Sugary drinks lead to alterations in muscles similar to those in people with obesity problems and type 2 diabetes, researchers in Britain said.
Dr. Hans-Peter Kubis of Bangor University in England said the research showed regularly drinking soft drinks changed the way muscles use food as fuel, making them prefer to burn sugars over fats.
“This will lead a reduced ability to burn fat and to fat gain. Moreover, it will make it more difficult for our body to cope with rises in blood sugar. What is clear here is that our body adjusts to regular soft drink consumption and prepares itself for the future diet by changing muscle metabolism via altered gene activity — encouraging unhealthy adaptations similar to those seen in people with obesity problems and type 2 diabetes.”
The study, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, found the switch to an inefficient metabolism was seen in the participants who were lightly active, lean male and females drinking soft drinks for only four weeks.
“Together with our findings about how drinking soft drinks dulls the perception of sweetness, our new results give a stark warning against regularly drinking sugar sweetened drinks,” Kubis concluded.
[Source: United Press International 23-07-12]
I’m in big trouble. I stupidly spent the last 10 yrs on a low-fat high-carb diet. Not so much with sugary drinks but I would regularly eat a whole bag of lollies as it said 99% fat free on the packet. Please tell me the altered gene activity is somehow reversible??
Hi Pf junkie
Sorry it’s taken me so long to reply – I had actually seen some research recently that illustrated how you could reverse genetic deterioration induced by lifestyle factors. I’ve been digging around trying to find it for you but unfortunately I still haven’t been able to locate it. I’m sure it will show up and when it does I’ll share it.
In the meantime, know that our tissues are very responsive if you create the right environment. We are geared to repair and regenerate, and this occurs most effectively when the optimal conditions are provided. So trust that every healthy, positive, life-affirming choice you make from here on in will be guiding your body back to wellness.
Thanks, if you do find the research I’d love to see it. But great to know we can repair & regenerate. Actually for the past year I’ve switched to a high protein diet & cut way back on sugar & I genuinely feel 100 times better than I did. Makes me wonder if I was pre-diabetic & have now reversed it with a better diet!
On the subject of diabetes, have you heard of Type 1.5 (LADA)? There doesn’t seem to be much info about it & apparently health professionals often misdiagnose it as Type 2.
Hi!
I actually hadn’t heard of this term Type 1.5 but I have seen a few adult-onset Type 1 diabetic cases myself.
Just had a little read about it and it appears many adults are misdiagnosed as Type 2 – which surprises and disappoints me. For someone to present with hyperglycaemia and NOT be checked for auto-antibodies is simply negligent.
Type 1.5 seems to be very much Type 1 that develops later in life, although the progression appears to be much slower. The upside is there is a window of opportunity to identify (if possible) the antigenic/immune-provoking agent(s) and reprogram the immune system.
Thanks for sharing that with me!
Are you saying there is a chance to prevent it by reprogramming the immune system?? How would you go about that & do you know the success rate?
Treatment is very individual but to generalise – identifying what may be provoking the immune system is important. For example I had a young man who developed autoantibodies as a result of a dietary antigen and identifying and removing this was part of his treatment plan. In his case, his immune system stopped attacking his pancreas, his islet cell antibody count dropped to nil, and he was deemed to have gone into ‘spontaneous remission’ haha. Unfortunately in some cases it may occur as a result of an acute infection, in which case what’s left is to put the immune system back together!
Reprogramming the immune system is done primarily using the gut-associated lymphatic tissue (GALT) pathway. Restoring immunological tolerance is the key and this begins with testing the integrity of the GIT (and treating increased permeability) and secretory IgA levels (restoring these appropriately).
Depending on the condition, immunological reprogramming usually has quite profound results – but like anything, the objective is to find the cause and treat/remove that as well as restoring equilibrium and stimulating repair.
Of course, blood sugar issues may be a result of immunological dysfunction and other issues like sarcopenia, insulin resistance or inappropriate dietary choices. These would need to be examined (and amended if necessary) as well.
Sorry it’s a long-winded response – it’s easy but it’s not simple!
If the cause is a dietary antigen, is there a particular food that is the most common trigger for Type 1 (or 1.5)?
It seems to vary somewhat with ethnicity, but dairy (casein) seems to be a primary culprit, followed closely by wheat/gluten. A full assay is recommended to ensure nothing is missed.
Having said that, I always treat intestinal permeability and secretory IgA before assessing food allergies because this will greatly reduce the number of positive readings. Essentially if your gut is inflamed and too permeable it is logical you begin to become reactive and the range of antigens grows. by restoring the operating system, so to speak, you will get a truer picture of what really provokes the body.
Hmmm, I wonder how many people on a paleodiet develop Type 1 (that excludes dairy & grains, right?) I know there is alot more to it than that but just a thought…
A quick google reveals some interesting anecdotes: http://paleohacks.com/questions/125118/has-anyone-achieved-remission-of-autoimmune-disease#axzz24ukU0mke
It’s definitely one to watch!
Yes very interesting! Does seem like more than a coincidence. On a related note (sort of) I noticed someone had a 98% reduction in seasonal allergies with the paleodiet. I also just read the LE article on quercetin which mentions blunting allergies. Do you think the quercetin in Ultra Renew would be enough to help hayfever or is it worth taking an extra quercetin supplement during spring? I hate taking anti-histamines & am excited to try a natural alternative!
That’s no surprise; many mucosal membrane reactions are the end result of hyper-sensitisation due to dietary antigens.
I’m a prime example. If I eat wheat I become highly allergic to grass – my skin breaks out into a rash on contact and my hay fever is insane. Anti-histamines won’t touch it.
I used to use a combination of quercetin (http://www.bioceuticals.com.au/product/preview/Quercetain) and a herbal anti-allergy formula (http://www.healthpost.co.nz/supplements-and-natural-health/body-and-mind/immune-support/herbal-allergy-formula-khall) with fairly good success but if I don’t eat wheat, I don’t get hay fever.
The amount of quercetin in Ultra Renew is perfect for its purpose but is not at a therapeutic level for allergy management.
Further to this – the recommended dose of quercetin for symptomatic relief of allergic rhinitis ranges from 250-600mg, taken three times a day, 5-10 minutes before meals.
The bromelains in Quercetain vastly improves the absorption and bioavailability of the quercetin.
This is fascinating to me. I eat a lot of wheat, always have, thinking wholegrains are good for me. I’m going to eliminate it from my diet to see what happens. If that fails I’ll stock up on Quercetain. Thanks for all this helpful advice, I really had no idea diet could cause this!