load, and Pancreatic Cancer Risk in a Prospective Study -- Michaud et al. 94 (17): 1293 -- JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute

Cancer link to fizzy drinks, sugar - Cancer - MSNBC.com

Cancer feeds on sugar

Help spread the information .

[escapee]

As for the person who said the body does not need sugar to survive? The brain's preferred source of energy is sugar.

Understanding the difference between refined carbohydrate presented in coke an unrefined caborhydrate in whole food .

Discovery Health :: Refined vs. Unrefined Carbohydrates

Dr Spreen : Director of nutrition physician

Q: What is the difference between "refined" and "unrefined" carbohydrates and is it that significant?

A: Carbohydrates are the "quick energy" fuel suppliers for the body. These foods burn rapidly for energy, and though they are themselves poorly stored (as glycogen), they are readily converted to fat (which, as you know, is all too often readily stored).
There are simple and complex carbohydrates (commonly called "carbs"). The former consist of the sugars, fruits and sweet vegetables, while the latter contain the starches like breads, cereals, grains, pastas and starchy vegetables. Complex carbs consist of sugar molecules linked together by certain chemical bonds and require an enzyme to break them down to sugar for our bodies to utilize.

"Refining" is a process that can apply to simple or complex carbs. It is the act of removing fiber, nutrients, usually water, and other items contained within the food in its natural state. The purpose is usually to improve shelf life or concentrate taste. Unfortunately, in so doing the sugars are concentrated, which can cause our blood sugar levels to change more rapidly than normal, allowing swings in sugar levels that can cause symptoms (fatigue, irritability, appetite and many others). In addition, nutrients are removed that are needed for the utilization of the sugar that remains in the refined product. This means that those nutrients must be taken from body stores instead of the food, which over time can lead to deficiencies.

[Brutha]

allowing swings in sugar levels that can cause symptoms ([...]appetite and many others).

Appetite is exactly what those people who undergo chemo need. Stop being domatic about such complex issues.

[escapee]

Using refined sugar to "induce swinging appetite" on a Chemo patient is nothing but a nutritional disaster .

The NCI has a good brief guidance with respect to the appetite and nutritional needs of chemo patients .
Oral Complications of Chemotherapy and Radiation - National Cancer Institute

[Brutha]

The NCI has a good brief guidance with respect to the appetite and nutritional needs of chemo patients .
Oral Complications of Chemotherapy and Radiation - National Cancer Institute

Unfortunately, in so doing the sugars are concentrated, which can cause our blood sugar levels to change more rapidly than normal, allowing swings in sugar levels that can cause symptoms (fatigue, irritability, appetite and many others)

None of those reasons is mentioned in your cancer institute link, they don't seem to matter.
They only thing they say is that you shouldn't eat much sugar if the cancer patient has problems when he has a dry mouth.

[escapee]

Below is given guidelines from NCI . Suggesting a nutrients and calories densed food. Highly concentrated Refined sugar is neither nutrient nor calories densed food. It's a poison. I'm amazed by your insistence (Stubborness?) that refined sugar is somehow okay to be taken by a chemo patient .

Change the texture of food. Serving food chopped, ground, or blended can reduce the amount of time it needs to stay in the mouth before being swallowed.
Eat between-meal snacks to add calories and nutrients.
Choose foods high in calories and protein.
Take supplements that provide vitamins, minerals, and calories.