General Discussion

Major Nikon

(36,922 posts)

173. Sugar is very similar to addictive substances

Fri Jul 19, 2013, 10:14 PM

Jul 2013

It acts on pleasure centers in the brain much the same way certain drugs do. You also build up a certain level of tolerance to it, much in the same way some drugs do. I don't often use supplemental sweeteners of any sort. Most commercially sweetened things like soft drinks taste way too sweet for me. You are correct in that the cheapness of supplemental sweetners makes them available in excess to just about everyone. The only reason sucrose is not cheaper than HFCS is the US can't feasibly produce enough of it to meet the very high demand and trade tariffs keep foreign sucrose from flooding the market.

I think some people just like to have their sweet fix and if they can fool themselves into thinking they can switch from HFCS to sucrose all their weight and health problems will magically go away. The belief that someone else is to blame for their ills is an easy trap to fall into.

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HFCS and YOU [View all] DainBramaged Jul 2013 OP

I'm lucky Spider Jerusalem Jul 2013 #1

I thought C6H12O6 was C6H12O6 dipsydoodle Jul 2013 #2

The sugar association thinks otherwise...... DainBramaged Jul 2013 #3

The link claims no such thing Major Nikon Jul 2013 #129

Except table sugar (from sugar cane and beet) is C12H22O11 Spider Jerusalem Jul 2013 #4

Sucrases secreted by the lining of the small intestine convert sucrose to glucose + fructose FarCenter Jul 2013 #25

and cooks and bakers know that replacing cane sugar with beet hedgehog Jul 2013 #45

I never found a difference between one form of crystallized sucrose Warpy Jul 2013 #136

I think it's a result of crystal size - beet sugar tends to be much finer - hedgehog Jul 2013 #154

blood glucose levels spike more dramatically BainsBane Jul 2013 #55

The reverse is true Major Nikon Jul 2013 #127

That's not what my doctor told me BainsBane Jul 2013 #131

The sugar in OJ contains almost exclusively fructose Major Nikon Jul 2013 #132

I take a general view that if it is closer to a natural state BainsBane Jul 2013 #134

Shit is perfectly natural and often organic Major Nikon Jul 2013 #137

No, fruit over sugar BainsBane Jul 2013 #138

But sugar dates back to 500 BC BainsBane Jul 2013 #139

Shit goes back even farther Major Nikon Jul 2013 #140

You're fixated on shit BainsBane Jul 2013 #142

Some of the best foods on earth derive much of their flavor from shit Major Nikon Jul 2013 #144

What? BainsBane Jul 2013 #145

How do you think fermentation works? Major Nikon Jul 2013 #146

It's not shit BainsBane Jul 2013 #147

HFCS, hydrogenated, and chervilant Jul 2013 #5

HFCS is a man-made product that did not even exist until the '60s DainBramaged Jul 2013 #6

so is penicillin. HiPointDem Jul 2013 #9

Do you eat penicillin? chervilant Jul 2013 #11

hfcs is 'man-made' in the same sense lemon meringue is. it's a food whose properties have been HiPointDem Jul 2013 #36

If you eat meat its likely you are eating all sorts of antibiotics. 1-Old-Man Jul 2013 #92

Well, yes you do if you eat bleu or Brie cheeses REP Jul 2013 #94

Vegan here chervilant Jul 2013 #105

I don't eat HFCS and think its crap. REP Jul 2013 #106

Have you read any of Diana Gabaldon's works? chervilant Jul 2013 #110

I'm not much of a romance fancier REP Jul 2013 #115

OIC chervilant Jul 2013 #153

penicillin DainBramaged Jul 2013 #15

recognizing the properties of the mold is not the same thing as creating the pharmaceutical. HiPointDem Jul 2013 #35

Do you think they manufacture it from pixie dust or live culture? DainBramaged Jul 2013 #37

you can also make it in your home kitchen. HiPointDem Jul 2013 #39

I the end, what is your point over this discussion? DainBramaged Jul 2013 #41

my point is that i am a participant at DU & can express myself on any topic, just as you can. HiPointDem Jul 2013 #51

