http://www.uctv.tv/shows/The-Complete-Skinny-on-Obesity-25717
It is widely believed that obesity is the product of individual gluttony and sloth. This belief makes individuals personally responsible for their obesity. It places the blame totally on their shoulders. The mantra has been that obese people simply need to eat less and move more. They need to stop being gluttons and they need to stop being lazy. Just because something is widely believed does not make it true. In fact, saying that people are obese because they are lazy makes just about as much sense as saying that people with lupus are lazy. The truth is a lot more complex.
Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric neuroendocrinologist, is a pioneer in presenting a new interpretation of the relationship between individual behavior and obesity. Dr. Lustig who is a member of the faculty at the University of California at San Francisco has explained his findings in two widely popular lectures that were captured by University of California Television and shared through YouTube. I have posted links to these lectures on Life with Lupus a number of times and the response has been that they are too technical. However, if you are the type of person who is willing and interested in sitting through lectures on the biochemistry and physiology these lectures are the place to start.
Sugar: The Bitter Truth - http://www.uctv.tv/shows/Sugar-The-Bitter-Truth-16717
Fat Chance: Fructose 2.0 - http://uctv.tv/shows/Fat-Chance-Fructose-2-0-25641
Dr. Lustig recently published a book that presents his arguments for those who prefer to learn from reading. The book is Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease
Obesity is a biochemical alteration in the brain promoting leptin resistance with resultant weight gain and secondary changes in behavior to maintain energy balance. The apparent character defects of gluttony and sloth are not the cause of the problem they are the result of the problem. The biochemistry drives the behavior, not vice versa. (Lustig, 2014, p. 47).
Sugar prevents out brains from receiving the chemicals that tell us we have eaten enough and promotes the production of chemicals that tell us that we need to keep eating and that we need to stay still to conserve our energy (because no matter how much we eat, our brain thinks that we are starving).
For those who want to skip the science and get straight to the take away, the major culprit in the alteration of brain chemicals that promotes weight gain and the secondary changes in behavior (gluttony and sloth) that have been mistaken for the cause of obesity is SUGAR. Dr. Lustig is not arguing just against the high fructose corn syrup found in so many processed foods. He takes the time to explain that in the body, even table sugar (sucrose) is broken down into glucose and fructose and that excessive consumption of fructose alters brain chemistry no matter its source.
Dr. Lustig’s work has led to the production of a number of short and easily understood presentations on how sugar affects the brain. One of the most easily accessible productions is from neuroscientist Nicole Avena and TED animators: How does sugar affect the brain?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/08/how-sugar-affects-the-brain_n_4562173.html
The web is full of articles that talk about what eating too much sugar does to our bodies and our brains, including the impact that it has on obesity.
Those who live with lupus fog that is not the result of neurological damage produced by lupus might find this article from psychology today on what sugar does to the brain very interesting.
Fatty liver disease, dementia, and even depression are ways in which our brains and the rest of our body responds to sugar. This link points to an interesting series of articles.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201302/sugar-rush
So, why don’t we just stop eating sugar. The answer to that question is both simple and complex. Number 1 it is difficult for us to stop eating sugar because it is addictive. Number 2 it is difficult for us to stop eating sugar because it is hidden in so many foods that one must become a sugar detective to root it out.
Dr. Lustig points out that the food industry hides sugar from us by using 56 different names for it. The food industry makes huge profits by creating processed foods that contained addictive properties. And sugar is at the head of the list.
Sugar Has 56 Names: A Shopper's Guide (A Penguin Special from Hudson Street Press) by Robert H Lustig(Sep 3, 2013)
This too has been transformed into a TED animation that can help anyone understand how widespread hidden sugars are.
Sugar: Hiding in Plain Sight
http://ed.ted.com/lessons/sugar-hiding-in-plain-sight-robert-lustig
I recently went down the cereal aisle at a local supermarket. I only pulled down boxes that were touted as being health promoting. Most of them contained sugar under at least three different names.
So, if you think that obesity is the result of individuals being lazy, you might want to think again. If you are fighting obesity, you might want to consider the role of sugar and sugar addiction in the process. You might want to join the ranks of people with lupus who are working to eliminate added sugars from their diets by eliminating the processed foods that contain them.