Comments on: Old ad: Drink sugary drinks before meals to lose weight!

By: billstreeter

billstreeter — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:45:00 +0000

Unfortunately, sugar is half glucose and half fructose, and there is a lot of evedence that frutose is really bad for you. Mainly because of the way it’s metabolized in the liver. It also short circuits your body’s natural appetite controls, which is why table sugar is probably as bad for you as HFCS. There is a lot of evidence that links fructose to heart disease and all kinds of health problems–and many doctors are starting to believe that it’s even more unhealthy than fat. There was a really good NYT magazine article explaining all this a few months ago: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?pagewanted=all

By: Adam Blackwell

Adam Blackwell — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 09:40:00 +0000

the principle is entirely correct: that consuming fast-release sugars will make you feel fuller. And this could lead to you eating less.

But the problem is that it’s quite a complex relationship which might not be wholly obvious to everybody seeing the advert. This potential benefit is far outweighed by all the health implications of consuming high sugar soft drinks… The advert is not a little disingenuous!

By: Tara Grant

Tara Grant — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 03:10:00 +0000

I’m sorry you’re insulin resistant. I probably could have done the same physical activity in a fasted state, since I live a Paleo lifestyle (although I wouldn’t have attempted that type of chronic cardio. A lion would not chase me for 100 miles, up 5000′). My body produces it’s own glucose when I don’t eat fruit or vegetables, through a process called gluconeogenesis.

By: Tara Grant

Tara Grant — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 03:04:00 +0000

Yes, the difference is that manufacturers use way more HFCS in their products than they do sugar, because it’s cheaper. That’s about it. Our bodies react the same way – immediately convert to glucose then insulin shuttles said glucose to our fat cells. And we wonder why America is morbidly obese.

By: Tara Grant

Tara Grant — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 03:02:00 +0000

Actually, he’s not being silly. The above experiment WOULD work with butter. He’s absolutely 100% correct.

By: SamSam

SamSam — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 02:45:00 +0000

As others have said, this ad may have been well ahead of the curve. The ridiculously-interesting article in the NYT this weekend (linked by Mantari Damacy) is all about how will power gets depleted over the course of a day. The were a host of extremely cool studies, but one of them was showing that will power increases once the brain is re-supplied with glucose.

So indeed, eating a spoonful of sugar a half hour before a meal might lead you to have the willpower to stick to your diet during the meal.

By: tcburks

tcburks — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 21:47:00 +0000

Posted similar ad last year to the BoingBoing photo pool: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tcburks/5392428677/

By: Joseph Lansing

Joseph Lansing — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 21:25:00 +0000

I just spent an entire day consuming nothing but HFCS, glucose, powdered electrolytes and water. Say what you want, but it’s the only way I could have cycled 100 miles, climbed 5000′, and survived. I have the readout from a continuous blood glucose monitor to prove it. Anybody that’s too good for HFCS is too good for me. I occasionally live that photo.

By: MeOnBoingBoing

MeOnBoingBoing — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 18:16:00 +0000

I’m sorry but you are waayy behind the curve in this statement and Seyo is bang on.

By: brightnow

brightnow — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 18:02:00 +0000

The saddest part is the “Sugar Information, Inc.” is still alive and kicking. The name is different but their mission remains the same: “The Sugar Association continues with its mission of educating health professionals, media, government officials and the public about sugar’s goodness.”

http://www.sugar.org/about-us/history.html

By: purple-stater

purple-stater — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 16:38:00 +0000

The add is actually correct. Eating a proper meal after the sugary drink will provide the real energy food that your body needs so the drink won’t trigger the infamous “sugar crash”.

I remember reading about university studies over 30 years ago that showed when people had small, sweet snacks 10-30 minutes prior to mealtimes the majority tended to eat more healthier foods and less sweets. Leading to better nutrition and a tendency towards weight loss for those otherwise overweight.

By: Ashley Yakeley

Ashley Yakeley — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 04:20:00 +0000

“only 18 calories per teaspoon, and it’s all energy”

As opposed to those non-energy calories you get in other foods?

By: dwdyer

dwdyer — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 01:01:00 +0000

I disagree. Sucrose isn’t a simple mixture of fructose and glucose, it’s a disaccharide that has to be hydrolyzed to break down into fructose and glucose.