The antibiotic drug penicillin is *indeed* a man-made substance in exactly the same sense that HiPointDem Jul 2013 #38

Pretty much, they do. REP Jul 2013 #97

pretty much not. it goes through about as many chemical steps as the production of hfcs HiPointDem Jul 2013 #126

Only to those who think science is scary Major Nikon Jul 2013 #119

bullshit. HiPointDem Jul 2013 #7

Really? chervilant Jul 2013 #10

"HFCS, hydrogenated, and partially hydrogenated oils (HOs) have no nutritional value" = HiPointDem Jul 2013 #40

They have caloric value. But as far as vitamins and minerals go, zilch. reformist2 Jul 2013 #100

Neither do most vegetable & seed oils. So? HiPointDem Jul 2013 #124

Speaking of bullshit... chervilant Jul 2013 #107

Perhaps the problem is that you don't understand what "nutritional value" means. Anything with HiPointDem Jul 2013 #122

Such a profound response... chervilant Jul 2013 #162

words have meanings, much as you would prefer to live in your little solipsistic world. they HiPointDem Jul 2013 #168

Why is such hyperbole necessary? Can't you just say you think there... Silent3 Jul 2013 #78

Hyperbole? chervilant Jul 2013 #108

Now you compound hyperbole with poor reading skills Silent3 Jul 2013 #109

Oh, dear; oh, dear! chervilant Jul 2013 #111

What you said is patently not true, therefore it is at best hyperbole. Silent3 Jul 2013 #113

From what cavernous, dark hole did you crawl chervilant Jul 2013 #164

"For you"? I have to account for what, that you're a different species than I realized? Silent3 Jul 2013 #170

"my body has to call upon its reserves of vitamins and minerals simply to PROCESS these 'foods'" HiPointDem Jul 2013 #171

I have more issues than HFCS. Agschmid Jul 2013 #8

Come out come out HFCs shills hankthecrank Jul 2013 #12

My body proves to me that it is not the same every time some slips by, Egalitarian Thug Jul 2013 #13

Looks like adm not getting a good return on money to shills hankthecrank Jul 2013 #14

HFCS is made from corn kernels, which are indeed sweet mathematic Jul 2013 #16

White gold (Google is your friend, sugar is Centuries old) DainBramaged Jul 2013 #17

I am well aware that people have been eating sugar for a long time. mathematic Jul 2013 #18

most beets in USA are GMO lunasun Jul 2013 #27

what is your point, & why did you feel the need to put it in all in bold? do you really think HiPointDem Jul 2013 #42

Do you have a stake in defending HFCS or the industry? DainBramaged Jul 2013 #44

I have a stake in countering bullshit. No, I don't work in the food industry if that's what you're HiPointDem Jul 2013 #46

Then you have no leg to stand on when you call bullshit DainBramaged Jul 2013 #48

i've been posting evidence to the contrary, & higher level degree in nutrition says i have more HiPointDem Jul 2013 #52

& higher level degree in nutrition DainBramaged Jul 2013 #57

I didn't say it to impress you. Any sugar can also cause 'behavioral reactions similar to those HiPointDem Jul 2013 #59

(Someone's not getting their money's worth...) chervilant Jul 2013 #112

I doubt that the anonymous website "Prevent Disease" is a paying gig. HiPointDem Jul 2013 #120

Oh, my... chervilant Jul 2013 #163

"arrogant, presumptuous drivel" = indeed. HiPointDem Jul 2013 #167

Besides, most US sugar comes from sugar beets DainBramaged Jul 2013 #19

"Most" currently means "greater than half". mathematic Jul 2013 #20

Try as you might, I'm not taking the bait DainBramaged Jul 2013 #21

i'm proud of you! displacedtexan Jul 2013 #53

i'm pushing 60 & take no medications whatsoever. i have a normal weight and an advanced HiPointDem Jul 2013 #56

