What Sugar ACTUALLY Does to the Body

Institute of Human Anatomy
12 Aug 202217:50

Summary

TLDRThis video delves into the complex relationship between sugar and health, exploring the biological processes of sugar metabolism and the impact of sugar on blood glucose levels. It distinguishes between simple and complex carbohydrates, highlighting how quickly sugars like sucrose are absorbed versus starches. The video addresses the concept of sugar as 'empty calories' and its potential link to weight gain and diseases like diabetes. It also underscores the role of exercise in managing sugar levels, showing how physical activity can enhance insulin sensitivity and glucose utilization, thus affecting how our bodies process sugar.

Takeaways

  • 🍬 Sugar is often demonized, but it's important to understand why and to what extent it's harmful.
  • 🧬 The term 'sugar' in biology refers to carbohydrates, which include sugars, starches, and cellulose.
  • 🍰 Simple carbohydrates, like table sugar, are smaller molecules compared to complex carbohydrates found in whole foods.
  • 🍯 Table sugar (sucrose) is composed of glucose and fructose, which are the same molecules found in whole food sources.
  • 🔁 The body processes simple sugars quickly, leading to rapid spikes and drops in blood sugar levels.
  • 🏃 Exercise can change how the body utilizes sugar by increasing the muscles' ability to store and use glucose without insulin.
  • đŸ‹ïžâ€â™‚ïž Regular physical activity increases the body's capacity to store glycogen in muscles, reducing the conversion of glucose to fat.
  • 🍎 Whole food sources of sugar are preferable as they come with additional nutrients like vitamins and fiber.
  • đŸš« Consuming excessive sugar can lead to health issues, especially when it exceeds the body's capacity to store it as glycogen.
  • ⏱ The timing of sugar intake matters, with post-exercise being an optimal time for the body to utilize glucose for replenishment.

Q & A

  • What is the main focus of the video script?

    -The main focus of the video script is to discuss the concept of sugar, its role in the body, the differences between simple and complex carbohydrates, and how exercise can influence sugar metabolism.

  • What is the difference between simple and complex carbohydrates?

    -Simple carbohydrates, also known as simple sugars, are smaller carbohydrate molecules like disaccharides and monosaccharides, which are quickly broken down and absorbed, causing rapid changes in blood sugar levels. Complex carbohydrates, or polysaccharides, are larger and include starches like amylose and amylopectin, which are broken down more slowly, leading to a more sustained release of glucose into the bloodstream.

  • Why is table sugar considered a disaccharide?

    -Table sugar, or sucrose, is considered a disaccharide because it is composed of two monosaccharides: glucose and fructose bonded together.

  • How does the body process table sugar differently from starches?

    -The body processes table sugar (sucrose) by breaking it down into its constituent monosaccharides, glucose and fructose, in the small intestine. In contrast, starches are complex carbohydrates that are broken down into glucose through a more extended process involving enzymes like amylase. This results in a quicker absorption of glucose from table sugar compared to starches.

  • What is the role of the liver in processing glucose?

    -The liver plays a crucial role in processing glucose by converting excess glucose into glycogen for storage. It also converts fructose from table sugar into glucose. When the liver's glycogen storage capacity is full, any additional glucose is circulated throughout the body, potentially leading to fat storage if not utilized.

  • How does exercise affect the body's utilization of sugar?

    -Exercise increases the body's ability to utilize sugar by making the skeletal muscles preferentially use carbohydrates for energy. It also increases the storage capacity for glycogen in muscles and sensitizes muscles to insulin, allowing them to take up glucose without the need for insulin post-exercise.

  • Why is sugar sometimes referred to as 'empty calories'?

    -Sugar is sometimes referred to as 'empty calories' because it provides energy in the form of glucose and fructose without the additional nutritional benefits found in whole food sources, such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

  • What are some potential health concerns associated with high sugar intake?

    -High sugar intake can lead to rapid spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels, which may contribute to weight gain and the development of conditions like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Excess glucose that isn't stored as glycogen can be converted to fat, leading to increased adipose tissue.

  • How can the timing of sugar consumption be beneficial in relation to exercise?

    -Consuming sugar, especially in the form of simple carbohydrates, directly after exercise can be beneficial as the body's muscles are primed to take up glucose to replenish glycogen stores. This timing also allows for the efficient incorporation of amino acids for muscle recovery and rebuilding.

  • What is the significance of the glucose molecule's structure regardless of its source?

