What makes us fat? Fat or Carbs? Another Letter to Child Nutritional Services Director

The LA Times ran an article today, "A reversal on carbs."

Is the pendulum starting to swing?
Are mainstream health and nutrition professionals starting to believe research that points to too many carbohydrates (especially sugar and refined grains) as the cause of metabolic syndrome- a precursor to diabetes and heart disease?

I hope so. I sent the link to this article, and additional resources to Spring Branch ISD Child Nutritional Services today. He is reluctant to make changes to the school food program where "allowable" foods are concerned. Flavored milks/yogurt, canned fruit in syrup, sugary breakfast cereals, and fruit juice are all allowable items. Since fat levels are restricted per regulations, school food programs often use sugar as a way to boost calories in a meal to make them fit calorie requirements. Sugar is currently thought of as "empty" calories and a way to increase acceptability of food like milk, fruit and whole grains.

I urged him to consider the research and eliminate some sugary items from menu ahead of revised regulations which may take years to implement.

How many more generations of high school graduates do we send off into the world with compromised health; generations where 25% have metabolic syndrome, a red-flag for diabetes and heart disease?

From the article:

The first sign of insulin resistance is a condition called metabolic syndrome — a red flag that diabetes, and possibly heart disease, is just around the corner. People are said to have the syndrome when they have three or more of the following: high blood triglycerides (more than 150 mg); high blood pressure (over 135/85); central obesity (a waist circumference in men of more than 40 inches and in women, more than 35 inches); low HDL cholesterol (under 40 in men, under 50 in women); or elevated fasting glucose.

About one-fourth of adults has three or more of these symptoms.

I also sent these two resources to him. If you haven't watched the video "The Bitter Truth" it is a wise investment of time.

1. Drinking 1-2 sweetened beverages increases risk of diabetes by 26%, compared to individuals who drank 0-1 per month. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Diabetes+care[Jour]+AND+2010[pdat]+AND+Malik+V[author]&cmd=detailssearch Based on data from these studies, including 310,819 participants and 15,043 cases of type 2 diabetes, individuals in the highest quantile of SSB intake (most often 1-2 servings/day) had a 26% greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those in the lowest quantile (none or <1>
2. This video will take an hour of your time, a wise investment. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM It is a lecture by Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology. In it you’ll find an explanation of how different forms of sugar are metabolized.

Your thoughts? Is sugar more than empty calories?