If you've among the two-thirds of Americans who are overweight or obese, read this first before blaming yourself for being short on self-control when it comes to those tempting, refined carbs that entice you just about everywhere you go.
Instead, our heavily processed, "poisoned," sugar-loaded food supply may be altering your biochemistry and driving you to eat more and more--and making you less inclined to get off your butt and exercise.
So hypothesizes nationally renowned obesity expert Robert Lustig, M.D,, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of California, San Francisco, in the most recent issue of 
Nature Cliinical Practice: Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Folks, this is really big news for those of you who've been having challenges saying no to all those sugar-filled, highly refined carbs that you've been consuming -- like crackers, cookies, yogurt, and white bread.
Basically, Dr. Lustig believes that eating large amounts of sugar makes your body produce more insulin, which, in turn, blocks vital hormones that should normally tell your brain to stop eating.
What's more, he theorizes, all that excess sugar makes your brain switch into starvation response mode. That then triggers more eating and activates lethargy (you know, the post-sugar "blahs") so that you can conserve energy. And then those extra unused calories are stored as fat. .
According to Dr. Lustig's hypothesis, "sugar in large quantities drives up insulin secretion," reported in the San Francisco Chronicle.
In one of the more fascinating, well-researched articles I've seen recently about this subject -- and I've seen probably thousands while working on my upcoming book SUGAR SHOCK! -- Chronicle staff reporter Erin Allday explains:
"This insulin floods the brain, and in particular the hypothalamus, which regulates energy use in the body. As a result, leptin, a hormone that tells the brain when the body needs more or less energy, can't get its signal to the hypothalamus because the insulin is blocking the way."
Allday continues:
"The result is that the body is thrown into starvation mode -- the brain thinks it isn't getting enough energy, so it needs more calories and it needs to save energy, he said. People end up feeling the symptoms of starvation, including malaise, depression, a lack of motivation and, of course, hunger."
Sound familiar? And guess what -- all those tempting, culprit carbs sold by major corporations could be what's driving your poor body into confusion and obesity. That's right.
"It's because of the toxic environment that the insulin rises and the problem behavior ensues," Dr. Lustig told Allday.
"That's why all of these diet programs don't work. That's why telling people to diet and exercise alone won't work, unless you improve the toxic environment as well."
Dr. Lustig contends that it's vital to break the pattern of sugar consumption, one that he compares to nicotine addiction. (Hurrah, Dr. Lustig! You're so onto something here! In fact, you just have to read my upcoming book SUGAR SHOCK!, because I discuss some of these same things.)
Folks, I can't tell you how exciting this is to have a cutting-edge pediatric endocrinologist putting forth these fascinating theories. (As you can see, Dr. Lustig's training is impressive and includes a bachelor's degree is from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a medical degree is from Cornell University Medical College, a pediatric residency at St. Louis Children's Hospital, and and a clinical fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at UCSF.)
If you've among the two-thirds of Americans who are overweight or obese, read this first before blaming yourself for being short on self-control when it comes to those tempting, refined carbs that entice you just about everywhere you go.
Instead, our heavily processed, "poisoned," sugar-loaded food supply may be altering your biochemistry and driving you to eat more and more--and making you less inclined to get off your butt and exercise.
So hypothesizes nationally renowned obesity expert Robert Lustig, M.D,, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of California, San Francisco, in the most recent issue of
Nature Cliinical Practice: Endocrinology and Metabolism.
Folks, this is really big news for those of you who've been having challenges saying no to all those sugar-filled, highly refined carbs that you've been consuming -- like crackers, cookies, yogurt, and white bread.
Basically, Dr. Lustig believes that eating large amounts of sugar makes your body produce more insulin, which, in turn, blocks vital hormones that should normally tell your brain to stop eating.
What's more, he theorizes, all that excess sugar makes your brain switch into starvation response mode. That then triggers more eating and activates lethargy (you know, the post-sugar "blahs") so that you can conserve energy. And then those extra unused calories are stored as fat. .
According to Dr. Lustig's hypothesis, "sugar in large quantities drives up insulin secretion," reported in the San Francisco Chronicle.
In one of the more fascinating, well-researched articles I've seen recently about this subject -- and I've seen probably thousands while working on my upcoming book SUGAR SHOCK! -- Chronicle staff reporter Erin Allday explains:
Allday continues:
Sound familiar? And guess what -- all those tempting, culprit carbs sold by major corporations could be what's driving your poor body into confusion and obesity. That's right.
"It's because of the toxic environment that the insulin rises and the problem behavior ensues," Dr. Lustig told Allday.
"That's why all of these diet programs don't work. That's why telling people to diet and exercise alone won't work, unless you improve the toxic environment as well."
Dr. Lustig contends that it's vital to break the pattern of sugar consumption, one that he compares to nicotine addiction. (Hurrah, Dr. Lustig! You're so onto something here! In fact, you just have to read my upcoming book SUGAR SHOCK!, because I discuss some of these same things.)
Folks, I can't tell you how exciting this is to have a cutting-edge pediatric endocrinologist putting forth these fascinating theories. (As you can see, Dr. Lustig's training is impressive and includes a bachelor's degree is from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a medical degree is from Cornell University Medical College, a pediatric residency at St. Louis Children's Hospital, and and a clinical fellowship in pediatric endocrinology at UCSF.)