Disclosure

#1

Came across an article in a danish newspaper about how it’s been discovered the sugar industry has been lying to people about the effects of sugar for years. Hiding away any studies that showed something very different, and sweeping it all under the carpet. And of course, the sugar industry had someone or other point the accusing finger to saturated fats, it was stated in the article. Major disclosure. I thought nothing would surprise me, but this did. Even though the discovery of the sugar industry’s conduct is not surprising at all, the fact such an article was published in a newspaper, was a bit of a shock. Perhaps common sense exists after all.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #2

I believe it was a dentist named Kristen Carnes who discovered a collection of memos from the Sugar Research Foundation, listing which scientists they approached, and how much they were paid. The memos had been donated to one of the libraries in the University of California system. She was encouraged to publish them.

Ancel Keys never received money, but his friends Frederick Stare and Mark Hegsted were named in the memos. Dr. Stare was head of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. Hegsted later became the head of the Food and Nutrition Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the U.S. dietary guidelines.

#3

?
But it’s very well known that sugar is super unhealthy and should be avoided, isn’t it?
At least nowadays as I do have mentioning of stupid things in my very old books, people had insanely wrong and nonsense beliefs about sugar before my birth, apparently…

(Joey) #4

Don’t get carried away. :wink:

(Eve) #5

I remember when the fat free craze started and so like everyone else , l bought all these low fat and fat free products which now l absolutely cringe over - apart from the whole keto thing , they have tons of crap in them and are SO unhealthy!

#6

Yes it is cringeworthy, but when people aren’t armed with the right knowledge, and bombarded by the press with marketing tactics like pointing to studies (bought and paid for), this sort of thing happens. Thank goodness, there now is such a wealth of knowledge on the internet, and brave researchers, and brilliant doctors like Dr. Malcolm Kendrick and Dr. Paul Mason (I’m sure there are many others in the field) leading the way.

#7

I never saw a fat free craze, thankfully. Only some low fat advice but people still eat high-fat here… I only appreciate it since I know that some countries have that low-fat thing. I can’t wrap my head around it, honestly, why would masses eat low-fat, it’s not nice…

While poor people were RAISED on low-fat elsewhere, I happily ate hundreds of grams of fat and no one batted an eye or told me it would be not right (it was, I definitely overate but the carbs were the problem. no one ever said anything against carbs in general)… I feel lucky though I am sure I instinctively would recoil from anything close to low-fat. It’s my room 101, impossible for me. (But if it started as a baby, with a Mom who doesn’t even buy fatty food… shudder )

(KM) #8

I think to some extent we supported each other in this delusion that sugar was harmless. As a young person I suffered with acne, but I was told firmly that sugar and acne were not connected. I was more than happy to believe that because I had a major sweet tooth. It took growing up and doing my own experimenting to know that at least for me, acne and sugar have a direct correlation and I probably could have saved years of misery, but I loved my kiddy candy so much I just didn’t want to know.

#9

So much is sweep under the rug in every aspect of our lives that effect us on this planet. can we say ‘agenda’ of those in charge take full priority? darn right we can.

I think also tho sugar has been dissed in a bad light for a long time since the upgrade to fancy chem based additives like good ol’ high fructose corn syrup in foods and more…of course, now hidden under ‘new names’ to ‘fool us’.

It is a rough road out there for sure. Glad that article did some justice!

#10

Harvard Sugar Study.

(Luke) #11

I believe “That Sugar Film” was an eye opener for a lot of people. They didn’t hold back in any way shape or form in saying sugar was about as good for you as a bullet, and accused people and government for the cover up, the whole way through the documentary. Lots of people watched it just for the sake of watching something. People with no usual interest in health or fitness. You can see it in the super market now, everything is marketed as low sugar or 0 sugar or they can’t sell it. You get people that will always eat the bad stuff but lots more people are looking now , being careful. I’m sure the sugar industry coped a hit for it in their turn over , but I never researched it. :moneybag::arrow_down:

#12

Not a significant improvement though if the sugar industry just morphed, as a result, into an artificial sugar industry. How I wish a similar disclosure could be made about how incredibly unhealthy it is to replace all that rubbish sugar with something far, far worse: artificial sweeteners. They should make a movie about that. I’m sure my imagination is not running away with me here, when I say it’s highly likely the same way the sugar industry lied over the decades about the lack of detrimental effects of sugar (again utilising research bought and paid for), the artifical sugar industry (one and the same?) is lying about the lack of detrimental effects of artificial sweeteners.

