Five Surprising Facts about Sugar

I may be the only naturopathic doctor/wellness practitioner in Calgary who will advise you that you might not be eating enough sugar!  Carbohydrates are highly misunderstood. Despite being the main source of fuel for all of our body’s cells, they are so maligned that many of us highly restrict our carbohydrate intake, or even avoid it all together.  Carbs and especially sugar are scapegoated as the cause of all chronic disease, when in reality, nothing could be further from the truth. That’s like expecting your car to run well, on an empty tank of gas. We need sugar for our bodies to function optimally.

This article is my effort to set the record straight as I share the results of my research on sugar, its effect on us and why we need it .

1. Sugar is the main fuel needed to create energy for ALL of your cells and organs – including your liver, your thyroid and your brain. The absence of sugar will force your body to make it from either protein or it will burn fats.  This comes at a metabolic cost to  your body, as it will trigger a stress response which in turn, will suppress your metabolism.  A lowered metabolic state creates a ripe environment for the development of chronic disease, as your body will no be able to function optimally due to a cellular energy deficit.

2. Sugar stimulates your metabolism.  High sugar consumption increases conversion of T4 (inactive thyroid hormone) to T3 (active thyroid hormone) in the liver which increases your cells’ ability to generate cellular energy.

• Eating properly ripened fruits in place of starches and complex carbohydrates reduces the tendency to store fat.  Fructose and sucrose consumption enhances energy¹ without increased weight gain or impairing insulin action.²
• Fructose increases overall metabolism³

3. Sugar protects against stress. Dietary sugar  blunts your body’s cortisol response to a stressful event. Fruits and fruit juices help modulate blood sugar and calm down the adrenal glands.  If you add about 1/4 tsp of sea salt to your fruit juice, this will raise your blood sugar to normal and lower damaging stress hormones.  Salty fruit juice helps stimulate the conversion of T4 (inactive thyroid) to T3 (active thyroid hormone).

• Real World Intake of Dietary Sugars is Associated with Reduced Cortisol Reactivity Following an Acute Physiological Stressor ⁴
• Fructose has a protective role against stress hormones⁵

• Insulin is the hormone that allows glucose to go from the bloodstream and enter the cell.  It’s the key that opens the cell’s door for the entry of glucose into the cell.  So in Type 2 diabetes, the key that opens the door is not working properly, this is what we call insulin resistance.  The focus needs to be on restoring insulin sensitivity, not removing sugar.
• Fructose improves glucose tolerance in adults with Type 2 Diabetes⁷ and decreased the glycemic response in normal adults.⁸
• Experiments ¹⁰by Nobel laureate Bernardo Houssay in 1947 proved sugar and coconut oil protected against diabetes as they actually heal the beta cells – while polyunsaturated fats caused the insulin resistance and pancreatic damage.

5. Sugar supports proper digestion.   The absence of available sugar will slow down the rate of digestion and cause bloating, gas and heartburn. Sugar is needed for the conversion of the inactive thyroid hormone T4 to active thyroid hormone T3, which will in turn upregulate intestinal motility.

Notes:

• Honey (when raw and unprocessed) is a mix of free fructose and free glucose, and is therefore beneficial and metabolically supportive. The ability to tolerate honey is person specific.
• Certain fruits are better than others; this is generally person-specific.
• Note, when referring to fructose, this is not the same as High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) which has very different properties … it’s a completely different entity.  It contains 4-5 times as many calories as regular sucrose, and consists of up to 80% unidentified additional ingredients.

In summary, the right sugars, in the right amounts, does a body good.  Without it, we’re on the path to becoming fat, diabetic, hypothyroid and under the continuous influence of stress hormones that will break down our body tissues and lead to chronic disease.

Curious to find out how to fine tune your nutrition to address your individual needs and health concerns?  Contact me to schedule a session.  I look forward to seeing you!  

References:

1. Ruzzin J, Lai YC, Jensen J. Consumption of carbohydrate solutions enhances energy intake without increased body weight and impaired insulin action in rat skeletal muscles. Diabetes Metab. 2005 Apr;31(2):178-88. doi: 10.1016/s1262-3636(07)70184-2. PMID: 15959424.
2. R.S. Surwit, M.N. Feinglos, J. Rodin, A. Sutherland, A.E. Petro, E.C. Opara, C.M. Kuhn, M. Rebuffe-Scrive,
   Differential effects of fat and sucrose on the development of obesity and diabetes in C57BL/6J and AJ mice,
   Metabolism.  1995 Volume 44, Issue 5: 645-651. doi.org/10.1016/0026-0495(95)90123-X.
3. Mizobe T, Nakajima Y, Ueno H, Sessler DI. Fructose administration increases intraoperative core temperature by augmenting both metabolic rate and the vasoconstriction threshold. Anesthesiology. 2006 Jun;104(6):1124-30. doi: 10.1097/00000542-200606000-00005. PMID: 16732081; PMCID: PMC1473168.
4. Di Polito N, Stylianakis AA, Richardson R, Baker KD. Real-World Intake of Dietary Sugars Is Associated with Reduced Cortisol Reactivity Following an Acute Physiological Stressor. Nutrients. 2023 Jan 1;15(1):209. doi: 10.3390/nu15010209. PMID: 36615866; PMCID: PMC9823716.
5. Spasojević I, Bajić A, Jovanović K, Spasić M, Andjus P. Protective role of fructose in the metabolism of astroglial C6 cells exposed to hydrogen peroxide. Carbohydr Res. 2009 Sep 8;344(13):1676-81. doi: 10.1016/j.carres.2009.05.023. Epub 2009 Jun 3. PMID: 19591975.
6. Shiota M, Galassetti P, Igawa K, Neal DW, Cherrington AD. Inclusion of low amounts of fructose with an intraportal glucose load increases net hepatic glucose uptake in the presence of relative insulin deficiency in dog. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2005 Jun;288(6):E1160-7. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.00391.2004. Epub 2005 Jan 25. PMID: 15671083.
7. Moore MC, Davis SN, Mann SL, Cherrington AD. Acute fructose administration improves oral glucose tolerance in adults with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2001 Nov;24(11):1882-7. doi: 10.2337/diacare.24.11.1882. PMID: 11679451.
8. Moore MC, Cherrington AD, Mann SL, Davis SN. Acute fructose administration decreases the glycemic response to an oral glucose tolerance test in normal adults. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2000 Dec;85(12):4515-9. doi: 10.1210/jcem.85.12.7053. PMID: 11134101.
9. Houssay BA, Martínez C. Experimental Diabetes and Diet. Science. 1947 May 23;105(2734):548-9. doi: 10.1126/science.105.2734.548. PMID: 17752774.