conversation on pyramid

Jim:
I like to expand on a bit on our conversation on the food pyramid and am sharing it because it has relevance to every here. Specifically, on the topic of fructose from fruits.
Historically, adults who develop fatty liver are those who drink a fair bit of alcohol. It doesn't develop overnight but with frequent consumption, a pot belly develops; the fat comprises those in the liver and beyond.
It was thus a surprise to the medical community when kids as young as 6 years old were diagnosed with fatty liver too. It was established that no alcohol was consumed. After much searching, the doctors concluded, with intervention studies that fructose also caused fatty liver. Perhaps, like me, you remember TV shows, movies and advertisements portraying family breakfasts a glass of orange juice associating it with being healthy.
Biologically, fructose cannot be used in the same way as glucose. Practically all cells in the body can use glucose for energy. Conversely, not only is there no biological use for fructose, the body treats it like a toxin and turns it into fat. With excess consumption, a fatty liver will eventually develop. This is the result once the subcutaneous (under the skin) fat cells become full.
So, you might wonder, why do we take fructose? Between glucose and fructose, it is actually the sweeter of the two. And sugar comes with both in equal amounts. That means with every 1 teaspoon of sugar, the body will happily take 50% and use it for energy and while the other half is treated as waste, converted to fat and stored.
50% ... is a lot and IMHO, suggest why we gain weight as we age.
Having taken sugar practically all our lives, it would be difficult to even conceive of depriving ourselves.
Nevertheless, awareness is a start. Some amongst us are now taking coffee without added sugar (not to be confused with sweeteners as they are chemically different). It would be good to be aware that the food industry uses our "sweet tooth" to their advantage and many processed foods will have added sugar. Hence, an impact way to counter this potential problem is with home-cooked meals using real whole foods, as opposed to canned/packaged/convenient read-to-cook/eat meals.
As for fructose, eat your fruits whole (instead of juice) and infrequently ... the recommendations to have fruits daily may not be intended nor wise; all fruits come with fructose.
Having a fatty liver is just another "peg" towards chronic problems. As explained by MD Jason Fung: https://youtu.be/UvlXa9jW3kE


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