Dr. Robert Lustig From 'Sugar: The Bitter Truth' Shares His Thoughts On Low-Carb Diets

[blueconversechucks]

If you read between the lines, it sounds like Dr. Lustig is all for a low-carb diet as long as sucrose and fructose are two of the carbs being removed.

[pcangeldust]

@blueconversechucks those are sugars not carbs

[ALucas73]

Taubes says the same about there needing to be a clinical study done, but it will take millions of dollars to do it because you have to pay to feed a lot of people for a long time and no one yet wants to put up the money. Come on Gates and Buffett, do it for the people.

[TheSivarts1087]

lustigs point is about fructose and its load on the liver. glucose weather found in sucrose or by itself in simple or complex carbs have little effect on the liver. however glucose does effect insulin and can derail a host of metabolic pathways including fat storage.

[Diogeneia]

I am on board with Lustig, but I don't think he has found "the" key... only "a" key. Too much sugar will make you fat. HFCS will screw with your leptin/sense of satiety. His research definitely supports the "processed foods = crap" idea that you see in most serious diets. But there is more. Dr. Amen is also on to something with his brain research. Dr. Atkins (and others) were/are on to something regarding yeast and food allergies. We need research that puts it all together.

[Pelonetillo]

this reminds me of dr ozs position on low carb. he pretends to oppose low carb, but pushes complex over simple carb. this is analogous to recommending 4 cigs a day vs 12. yeah, you may not be as susceptible to cancer by cutting back 8 cigs, but if you follow the logic to its conclusion, it stands to reason 0 cigs are better than his recommended 4.

[Toxxic88]

Speaking for myself, I will not get a visible six pack UNLESS I go keto & almost eliminate all sources of carbs, whereas my body fat % jumps up by about 2-3% very fast (but not more) when I only eliminate fructose but still eat starchy breads (ones with 0 added sugar), pasta, potatoes, etc.

But then again, we all know having low body fat % and visible abs doesn't correlate to a healthy arterial system, so I might benefit from the fiber & folate of starches even with some fat covering my abs..

[MrBabo91]

define "low carb"

[amarko87]

@livinlowcarbman what the fuck are you on about? He advocates starchy carbs because of the fibre that goes with them. A low carb diet is inherently low fibre as well and he makes the point in his lecture and other interviews that fibre is an essential nutrient. Everywhere in nature sugar is surrounded by fibre. You can't agree with a low carb diet while still maintaining the belief that fibre is an essential nutrient that has been virtually removed from all foods that are sellable worldwide.

[livinlowcarbman]

@amarko87 No need to be vulgar. Anyone who eats low-carb knows you can get plenty of fiber from the non-starchy veggies you consume.

[Warpath2198]

@livinlowcarbman Yep, I eat green vegetables and have lost 40 lbs years ago and it has stayed off. On a low carb diet high in fat and protein I don't even get hungry for 8-10 hours.

[Warpath2198]

@amarko87 Uhh with low carb diets you can eat green vegetables which have fiber. So your defense of sugar is moot. Some fruits have a lot of carbs. Vegetables>Fruits

[YuNgMuN04]

He is saying that he personally can not agree nor disagree to low carb dieting, because he has not seen the studies on that vs. sugar free (watch his lecture, its about fructose, so when he refers to sugar that is what he means, and well sucrose which is 50% fructose, and is ok with glucose in his lecture) not that he is going back on what he has previously said he believe in.

[bloozedaddy]

sugar restricted against a low carb diet? It's clear that both would be far more healthy choices....but since you can't really eat low carb AND still eat sugar why not kill two birds with one stone? It's pretty clear the doc is leaving the door open on low-carb being the way to go. Metabolism 101 is that starches ARE sugars...and they're also entirely carbs for the most part. End of discussion really.

[nokia3210fuck]

I'm asking myself what did people eat befor grains existed?

[plateofshrimp]

@nokia3210fuck People They didn't eat grains. Humans were hunter-gatherers 1.8 million years ago (Homo erectus) or 200,000 years ago (Homo sapiens). They got fiber from vegetables and fruit. They got their necessary fat and cholesterol from meat. It was only until 12,000 years ago we started eating grains.

[szymon308]

lol "lustig" means "amusing" in Swedish...

[dahlenu]

Very strange comments from Dr. Lustig. I mean, carbs *are* sugars. Unless they are two long, carbohydrate chains are broken down in the body to glucose. It really doesn't matter if it's sugare cubes in the coffee or starch in potatoes, it ends up as glucose, raising the insulin level and then promoting fat accumulation. So, Dr. Lustig is right that sugar is a huge problem, but by definition he should then be pro low-carb!

[livinlowcarbman]

@dahlenu I agree, and maybe he'll come around someday.

[harleykman]

@dahlenu You know, if you're going to criticize Dr. Lustig, it helps if you actually LISTEN to what he's saying

.

"Glucose is good. It's what the body needs. It's the fructose that is bad."

.

Duh

.

[nishandhAzhikode]

@dahlenu , pls watch the full documentary. The Fructose metabolism, at the rate in which it is consumed. The feed back systems affecting Insulin production, the pathways and toxins produced in Liver, raise in BP and stress, everything...

[explorer2101]

@dahlenu

No, they do not affect the body the same. Starch (or glucose) combined with fibre (as in potatoes) does not have the same as Fructose & other sugars added to foods. Completely different.

If you want to know more - watch Sugar: The Bitter Truth. A presentation by Dr Lustig

[ytcf71]

@dahlenu You obviously didnt understand his original video then. Carbs (such as bread) is broken down to sugar (some of it)...but sugar directly ingested, is 100% used, is absorbed quickly, in higher amounts, and has no other nutritional benefits.