    -The significance of the glucose molecule's structure being the same regardless of its source is that the body does not differentiate between glucose from table sugar or glucose from whole food sources. This means that the metabolic pathways and the way the body utilizes glucose are consistent, regardless of the source.

Outlines

00:00

🍬 Understanding Sugar: The Basics

This paragraph introduces the topic of sugar and its impact on health. It questions the common belief that sugar is bad and prompts viewers to consider the extent of its harmfulness. The script discusses how the body processes sugar, what sugar actually is, and how exercise can influence sugar metabolism. The video promises to delve into the science behind sugar, including its role as a carbohydrate and its presence in various food sources, both those deemed 'good' and 'bad'.

05:00

đŸƒâ€â™‚ïž The Role of Sugar in Our Diet

Paragraph 2 explores the biological definition of sugar, focusing on carbohydrates and their role as energy sources. It differentiates between simple and complex carbohydrates, explaining the structure of disaccharides and monosaccharides. The paragraph highlights the composition of table sugar (sucrose), which is a disaccharide made of glucose and fructose. It also touches on the digestion process, starting from the mouth and moving through the gastrointestinal tract, emphasizing how the body breaks down and absorbs sugars differently from starches due to their molecular size and structure.

10:03

đŸ‹ïžâ€â™€ïž Exercise and Sugar Metabolism

Paragraph 3 discusses the impact of exercise on sugar metabolism. It explains how moderate to intense physical activity shifts the body's energy source preference towards carbohydrates. The paragraph also covers how exercise increases the body's ability to store glycogen in skeletal muscles and how it sensitizes muscles to insulin, aiding in glucose uptake. The discussion includes the concept of 'empty calories' from sugar and the potential for excess glucose to be converted into fat when storage capacities are exceeded, linking high sugar intake to weight gain and related health issues.

15:03

🍏 Balancing Sugar Intake with Whole Foods

The final paragraph emphasizes the importance of a balanced diet rich in whole food sources of carbohydrates. It contrasts the benefits of whole food sugars with the potential drawbacks of excessive refined sugar consumption. The video concludes by suggesting that indulging in sugary treats occasionally is acceptable, especially after exercise when the body is primed to utilize glucose for glycogen replenishment. The paragraph reinforces the message that a balanced diet with a majority of carbohydrates coming from whole foods, along with regular physical activity, is key to maintaining good health.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Sugar

Sugar refers to sweet, soluble carbohydrates, such as sucrose and glucose, that are found in various foods. In the video, it is discussed as a source of energy for the body but also as a potential health concern when consumed in excess. The script explains that while sugar is often demonized, it is essential to understand its role in the body and how it differs from naturally occurring sugars in fruits and vegetables.

💡Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are a class of organic compounds that include sugars, starches, and cellulose. They are one of the primary macronutrients that provide energy to the body. The video script delves into the different types of carbohydrates, emphasizing the distinction between simple and complex carbohydrates, and how they are metabolized differently by the body.

💡Disaccharides

Disaccharides are carbohydrates composed of two sugar molecules. The script mentions lactose, found in milk products, and sucrose, which makes up table sugar, as examples of disaccharides. These compounds must be broken down into monosaccharides before they can be absorbed by the body, highlighting the importance of the digestive process in sugar metabolism.

💡Monosaccharides

Monosaccharides are the simplest form of carbohydrates, consisting of a single sugar molecule. Glucose and fructose, which make up sucrose, are both monosaccharides. The video explains that the body can directly absorb monosaccharides, making them a quick source of energy, but also potentially leading to rapid blood sugar spikes.

💡Polysaccharides

Polysaccharides are complex carbohydrates made up of long chains of sugar molecules. Starch, which includes amylose and amylopectin, is a type of polysaccharide discussed in the video. These complex carbohydrates are broken down more slowly by the body, leading to a more sustained release of energy compared to simple sugars.

💡Blood Sugar Levels

Blood sugar levels refer to the concentration of glucose in the bloodstream. The video script explains how the consumption of different types of carbohydrates affects blood sugar levels, with simple sugars causing rapid spikes and crashes, while complex carbohydrates provide a more gradual and sustained increase.

💡Insulin

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that regulates blood sugar levels by signaling cells to take up glucose from the bloodstream. The video touches on the role of insulin in managing glucose and how exercise can improve insulin sensitivity, which is crucial for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels.

💡Glycogen

Glycogen is a form of stored glucose found in the liver and muscles. The script explains that after glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream, it can be converted into glycogen for storage, which can later be converted back to glucose when the body needs energy, such as during exercise.

