Why is sugar bad?

It's probably was discussed somewhere on the forum already, but i coulnd't find it.

So, why exactly is sugar bad? I understand that refined sugar doesn't have any nutritional value, but what's the reason everyone is bashing on it so much? I understand that it's very easy to overeat and gain weight eating a lot ot sweets such as candy, chocolate bars, cakes etc. mainly because they're very tasty and it's easy very easy to overeat it but again, the problem why people gain weight is not because of sugar, but because of overeating.

 

Inflammation, insulin in overdrive, fat, mood swings...

 

What do you mean by fat? You gain fat by overeating, not from sugar.

 

Mood swings?

 

It's an easy scapegoat. Much easier to demonize "sugar" as an entity rather than all the other shit that goes into a poor diet.

 

Like Synapse said, it's an easy scapegoat but it's part of a larger conversation. As you say it's easy to overeat sugar and a lot of crappy, easy to prepare food is high in sugar (and salt) to make it appealing.

 

simple sugars found in soda, chocolate, sweets give you a huge hit of energy and then a come down later ... as the sugars are simple carbohydrates that your body breaks down so quickly.

What you want is complex carbohydrates which take longer to break down, thus being slow releasing energy, this is more stable release of energy over a longer time. Instead of a boom/bust type energy release you get from soda/sweets. Complex carbs found in brown bread, beans, brown rice, vegetables etc.

Having a boom/bust in energy can probably affect your mood.

 

You're right, sugar doesn't make you fat. Carbohydrates and fats are too different things. But, some sweets and sugary foods contain a LOT of calories. By consuming too much calories, your body never gets the chance to burn off fat.

 

Sugar isn't bad per-say, but too much sugar is. Getting sugar naturally through fruits and vegetables is your best bet. That's how I've always looked at it.

 

sweet foods trigger the release of insulin, which communicates to the cells you have just ingested easily burned carbs(instead of using fat reserves for energy) and it also signals cells to absorb the sugars you just ate. (Look into bodybuilding, insulin is huge right now. It's very effective in putting on mass)
Insulin increases the perceived pleasure of eating sweet foods.
sugar also releases endorphins, leading to eating more sugars.
But mainly, I would say the biggest problem is the increased uptake of nutrients indicated above.

 

Not something I've noticed during my sugar intake.

 

This is sort of the problem with the sugar debacle. Sugar is insulinogenic. Lots of other food are insulinogenic. Sugar is no more inherently "bad" than any of those other foods. Taken a step further, insulinogenic foods aren't inherently "bad" either. If someone thinks insulinogenic foods/foods that have a very rapid absorption time are "bad", then they should never drink another protein shake again.

Again, it's a lot easier to just slap a "bad" label on something and set up these false dichotomies than it is to actually educate a person.

 

Sugar isn't bad.

http://www.alanaragonblog.com/2010/01/29/the-bitter-truth-about-fructose-alarmism/

 

Most complex carbohydrates don't take longer to break down. The glycemic index of sugar is very average. Most complex carbs like nearly all grains and root vegetables have a higher GI than sugar. Not that it really matters, because digestion speed and mood are not related.

Sugar is not highly insulinogenic. It's very middle of the road. Protein is more insulinogenic than sugar. Complex carbohydrates are more insulinogenic than sugar. This is an extremely incorrect, Taubes-esque, view on sugar, carbohydrates, insulin and fat storage.

Sugar is not inherently bad for you. It can be good for you in the right circumstances. Like almost everything in nutrition it is contextual.

 

This is what I tend to go with. My favorite is people who are munching down a handful of cookies someone will make a comment about it being a lot of sugar and the response is, "you need some sugar in your diet."

 

/thread


Sugars have their place in the grand scheme of things. Too much of anything will end up detrimental, even protein.

 

I was eating sugar cookies on the exercise bike warming up for squats the other day. I did not die.

 

^

 

I drank a can of coke every day while cutting.

 

Because of overeating sugar.

Your last sentence is like saying he didn't die because of the bullet, he died because he got shot.

He got shot with a bullet.

If you are imbibing excessive doses of sugar (including beverages and baked goods as well as desserts, etc) for long periods of time it will catch up to you.