Fat To Skinny

General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: mouseissue on June 29, 2014, 02:00:12 PM

Title: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: mouseissue on June 29, 2014, 02:00:12 PM
HI, Gang!

Came across this article that discusses another reason to avoid carbs (sugar).
This certainly would help explain the rampant mindlessness I see in America today! ;)

Tony


Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Lorie Johnson

CBN News Medical Reporter 

By now you already know that too much sugar harms your body. It makes you fat, leads to diabetes, heart disease and cancer, and the list goes on and on. If you have a health problem, chances are it's caused by, or made worse by, to too much sugar in your diet. An easy test is to stop eating sugar, including carbohydrates like white bread, pasta and rice (which affect your body the same way as sugar) for a couple of months and see how you feel. Chances are, you'll feel better. Remember, sugar comes in many forms. The most popular is high fructose corn syrup, but there are many other forms, including other types ending in -ose, and starches, honey, of course cane sugar, syrups and honey.

If you don't think you can bear to go without the sugar and refined carbohydrates outlined above, you are most likely a sugar/carb addict. That is a subject for another blog, but in short, science has determined that in some people, sugar and carbs cause the release of dopamine in the brain, which is connected with pleasure and reward, so you never get enough...in fact, always want more. This is a big problem for your health, but perhaps more importantly because no person should be in bondage to any substance, whether sugar, carbs, alcohol, pain killers, cocaine, and so on. If you find yourself thinking, "I can't go without...." and you complete the sentence with a substance, you are an addict, and you need help. Humans are not made to be slaves to substances. We should be in control of them, not the other way around.

But take heart: if you are under the control of a substance, you can change! In the case of sugar and carbs, you probably only need to go cold turkey, exercise extreme self-control for a time, and your cravings will go away in a few days to a few weeks. I am speaking from experience. However, if you're addicted to any of the other substances listed above, please get help from one many treatment centers and organizations available.

So while we've established that sugar is terrible for your body, did you also know it wrecks your brain? It does!

Researchers at UCLA fed three groups of rats the same food: "rat chow," or regular rat food. During this time, the researchers trained all three groups of rats to navigate a maze. The maze had lots of walls, visual markings, so the rats could learn their way, and one exit. All three groups of rats learned the maze the same.

Then the researchers substituted one rat group's water with water spiked with fructose. Sound familiar? That's what soda is. So that group of rats ingested lots of sugar over a period of six weeks. At the end of the six weeks the rats who'd been fed fructose were slower and had greater difficulty remembering how to get through the maze than the rats who hadn't been fed the sugar.

According to one of the researchers, "Their brains showed a decline in synaptic activity. Their brain cells had trouble signaling each other, disrupting their ability to think clearly and recall the route they'd learned six weeks earlier."

 

The rats that were fed fructose also developed insulin resistance. Researchers suggest this disrupts learning and causes memory loss and corrupts the brain's ability to process thoughts and emotions. According to one scientist with the study, "Insulin is important in the body for controlling blood sugar, but it may play a different role in the brain, where insulin appears to disturb memory and learning," he said. "Our study shows that a high-fructose diet harms the brain as well as the body. This is something new."

But wait, there's more: a fascinating twist. Remember there were three rat groups? One stuck with the original diet, the other was fed a bunch of sugar, and the third was given a bunch of sugar AND...Omega-3 fats, like the kind found salmon, walnuts and flax. The group of rats that was fed sugar and Omega-3 fats navigated the maze much better than the group of rats that had just sugar. The conclusion is obvious. Omega-3 fats lessen the destructive impact of sugar on the brain.

We can learn a lot from this study. The first thing is to avoid fructose like the plague. Regardless of what we do during the day, we must perform at our best intellectual ability, and fructose simply handicaps our thinking process.

We must look at the list of ingredients in all the things we purchase, because fructose is added to an estimated 80-percent of the items at the typical grocery store. If you see fructose in the list of ingredients, or one of its sugary cousins, such as ingredients ending in -ose, or "starch" or "syrup" don't purchase it.

Of course fructose and related sugary ingredients are added to sweets like cookies and candy. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. They're in foods that many people do not consider sweet, but they really are, such as bread, crackers, pasta sauce, granola bars, cereal, yogurt, jelly, and on and on and on. So read the list of ingredients! Remember the list begins with the ingredients the food contains the most of, and goes from there. So if sugar is the first ingredients, run for the hills! That means it contains more sugar than anything else! This applies to many foods. Don't believe me? Check out the ingredients of soda or kiddie cereal.

