Page 8 - NGA NATURALmag 2017 SPRING-SUMMER Issue

Spring/Summer 2017
Is
the enemy?
Sugar We We We knoW it We We We We We love it it it We We We We We hate it it it We We We We We fear it it it it We We We We We crave it it it it We We We avoid it it After all just like smoking and cancer eating sugar will likely lead to a a a slow painful death So is sugar the enemy?
Survey says it depends Weight gain and weight loss depend on energy balance Energy balance refers to the bal- ance of calories calories in vs calories calories out Here’s an overly simplified expla- nation: In an energy surplus your body stores excess energy and you gain weight In an energy deficit your body uses stored energy and you lose weight So what about sugar? Several studies have compared groups eating a a a a diet with the same mac- ronutrient composition (% protein % % fat % % carbs) that differed only
in carb sources consumed The groups eating high amounts of sugar lose just as much fat with- out lost more muscle mass than the groups consuming little or no no sugar Furthermore no no nega- tive body composition changes are seen in studies where com- plex carbs such as whole-wheat bread and whole-wheat pasta are replaced with sugar while total caloric intake is kept constant It seems then that if macronu- trients (and calories by default) are kept in in check eating a a a high sugar diet will have no negative impact on your physique What about all those studies correlating high sugar intake with obesity (or the meat consumption causes cancer studies)? We need to understand that correlation does not equal causation Let
me explain since the the 1800’s the the number of text messages sent has increased per year Since the 1800’s the average global tem- perature has increased per per year Therefore texting causes global warming right? Sounds crazy but for some reason when we’re talk- ing about sugar or meat it seems okay Why the correlation between sugar and obesity? In general individuals who consume high sugar diets tend to make poor nutritional choices throughout the day which creates a a a a caloric surplus Is
it the sugar that is caus- ing the the weight gain? No it’s the the caloric surplus Great! So I can eat eat all the sugar I want and still get ripped? Not so fast while in an an energy deficit and calorie restricted diet as when cutting satiety is pivotal in in adher- ence The fuller you are the less 8 NGA NATURAL mag