(Alec) #13

It’s difficult to know what to say to this, but…

  1. I did know this, I think it’s pretty well known in keto circles
  2. It is completely unsurprising: if a business or industry feels under threat, in general they will lie and cheat and steal to maintain their profits. Money and prestige are powerful motivators.
  3. The drug industry currently is probably the worst at this right now: huge profits, and their marketing and “influence” budgets are enormous.
  4. Food industry is probably next: I am part of that industry and I am horrified by the BS that is passed around our company claiming to be health advice. We make some horrific products that are really unhealthy (lots of seed oils, sugar, and plant derived crap) and they are positioned as healthy because of the stupidity of the CW.
  5. I think the key learning we all have to take is to have a healthy scepticism towards any health advice we are given, regardless of source…. You just have no idea of the voracity of the claims or information. How do you know who is influencing what? You don’t.
  6. The only thing I believe now is what I have tried and seems to work for me. Other than that… I just do not believe it.
  7. If the government provides any kind of health advice I try to do the exact opposite. :joy:
#14

Hi Alec. Yes, it’s definitely a pattern, and what saddens me is the gist of most people’s logic when they have to think about these things, that maybe, just maybe they ought to cut down on all that overly processed food is: Death is not optional. I’m so sick of that line, and I’ve heard it plenty. Death is not optional, so never mind if I have a cake with my tea. And the other line: But we’ve also got to have quality of life. Is quality of life giving into your addictions (whilst still taking meds), or is it changing your WOE to eliminate the problems making you require those meds in the first place?

So the other problem, in addition to lying industries, is that a lot of people associate quality of life with the way their bodies feel when they indulge addictions and they confuse that with well being. And then there’s that annoying line: everything in moderation. But those who tend to lean on this line, has no real knowledge of whether their so-called moderate intake of sugars or (cringe) artificial sweeteners and seed oils, is moderate enough not to to cause damage.

Most people don’t bother reading the entire ingredient list written on a product (it tends to be as long as a bad year) and their eyes will begin to glaze over because most of those ingredients are unknown to them. And when on the front of the product there are these magic words: heart healthy, vegan or vegetarian, cholesterol reducing, most people I’m sure would go, Oh, oh OK, must be fine then.

(Alec) #15

Oh, I love this one… I usually ask: “what, you mean moderation in eating sugar, strychnine, heroine and chairs?” Ridiculous…

(Luke) #16

Yes , I recently asked the question to the group about Stevia. It is in a hydration salts drink I have while doing keto. Most comments were that it was ok , it’s natural apparently. But people will find a way to market anything. I can’t believe I ever drank Coke Cola. It would have to be the most bought drink on the planet , yet the worst thing to put in your body. Money talks.

#17

Hi Luke, the thing is, lots of poinsons are also natural, it doesn’t mean are bodies assimilate them well. But the problem with research and studies is confirmation bias, and I have to say my skepticism is greater than my enthusiasm in the willingness to take on some health promoter’s word. So I just stay clear of processed products (to the extent I can) and eat my meat, fish, cream, eggs and butter. And lately I’ve begun to question whether drinking coffee and green tea (my two favourite beverages besides water) is all that healthy too. But I don’t know enough to say either way at the mo.

(KM) #18

I found it hilarious that the FDA does not suggest growing stevia or eating the leaves that are used to create Stevia, the product, because they haven’t been properly studied. If you are eating stevia, you are supposed to eat the processed powder which may contain all sorts of other additives. Marvelous.

#19

so agree! I was your adversary, I was a Diet Pepsi insane person til I dumped it and life got noticeably improved immediately :slight_smile: Soda and cereal…2 worst useless drink/foods on the planet in my eyes.

(KM) #20

Just made me remember my childhood for a second. My great aunt had diabetes and she was pretty strict about her diet - low carb in 1968, imagine that. Even as a little kid I had a basic understanding about what carbohydrates were. I used to get so aggravated when I watched cereal commercials and they would recommend adding toast to create a balanced breakfast. Yes, let’s throw in another 30 g of carbs from grain, that’ll balance things out!