Sugar ~ Leptin and Weight Loss…

I was watching Dr. Wayne Dyer on television and he mentioned that in the 1880’s the average person consumed 13 grams of sugar a day while today the average person consumes 285 grams of sugar. Now Dr. Dyer is known for spiritual guidance but I never question why and from where I receive inspiration … I immediately decided to look into it.

As I’ve mentioned before…obesity is not an Asian problem and sugar is not a big part of their diet. Their diet is always about balance and certain foods are known to strengthen different organ systems and other foods control systems which have become overactive. They do not count calories or fats but rather choose foods based on their function in the body. However, having an investigative bent I’m often looking for the why of things. As I mentioned in my previous article ... Nutrition is the basis of Chinese Medicine.

There is much research to support the statement that all calories are not equal. The problem with sugar is that it stops your body from producing leptin, which regulates your appetite and metabolism. Leptin is a hormone that is released by fat cells and the primary function of this hormone is to signal to your body that you are full. Dr.Oz often speaks about the role of leptin in controlling belly fat. Excess fat in the abdomen contributes to heart disease and diabetes to name just a few health issues.

Once you’ve gained more weight, your body can become leptin resistant. According
to a Harvard Medical School study leptin also plays a role in burning
fat. The hormone triggers an enzyme in your body that stimulates fatty acid oxidation. The researchers called leptin “fat-melting”. Weight gain leads to more body fat and higher leptin levels in the blood, but the body stops using the hormone effectively so you continue to feel hungry and gain more weight. So, eat too much sugar and your leptin production decreases and your body stops burning fat.

It is shocking to realize the hidden sugar
in foods that we eat every day. There are 11 grams in one-half of a
banana and 27 grams in a 6-ounce cup of fruit-flavored yogurt. Milk
is a good calcium source but just one cup of 1% fat milk has 13 grams
of sugar

I have heard nutritionists recommend that we not
consume more than 40 grams of sugar a day; but Jorge Cruise, a highly
regarded Diet and Fitness Expert, suggests that we try to stick to 13
grams of sugar a day as our ancestors did.

A research study in Circulation Journal
found that those who drank one or more soft drinks per day had a 30%
chance of increasing their waist size and a 31% greater chance of
becoming obese. They also had a 32% increased risk of having low levels
of HDLs as well as high blood sugar. It’s apparent then that
cutting down on sugar and thereby stimulating leptin production is
critical to regulating your appetite and burning belly fat.

But the bottom line is; why have we gone from eating 13 grams of sugar a day to 285 grams and what possible good can come of it?

One gram of sugar is equal to 4 sugar cubes. How many cubes are you consuming in a day?