A study from UC San Francisco looked at obese children with at least one metabolic disorder, for instance hyper tension. The kids were given a sugar-restricted diet. They consumed the same number of calories, but with starchy foods replacing sugary ones. Pediatric Endocrinologist Robert Lustig led the study. He says within 10 days their blood pressure, LDL-cholesterol and liver functions improved. Lustig says they kids also got full more quickly.
"They told us we were trying to kill them with food. And it was just the same number of calories they were on before," he says. "We’ve learned that insulin blocks the signals that tell you that you’re full. So when you get rid of the sugar your body can now respond to those satiety cues and you will eat less and lose weight."
Lustig says sugar calories are particularly harmful to your body compared to other calories.
"Sugar is the alcohol of the child," he says. "You would never give your kids a can of beer, but you don’t think twice about giving your kid a can of soda. But they do they exact same thing to your body and cause the same diseases."
Lustig says a similar study shows comparable results in adults.
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