I heart science + food + fitness: 2015

This New Year, I resolved to eat less refined sugar. If you have been paying attention to the news lately, you may have heard that sugar is our new enemy, supplanting fat. Sugar has been implicated in the obesity epidemic and the rise of type 2 diabetes diagnoses, and also may negatively affect cardiovascular health. What are the main sources of sugar in our diets and how can we reduce our sugar intake? Read on to find out the low down on sugar and also a recipe for those special occasions when you are really craving something sweet.

Many foods naturally contain sugars. For example, fructose, the sweetest of the sugars, is found in many types of fruit, and lactose is abundant in dairy products. A well-balanced, healthy diet can include both fruit and milk products. Where we get into trouble with sugar is when its supplemented in foods. Added sweeteners amount to roughly 22 teaspoons (or 350 calories) of extra sugar per day for the average American according to the USDA’s Economic Research Service. These calories provide no nutrients besides energy to your body. When energy is not presently needed, it is stored for later use, and thus consuming excess sugar over time leads to weight gain.

Processed foods are the most common source of added sugar for the average American. Food manufacturers have figured out that sweetening their products makes them more delectable and stimulates our brain reward systems to keep us coming back for more. Added sugar sneaks into foods like pizza, bread, soup, fruit juice, spaghetti sauce, hot dogs, ketchup, salad dressing, flavored yogurts, mayonnaise, and even peanut butter. The food’s ingredient list will not necessarily use the word “sugar,” but instead a more disguised term. If you are concerned about your added sugar intake, here is a list of ingredients to look for:

Agave nectar	Evaporated cane juice	Maltose
Brown sugar	Fructose	Malt syrup
Cane sugar	Fruit juice concentrates	Maple syrup
Corn sweetener	Glucose	Molasses
Corn syrup	High fructose corn syrup	Raw sugar
Crystalline fructose	Honey	Sucrose
Dextrose	Invert sugar	Syrup

Perhaps the most notorious of the list above is high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). HFCS is a liquid sweetener added to many foods and in particular soft drinks. HFCS has replaced sucrose (table sugar) as the food industry’s sweetener of choice due to its liquid properties that make it extremely amenable to adding to processed foods. Furthermore HFCS is derived from corn, a crop abundantly produced in the American Midwest. In contrast, sucrose is isolated from tropical plants that are imported into the US. Sugar cane and beets are the common sources of sucrose, whereas HFCS is made by enzymatically treating corn syrup to increase its fructose content. In 2004, Bray et al. hypothesized that the increased use of HFCS in foods was linked to the rise of obesity in the US. This article sparked a heated debate over the use of this sweetener, which has resulted in a vehement backlash against HFCS. Many food companies have switched back to sucrose, and even the Corn Refiners Association tried to change the name of HFCS to “corn sugar,’ but the FDA denied their petition. Is HFCS really worse for us than sucrose?

Despite the fact that HFCS and sucrose have different origins, they both contain roughly 50:50 glucose to fructose, although HFCS additionally contains water and some larger sugars. Of the two main components, glucose is the most ubiquitous (natural) form of sugar that is used in numerous cell types for energy in organisms ranging from bacteria to humans. The breakdown of fructose also produces energy, but in humans is mainly localized in the liver. In addition to providing energy, fructose and glucose can be converted to molecules that store energy, or are eventually used to form amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) and fats. Fructose metabolism bypasses some of the regulatory controls that are applied to glucose, which may lead to an increase in triglycerides (fats) released into the bloodstream. This observation has led scientists to hypothesize that increased fructose consumption may contribute to obesity, among other diseases. However, the role of fructose in the development of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and fatty liver disease is a topic of considerable debate in the scientific community (see review papers in the references). Many of the studies that support these findings have been criticized for using extreme fructose doses, animal models that do not translate well to human metabolism, or are based on epidemiological studies that show association, but not direct causation. Given that HFCS and sucrose both contain a considerable amount of fructose, they should be consumed in moderation until the role of fructose in human health is further elucidated.

It is not surprising that sugar is the newest scapegoat for our health problems. In the 1980s, fat was demonized, which resulted in adding sugar to low- and nonfat foods in order to make them more palatable. In another few decades, another food will likely be singled out. The lesson we need to learn is that biochemistry is extremely complicated. No matter how hard we wish that there was a single magic solution to all of our weight and health problems, our bodies are too complex for it to be that simple. Instead, maybe we should follow Michael Pollan’s advice in Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” A balanced, primarily plant-based diet combined with exercise has proven to help many people improve their health. The hardest part is changing our habits, precisely what a good proportion of Americans pledge to do every New Year. So here’s to sticking to New Year’s resolutions!

However, I know myself. I will not be able to completely eliminate refined sugar from my diet. In this respect, Rules 60 and 64 in Pollan’s book are also applicable, “60. Treat treats as treats.” and “64. Break the rules once in a while.” Pollan argues that if you are craving a “special occasion food,” like dessert, you should make it yourself as you would be unlikely to bake a cake or cookies every day, but you could easily buy them at the store. And if you are really craving sugar, then eat it! When I want to satisfy my sweet tooth, I like to make my sister Jill’s chocolate chip cookies, for which you will find the recipe below. Be warned, once you start eating them, its difficult to stop!

Jill’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 12-24 cookies, depending on how large you make them.

1 stick unsalted butter

⅓ c brown sugar

⅓ c white sugar

1 egg

½ tsp vanilla

1 ¼ c flour

½ tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

chocolate chips

love (Jill says its the secret ingredient)

Preheat oven to 375 deg F.

In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugars until fluffy (a wooden spoon works well). Add the egg and vanilla and stir until just combined. Then add the flour, baking soda, and pinch of salt. Mix until all of the dry ingredients are just about incorporated, and then add chocolate chips to your liking. If you want fluffier cookies, place the dough in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes. Roll the dough into quarter-sized balls and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

I heart science + food + fitness

Monday, February 16, 2015

Sugar!