[chiwawamusic]

@dahlenu If you watch Dr. Lustig's full talk Sugar: Bitter Truth, he clearly states that gluscose is OK. It is fructose that is the culprit. Every living creature needs glucose, not fructose.

[chiwawamusic]

@dahlenu If you watch Dr. Lustig's full talk Sugar: Bitter Truth, he clearly states that glucose is OK. It is fructose that is the culprit. Every living creature needs glucose, not fructose.

[Aethren]

@dahlenu Complex carbs do not spike blood sugar like simple sugars do, and some sources are quite healthy (brocolli, cauliflower, cucumber, fruit in moderation etc). If you think about how your body works, by your logic even fat eventually turns to sugar, otherwise you'd be constantly hypoglycemic on a low-carb diet.

[kalikalo100]

@dahlenu : Fructose, glucose and sucrose do not impact your metabolism the same way at all. If you are seriously interested, look for insulin response and fat storage metabolism. The body burns more fat when having a reasonable inventory of "gods carb" . Otherwise the metabolism is lowered and far less fat is burned, as a "sparing strategy" from your body. Try to strike the right amount of carbs, based on your physical activity, and try to cut all forms of sugar and eliminate HFCS. Respectfully.

[0SCJustJohn]

@dahlenu If you watched his lecture on sugar it would be clear. Fructose (and also sucrose since it is essentially half fructose) is processed much differently by the body than is glucose. Glucose does not activate the fat producing pathways while fructose does. Thus sugars like glucose and lactose are "okay." While fructose is not.

[ReaperShots]

@dahlenu After watching "Sugar-The Bitter Truth", Lustig's main point is- its not the glucose thats the problem, its the fructose that is really causing metabolic syndrome/excess fat accumulation. He illustrates that rice for example is a carb, but has no fructose and we should not accumulate excess fat from eating it. This goes counter to the low carb diets I've seen, therefore he is not pro low-carb diets, but rather low-fructose diet, specifically focusing on less soft drinks and juices.

[ArthurKnoqOut]

@dahlenu wth are you talking about when he says he sugar he specifically means un "natural" processed food and he himself says that low carb is often successful because it eliminates all sugar (other than fruits)...

[steveatrayve]

@dahlenu all carbs are not sugars, just the simple carbs. that's why people eat whole grains and legumes which have complex carbs. low-sugar & low-carb are not necessarily the same.

stop believing in fancy mumbo-jumbo. lol. ignorance is bliss!

[s1k3st937]

@dahlenu Starches are glucose polymers, not fructose. Dr. Lustig says fructose is the problem, not glucose.

[aleterra]

His lecture was on fructose, not on glucose. LOL

[livinlowcarbman]

@aleterra Right! Who said anything about glucose? :)

[Mommy0fTwins]

I have to admit, I like his idea of a no sugar vs a low carb study (with everything else being equal)... chances are we'd have a lot more converts (including him) after the findings.

[maryposa1978]

@Mommy0fTwins LOL too true!!!

[maryposa1978]

Ug, I never knew he thought that way. I am 1000% sure that I would gain weight on a sugar free diet if it included grains potatoes and corn. I guarantee that I will have major cravings and overeat. But I am not willing to prove it! lol

[livinlowcarbman]

@maryposa1978 Me too! I KNOW I'd gain eating starchy carbs.

[trunksy]

@maryposa1978 You should watch his lecture. His problem is not with table sugar, which is what you're talking about. It's the 50 percent of table sugar that is made up of fructose. Want to guess where high-fructose corn syrup comes from? Yes, corn. This sound bite doesn't give the whole picture of what Dr. Lustig is about when it comes to advocating for a healthy life. Don't take sound bites out of context.

[maryposa1978]

@trunksy what's your point about high-fructose syrup coming from corn? I know that. I stated that I would gain weight on grains potatoes and corn, even if I did not eat sugar. If someone posts a 2 minute clip and I comment on that clip, am I taking it out of context myself? It's out of context on it's own. Maybe you should take that up with the person that posted it.

[maryposa1978]

@maryposa1978 not trying to be rude, I just don't get your point... and I don't think you got mine. My point was only that I would gain weight on a diet that includes grain, corn and potatoes... which my diet does not.

[trunksy]

@maryposa1978 That's the rub. Part of Dr. Lustig's "Sugar: The Bitter Truth" lecture is about is how popular beliefs about fat from the USDA are based on faulty studies. We now know that there are good and bad fats and when it comes to carbs, we have this popular belief about about simple sugars and complex sugars (starches) as being similar but they're not. The "real" good and bad carbs are glucose and fructose, respectively. That's why I recommended that you watch the original lecture.

[maryposa1978]

@trunksy not trying to be rude, I just don't get your point... and I don't think you got mine. My point was only that I would gain weight on a diet that includes grain, corn and potatoes... which my diet does not.

[jlund75]

@maryposa1978 I lost 40 pounds in 5 months just by eliminating fructose (sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, and fructose fruits). I eat everything else and no calorie counting. My energy levels went up and body weight went down. It really is about the science. Just 10 pounds to go!

[seaXcrow]

Got that right. Going Atkins or Paleo will drop weight quickly, but adding fruit smoothies, even whole-fruit, will bring the rate of weight loss to a brick-wall, crashing halt. Most fruit = weight gain food.

[UndergroundWellness]

YEEEEEEEEAH!!!

[Diatonic135]

Dr Robert Lustig is actually Shaft!