(sigh) better medications, it's that simple DainBramaged Jul 2013 #58

bullshit, on two counts: 1) i made no claim that hfcs reduced heart disease. 2) if you were HiPointDem Jul 2013 #64

Always remember, the HFCS be with you. His claim HFCS has contributed to lower heart disease DainBramaged Jul 2013 #61

your claim that i made that claim is one of the greatest examples of prevarication ever seen at HiPointDem Jul 2013 #68

K&r n/t hankthecrank Jul 2013 #22

Kick hankthecrank Jul 2013 #23

U.S. Losing Taste for Corn Sweetener as Dieters Shun Soda DainBramaged Jul 2013 #24

Feeding bees corn syrup may leave them vulnerable to colony collapse DainBramaged Jul 2013 #26

It is the lack of other nutrients that is the problem; honey contains mostly fructose and glucose. FarCenter Jul 2013 #28

Sorry there's a big difference between the two. Arcanetrance Jul 2013 #29

Karo is *not* high fructose corn syrup. It's ordinary corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is HiPointDem Jul 2013 #49

Forgive me your right I will edit that out Arcanetrance Jul 2013 #54

no problem, i don't like karo either HiPointDem Jul 2013 #74

We switched to Agave nectar ...you would be surprised at how good this stuff is. L0oniX Jul 2013 #30

I have it at home too besides Stevia, and t's become very reasonable DainBramaged Jul 2013 #31

We even take Agave to resturants ...tried Stevia but it has an after taste. L0oniX Jul 2013 #33

what kind of chemical processes do you think are used to turn leaves into sweet powder? HiPointDem Jul 2013 #50

stevia has a lower glycemic load. Don't care about processing, myself. Not a paleo. KittyWampus Jul 2013 #60

It has a lower glycemic load like saccharin does -- because it has no caloric value. HiPointDem Jul 2013 #66

agave nectar = mostly fructose. HiPointDem Jul 2013 #67

Lowest glycemic value. Well they don't seem to run out of 10 yo wine and I doubt they will run out.. L0oniX Jul 2013 #71

it has lower glycemic value because of the percentage of inulin (mostly non-nutritive, i.e. can't HiPointDem Jul 2013 #73

Well I will keep using Agave ...and you are welcome to promote and use HFCS. L0oniX Jul 2013 #77

i don't 'promote' hfcs. i counter bullshit. you keep using your high-fructose sweetner. HiPointDem Jul 2013 #81

You counter bullshit? Well it's good to have goals and dreams. L0oniX Jul 2013 #86

bs like 'here, use this high-fructose sweetner so you can avoid that other high-fructose sweetner HiPointDem Jul 2013 #87

Come to think of it, two suppossed food scientists in two days giving us positive responses to HFCS? DainBramaged Jul 2013 #88

please link to where someone claimed to be a food scientist. why don't you respond to the HiPointDem Jul 2013 #89

New corporate shills being discovered everyday. Amazing ain't it. L0oniX Jul 2013 #90

lol. you don't know much about agave. small producers are being pushed out & they use lots HiPointDem Jul 2013 #91

It's been fun playing with them today, but they insult the DU as a whole when their rhetoric DainBramaged Jul 2013 #93

people may feel better not eating hfcs; that's great, more power to them. i personally feel HiPointDem Jul 2013 #157

Agave nectar is a highly processed sweetener MineralMan Jul 2013 #79

Hello DainBramaged Jul 2013 #95

Your endocrinologist... MineralMan Jul 2013 #104

But shanti Jul 2013 #166

For the most part I gave it up tabbycat31 Jul 2013 #32

New study out of Princeton Greybnk48 Jul 2013 #34

Might want to have a look at this for the rest of the story... Major Nikon Jul 2013 #121

HFCS + Palm Oil = the cheapest stuff on earth used to make us buy unhealthy foods displacedtexan Jul 2013 #43

