Over the years, weight gain and obesity has become a major problem among children and teens. I’ve heard many different explanations on why and how people gain weight, but never heard one specific cause. Now as I enter my freshman year, I’m worried about gaining the “freshman 15” that everyone says is impossible to avoid. Therefore, I decided to research main causes of weight gain to note how to stay healthy and fit.
I found the article, “Sugar is Definitely Toxic, a New Study Says”, by Alice Park, which shares how a fairly recent study conducted found that sugar intake in foods plays a big role in weight gain and diseases rather than calorie intake. Scientists have found that Americans who try removing fats from their diet usually substitute it with sugars. The study conducted by Dr. Robert Lustig involved 43 minority children between the ages of 8 to 18 years old. The study began by having the children fill out a questionnaire that asked about their average daily caloric intake. Based on their answers, scientists create specific meal plans that substituted the sugar in their diets with starch and kept the calorie count the exact same. The kids would follow this meal plan for 9 days and eat more or less of their meals to remain the same weight (Park 2015).
The experiment showed that multiple children being studied became overall healthier. According to this study conducted by Dr. Lustig, once the children’s overall dietary sugar decreased, their fasting blood sugar decreased by 53%, and the amount of insulin, triglyceride, LDL, and fat in the liver decreased too (Park 2015). The researchers also proved that there is a direct causation link between sugar and metabolic syndrome after comparing the results of kids who lost weight and kids who didn’t lose weight during the experiment.
In addition to their findings, the scientists linked that the reduction of fat in the kids’ livers indicates that sugar is a main cause of metabolic syndrome and other chronic diseases. Despite many discoveries made during this experiment, many scientists are still skeptical. Experts and nutritionists want people to take away from this experiment that the main problem is people are over eating, which is the biggest problem related to weight gain, not just from sugar (Park 2015). I personally, however, agree with both the study findings and the idea of over eating causing weight gain. My Aunt had struggled with her weight for many years until she spoke with a nutritionist who told her to cut back sugar from her diet and eat less calorie-rich foods. She ended up losing around 70 pounds in a little under a year by cutting back on sugary foods and eating healthier options. Overall, this study holds valuable information and statistics that can not only help people who are struggling with their weight, but also help people who are looking for ways to stay healthy.
Sources:
http://time.com/4087775/sugar-is-definitely-toxic-a-new-study-says/?iid=sr-link9
http://www.iifym.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Sugar-intake-with-IIFYM.jpg
Alexandria interesting article you wrote. I have to say that doesn’t change my mind about how much sugars and fats I put into my body. Considering I am one of the biggest sweet tooth’s you’ll ever meet, I do try to watch my weight and try to eat healthy. Yes occasionally I will eat a candy bar or two or three but instead of always eating chemicals that make up sour patch kids or chocolate, I love eating fruit. Fruit has natural sugars that are sometimes just as good as the bad sugars we intake. One tip of advice I would give if someone was to go on a diet and limit the amount of sugars they have is to just eat in moderation. Too much of anything is not good for you. Going on a diet doesn’t and shouldn’t mean you completely illuminate fat and sugar you put in your body. Moderation is key! Here are some good tips for a balanced diet.
Hi Alexandra,
I found this article interesting because I have always heard about the consequences that sugar can cause and I never knew what was true/still don’t. It seems like every day opinions and facts change about how sugar is good/bad for you… the truth is, we will never know. I say eat whatever you want, there’s always going to be negative things to say about foods. Live life and don’t worry about anything, we all are going to end up in the same place in the end. I found an interesting article for you to read about the side effects of too much sugar and think you might like it. http://articles.mercola.com/sugar-side-effects.aspx This topic always amuses me because people always have their opinion about the topic and it’s always fun to hear what people think about sugar. My uncle will only eat organic sugar and my sister hates Stevia…So I hear about sugar all the time.
This study is very realvent to certain health issues within socetiy today. I learned about how sugar can have negative affect on the body if someone eats too much of it aswell. However, I do wonder what happens when someone eats so much sugar that they become addicted. I read an article that talks about sugar addiction, and how it can make it nearly impossible for people to stop eating it. In fact I was told by my old health teacher that sugar can be just as addictive, if not more, as drugs. So basically I guess my question is if someone is addicted to sugar, even if they know how bad it is for them, would they be able to stop eating it?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907/
I found this very relatable, as people in my family have also struggled with obesity. My grandfather for example has tried countless diets, one memorable one being the cookie diet. http://www.cookiediet.com/categories/hunger-controlling-foods/diet-cookies/classic-cookies/ is the website that outlines the diet, and it is somewhat confusing if you compare it with your sugar findings. However, the cookies are actually meant to control hunger in order to alleviate the second issue you discuss, which is overeating.