If you are less than perfect, and choose to eat something sugary, this study teaches us that we can mitigate the damage from that sugar by consuming Omega-3 fats. Although these healthy fats are found in foods like salmon, walnuts and flax, it's actually difficult to get enough Omega-3s from our diet. So it's best to take a fish oil supplement. Make sure you look at the label of the supplement and get the one that tells you how many milligrams of DHA are in each capsule. Take enough capsules each day to equal about one gram of DHA per day.

By the way, you should know that the consumption of too many Omega-6 fats blocks your body's ability to process Omega-3 fats. So it's best to cut way, way back on Omega-6 fats. These are vegetable oils, corn, soybean, canola, etc. These are the oils in the clear, plastic bottles that line the grocery store shelves. Also check the list of ingredients on processed foods for these unhealthy oils. A good diet consists of consuming EQUAL amounts of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats. However, the average American consumes twenty times more Omega-6 fats than Omega-3s, and this imbalance leads to massive inflammation, a known killer. And since the two types of fats compete against each other, eating too many Omega-6 fats blocks your body's ability to process the healthy Omega-3s.

So to summarize, for healthy brain function, including memory and thinking, stay away from sugar and take one gram of DHA in a supplement form each day. Finally, drastically reduce your consumption of Omega-6 oil
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: Doug Varrieur on June 30, 2014, 09:23:32 AM
Excellent article Tony, of course we've known this for years :)
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: umpa on June 30, 2014, 09:27:53 AM
GREAT ARTICLE! ;D
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: mouseissue on June 30, 2014, 01:44:16 PM
I've noticed my "senior moments" are not as frequent as they were shortly before I started FTS. :)
But I still get, them... I guess there no escaping the ravages of time.

Tony
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: umpa on July 01, 2014, 09:30:06 AM
No,but ginkgo is a great herb for memory Tony ;)
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: mouseissue on July 01, 2014, 11:13:57 AM
No,but ginkgo is a great herb for memory Tony ;)

Thanks for the tip! :) :) :)

I'll give it a try, Umpa... I put it on my shopping list.
How does a person usually take? And how long does it usually take to kick-in?

Thanks, again! ;D
Tony
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: umpa on July 02, 2014, 09:33:35 AM
It kicks in rather quickly.It is used for Alzheimer patients.Also a favorite with college students ;) Pills are fine.By a small amount at the drugstore before you buy the big bottle from costco.Some people have tummy problems like heartburn with it ;)
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: mouseissue on July 02, 2014, 10:09:16 AM
Thanks, Umpa! ;D ;D ;D

I'll give it a try soon.

Tony
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: shawn116 on July 08, 2014, 07:31:36 PM
Excellent articular Tony!!  All I know is sugar is the devil in disguise.  It is surely the cause of most if not all of my health problems and the reason many of my family members have lost their life way too soon   :'(


Just stopping in to say hello to my FTS family.  Ya'll know I can't forget you   ;D ;D 

I hope everyone has been doing great and enjoyed the 4th! 
It's been busy busy here for me but I'm maintaining and my A1C just stays the course now going on 3 years!!!!   Thanks to Fat to Skinny and of course to both of you Umpa and Doug and the rest of the family I have the key to staying healthy!!    I so miss talking with all of you.  I promise to try and check in more.   :-* :-* :-*
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: mouseissue on July 09, 2014, 10:47:50 AM
Well Hello, Shawn! :) :) :)

You've been missed around here!... I've often wondered how you were.

I'm happy to hear that FTS is doing for you what it's been doing for me for the past years.
Because of it, I'm looking forward to a long and healthy life!!! ;D ;D ;D

Please check in more often.
I do so enjoy hearing from you! :) :) :)

Tony
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: rennard on July 10, 2014, 02:36:33 AM
I didn't know that sugar can be bad in our brain too. Thanks!
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: Doug Varrieur on July 10, 2014, 08:53:42 AM
So, here's what I think.....hum, why am I here? Oh yes I remember now :)
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: umpa on July 10, 2014, 09:13:38 AM
TooSweet we have missed you! Lotsa love to you and the grandbabies! ;D
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: mouseissue on July 10, 2014, 01:20:26 PM
So, here's what I think.....hum, why am I here? Oh yes I remember now :)

 :D :D :D :D

Tony
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: shawn116 on July 14, 2014, 07:46:35 AM
Thanks my friends   ;D ;D  Love to all of you as well!!   :-* :-* 

Doug you are so funny  Haha   :D

Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: ereino on July 17, 2014, 01:47:31 PM
Tony - I had to commit myself to reading that very long and extremely informative article.  I have changed my oil to almond oil which i mix with organic apple cider vinegar and a splash of water and add to my salads.  it has a wonderful flavor to it.  i knew about the omega-6s that if you have too much in your body that that isn't good at all for the omega 3s.  Is it true that we don't generate omega 3's in the body but do generate omega's 6's?  Please explain. 