I avoid HFCS like the plague. ananda Jul 2013 #47

HFCS may be bad, but your two opening paragraphs aren't so hot either. Silent3 Jul 2013 #62

I guess the opening statement is as far as you read... DainBramaged Jul 2013 #65

You obviously have no idea sugar is processed Major Nikon Jul 2013 #116

"Corporations are just as happy to market to our pseudoscientific fears" = yes. Cargill & Coca-Cola HiPointDem Jul 2013 #70

I avoid it more because of the taste than the potential harmful effects bigwillq Jul 2013 #63

HFCS tastes like the kind of shit you would use to add to a petri dish in biochem Taverner Jul 2013 #69

It is amazing what levels some will stoop to to defend a product that scientific evidence DainBramaged Jul 2013 #72

it is amazing what levels some will stoop to to defend their little hobbyhorses. scientific evidence HiPointDem Jul 2013 #75

The science does seem to be supporting the HFCS diabetes connection Taverner Jul 2013 #76

Many mny new drugs cause weight gain in Seniors (like myself) DainBramaged Jul 2013 #83

Portion size is a big factor too Taverner Jul 2013 #84

I was told in my youth I had a big portion size DainBramaged Jul 2013 #96

How does this happen? Do you end up feeling hungrier all the time? reformist2 Jul 2013 #101

No, metabolism slows down and doesn't process calories like I used to DainBramaged Jul 2013 #102

You still don't get it do you? Major Nikon Jul 2013 #117

You really need to stop, your stalking is getting obvious now DainBramaged Jul 2013 #149

"You obviously have a fixation that goes beyond simple discussions when disagreed with. " Major Nikon Jul 2013 #151

Where's the response for "I'd like to see more panic about the subject?" Orrex Jul 2013 #80

LOLOLOL DainBramaged Jul 2013 #82

+1 ^^^this^^^ LMFAO L0oniX Jul 2013 #165

sugar is sugar Kali Jul 2013 #85

Exactly Major Nikon Jul 2013 #118

I avoid it entirely, it tastes crappy and ruins the texture of baked goods. Bluenorthwest Jul 2013 #98

I'm not paranoid about it, but there are big differences in how different sugars are metabolized. reformist2 Jul 2013 #99

The same is true for sucrose Major Nikon Jul 2013 #123

never touch the stuff handmade34 Jul 2013 #103

I try to avoid sugars of all kind, Dorian Gray Jul 2013 #114

NYC's Bloomberg is an ass that wants to live forever that thinks making everyone else follow his gvstn Jul 2013 #125

trans fats are found in nature. so is fructose. your body knows how to process them. that HiPointDem Jul 2013 #128

Where are trans fats found in nature? gvstn Jul 2013 #155

meat & milk. fructose is widely in nature. HiPointDem Jul 2013 #156

HFCS probably isn't good for the body, however I am not a perfect being. I have flaws. liberal_at_heart Jul 2013 #130

Everything in moderation (including moderation) Major Nikon Jul 2013 #133

I avoid it these days Warpy Jul 2013 #135

"Earl Butz" Warren DeMontague Jul 2013 #141

A few odd points I haven't heard often in this thread: defacto7 Jul 2013 #143

More calories + lower activity levels = more obesity Major Nikon Jul 2013 #148

140 to few. I guess the job of the HFCS defenders didn't go well DainBramaged Jul 2013 #150

"It's the purity crowd telling US what we should eat and what is garbage" Major Nikon Jul 2013 #152

omg. shilling for big food! HiPointDem Jul 2013 #158

This message was self-deleted by its author Major Nikon Jul 2013 #159

Perhaps Major Nikon Jul 2013 #160

Message auto-removed Name removed Jul 2013 #161

The problem with HFCS isn't so much the actual chemical...it's the fact that it's in bloody Evoman Jul 2013 #169

I'd agree with you there. HiPointDem Jul 2013 #172

Sugar is very similar to addictive substances Major Nikon Jul 2013 #173