By: Mantari Damacy

Mantari Damacy — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 19:59:00 +0000

Uncanny that this has a strong connection to a story I just read: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/magazine/do-you-suffer-from-decision-fatigue.html?_r=1&ref=general&src=me&pagewanted=all

Basically, it talks about decision fatigue (and willpower). The idea is that decisions take energy, and after time, you develop fatigue in making those decisions or in fighting taking an action. It claims that those reserves are replenished by glucose.

The connection to this story is that, perhaps, by getting a good dose of glucose, you will then replenish your psychological energy store enough to make your ‘willpower’ much more successful in resisting other temptations.

By: EvilSpirit

EvilSpirit — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 18:53:00 +0000

However, sucrose isn’t such a great way of restoring your blood glucose levels, if that’s your goal, being as it’s 50% fructose. Taking all that fructose to control your appetite kind of defeats the point. You’d probably be better off with a complex carbohydrate snack, or at least a mixture of the two (since the sucrose certainly will metabolize faster).

By: funchy crunchy

funchy crunchy — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 18:51:00 +0000

In 20 years, we may look back and laugh the same way at cow milk ads. Amazing what advertisers are allowed to claim!

By: blueelm

blueelm — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 18:49:00 +0000

This photograph has a sort of gritty realism I would not expect in something made to pitch sugary sodas so much as life insurance or union made clothing.

By: Mark_Frauenfelder

Mark_Frauenfelder — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 18:11:00 +0000

Thanks — just scanned this, but I’m looking forward to it. I avoid both sucrose and HFCS.

By: seyo

seyo — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 18:09:00 +0000

Again I ask which specific facts you wish me to elucidate for you.

By: elix

elix — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 17:52:00 +0000

It’s normally common courtesy to support your own position with facts and references instead of making the other person fact-check you.

By: seyo

seyo — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 17:49:00 +0000

There is nothing in the article you link to (written by a blogger, not a scientist) that contradicts the findings of the Princeton study. And the only people who seem to really have any objections to the Princeton study are the Corn Refiners Association.

By: Virgil McGee

Virgil McGee — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 17:30:00 +0000

Eh, those Princeton studies have come under fire recently.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2010/03/high-fructose-corn-syrup-hfcs-sugar-princeton-study.html

By: seyo

seyo — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 17:29:00 +0000

Which claims? Please be specific. As far as the “poisons” qualification, there’s plenty of evidence to support that the oils I mentioned are just that. You can look it up yourself, I’m not going to subsidize your laziness.

By: elix

elix — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 17:22:00 +0000

I’m all for a more natural diet, but I’m going to call [citation needed] on several of your claims. You went from “smart nutrition tips” to “transparently pushing an agenda” around the time the word ‘poison’ came out.

By: kmoser

kmoser — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 17:12:00 +0000

Only if you don’t swirl the drink around in your mouth after sipping from the straw. The better way to reduce chances of tooth decay are not to drink soda in the first place.

By: seyo

seyo — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 17:08:00 +0000

There actually is a big difference between HFCS and sucrose, even if on the face of it they are roughly composed of the same proportions of glucose and fructose:

http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/

By: Mark_Frauenfelder

Mark_Frauenfelder — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 16:56:00 +0000

There’s not much difference between commonly-used varieties of HFCS and sucrose:

“Sucrose is made of 50% fructose and 50% glucose, whereas high-fructose corn syrup can be either 55% fructose, 45% glucose, or 42% fructose, 58% glucose.”

(http://www.sixwise.com/Newsletters/2009/April/29/Glucose-Fructose-Sucrose-Whats-the-Difference.htm)

By: librtee_dot_com

librtee_dot_com — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 16:45:00 +0000

Frankly, this might just work with butter. Or any sort of healthy oil like olive oil or coconut oil. Most people don’t eat enough high quality fats, and It’s absolutely worth trying.

But with sugar? GTFO.

By: AetherWeaver

AetherWeaver — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 16:34:00 +0000

Drinking through a straw can actually reduce your chances of tooth decay. Of course that model appears unfamiliar with proper usage.

By: Shibi_SF

Shibi_SF — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 16:21:00 +0000

The ad photo makes me think about tooth decay. *cringe*