And Doug, tooooooooooooooo funny.

And, hi TooSweet - it sure has been long since i noticed a post from you.

Hi Umpa and all of the FTS family - love you all!
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: mouseissue on July 17, 2014, 05:27:49 PM
Hi, Ellie! :)

Our bodies do not make omega-3 fatty acids. We must ingest them to get their benefits.
Our bodies do make some omega-6s. But not enough to keep a good omega-3 to 6 balance.

The key is we want much more omega-3 than omega-6.
That's why we should be sure to eat plenty of food rich in omega-3s.

BTW, coconut oil has a medium chain fatty acid (MCFA) that is rare in nature and highly health beneficial.
I use coconut oil for most my cooking and baking.
Plus there is strong evidence that it will prevent (and even reverse) Alzheimer Disease! :o
That alone is a great reason for using it daily.

I buy mine at Walmart.
And since the word has gotten out about how good it is, Walmart often runs out.

The only major downside is that coconut oil will harden at temperatures below 77 degrees Fahrenheit,
so it's not good for foods like salads.
It is almost tasteless. So if you use olive oil or butter for flavor, you'll lose that with coconut oil.

Tony
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: umpa on July 18, 2014, 10:17:10 AM
Hi Enreino!! :) hows the water barrel working out?
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: ereino on July 21, 2014, 01:51:31 PM
Well, we only collected 4 gallons of water, which we used for our composting toilet this past weekend.  Ken is going to devise a gutter for the rain to gather and then run into the rain barrel.  Thanks for asking. 

Tony, I bought the cocunut oil at Walmart for a really reasonable price, too.  I am going to have to bring it to work and use it more often.  Thanks for being such an advocate for the product.  You make us smarter! 
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: umpa on July 22, 2014, 10:14:01 AM
Thats cool 8)
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: shawn116 on August 06, 2014, 08:37:58 AM
Quote
And, hi TooSweet - it sure has been long since i noticed a post from you.

Hi Ellie   :D :D
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: Happy2bthin4me on August 21, 2014, 07:05:35 PM
Hi guys/gals! I love coconut oil. I use it in place of butter in most recipes. I have MCT oil for salads and such because it stays a liquid even in cooler temps. My grandma passed away in February from Alzheimer's which was sad because my mom knows about MCTs and how it helps Alzheimer's patients but my grandmother and her medical proxy wouldn't hear anything about it. It's a loaded family subject but I try my best to take extra care of my brain and heart because there's brain and heart problems all throughout my family so I'm taking no chances! Thank you for the article. I had noticed that if I slipped off the wagon into sugar land I'd be about as forgetful as can be and clumsy too. Weird. I'm much more efficient and quick and coordinated when I'm off sugar in its entirety. Also my skin is perfectly clear without sugar whereas if I have any I will break out. I'm almost 40 and figured I was too old to get acne, but not so when sugar is involved I guess! It's an interesting subject to be sure...
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: umpa on August 22, 2014, 09:18:09 AM
So sorry about your grandmother. My heart goes out to you :(
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: Happy2bthin4me on August 22, 2014, 12:54:51 PM
Thank you, Umpa. She was a strong remarkable lady. She was 91 when she passed and had dealt with Alzheimer's since 2003. It's hard to watch a dear loved one forget who you are, I don't want that to happen to me. :-(
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: mouseissue on August 22, 2014, 01:08:44 PM
I'm so sorry to hear about your loss, Michelle.

When our bodies talk, we should listen.
It's when we don't that we make ourselves sick and damage our health.
This is also at the core of how to make the FTS lifestyle work for you.
It will help you "hear" your body's signals more easily so you can make needed adjustments.

Like you, I make sure that I get coconut oil everyday for similar reasons.
Since coconut oil is almost tasteless, I also enjoy real butter on veggies and recipes.
Real butter is actually good for you! :)

Here's a post with an interesting articles about the benefits of balancing omegas fatty acids and inflammation.
http://www.fattoskinny.net/index.php?topic=5270.msg55268#msg55268 (http://www.fattoskinny.net/index.php?topic=5270.msg55268#msg55268)

By protecting your health by living the FTS lifestyle and eating coconut oil,
you're doing a lot to insure your health (physical and mental) for many years to come.

Tony
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: pask94 on November 10, 2014, 02:06:34 PM
 :) Great article!!!
Title: Re: Sugar Makes You Dumb and Forgetful
Post by: umpa on November 13, 2014, 04:44:40 PM
Truth is the truth ;)