💡Empty Calories

Empty calories are calories that provide little to no nutritional value beyond their energy content. The video script uses the term to describe sugar, suggesting that while it provides energy, it lacks the additional nutrients found in whole food sources, which can contribute to overconsumption and potential health issues.

💡Exercise

Exercise is discussed in the video as a factor that can influence how the body processes and utilizes sugar. It is noted that physical activity can increase the body's ability to store glycogen, improve insulin sensitivity, and allow muscles to take up glucose without the need for insulin, demonstrating the beneficial interaction between exercise and sugar metabolism.

Highlights

Sugar is often perceived as harmful, but understanding its impact requires examining how the body processes it.

The term 'sugar' in biology refers to certain types of carbohydrates, which are essential for energy.

Carbohydrates include sugars, starches, and cellulose, with sugars and starches being digestible sources of energy.

Simple carbohydrates, or 'simple sugars', consist of smaller molecules like disaccharides and monosaccharides.

Table sugar (sucrose) is composed of glucose and fructose, which are types of monosaccharides.

Starch, a complex carbohydrate, is made up of long chains of glucose molecules called polysaccharides.

The rapid absorption of simple sugars can lead to a spike and subsequent crash in blood sugar levels.

The body absorbs monosaccharides like glucose and fructose from both table sugar and whole food sources.

Sugar is sometimes called 'empty calories' because it lacks the additional nutrients found in whole food sources.

Excessive sugar intake can lead to weight gain and health issues due to the conversion of excess glucose into fat.

Exercise can alter how the body processes sugar by increasing the muscles' ability to utilize glucose for energy.

Active individuals have a greater capacity to store glycogen in their muscles, reducing the likelihood of sugar conversion to fat.

Exercise also enhances insulin sensitivity, aiding in the efficient uptake of glucose by the muscles.

After exercise, muscles can take up glucose without the need for insulin, making it an optimal time to replenish glycogen stores.

A balanced diet with most carbohydrates coming from whole food sources is recommended over complete sugar avoidance.

Indulging in sugary treats occasionally, especially after exercise, can be part of a healthy lifestyle.

Transcripts

play00:00

Have you ever been told that sugar is bad and that you should stop eating it?

play00:03

Probably.

play00:04

But then you may have wondered why is it bad?

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And if it is, how bad are we talking here?

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Like a little bad and I can still eat my cookies or a lot of bad and I should stop eating it

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immediately.

play00:15

Well, in today's video, we're going to answer these questions as well as talk about how

play00:18

the body processes sugar, what sugar actually is, and even talk about how exercise can change

play00:24

how we utilize and process the sugar.

play00:27

This is going to be full of all sorts of sugary anatomical awesomeness.

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So, let's do this!

play00:32

[Intro]

play00:37

So first, what do we even mean when we use the word "Sugar"?

play00:41

Most of us are referring to table sugar and this can sometimes be associated with some

play00:45

negative connotations.

play00:47

Maybe you've heard things like sugar is bad for you.

play00:49

It causes weight gain.

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It's associated with diabetes.

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It can cause inflammation and the list goes on and on, but are these accurate or even

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fair assessments of sugar and could there ever be potential situations where sugar might

play01:03

be beneficial?

play01:04

Because in biology, the term sugar is used to refer to certain types of carbohydrates

play01:09

and what you might find interesting is that as we talk sugar, we're going to find that

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the same types of carbohydrates that are found in table sugar are the same carbohydrates

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that are found in fruits, vegetables and other whole food sources that we typically consider

play01:24

as good for us.

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So, we definitely need to go a little bit deeper into this sugar discussion and let's

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start with the term "carbohydrate".

play01:33

Carbohydrates are compounds that are made of carbon hydrogen and oxygen and they include

play01:37

things like sugars, starches, and even cellulose.

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Now, cellulose, we're not talk a lot about because this is something our body can't break

play01:44

down and absorb and it is one of the contributors to the fiber in your diet so it helps push

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things along in your large intestines so that you can have epically amazing bowel movements,

play01:54

but sugars and starches, we can definitely break down and absorb into the bloodstream

play01:59

through the small intestine and we typically use these as energy sources.

play02:04

And so again, sugars and starches fall under this umbrella of carbohydrates but what are

play02:09

some of the differences?

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Now, the term is referring to simple carbohydrates.

play02:14

You may have heard of the phrase "simple sugars" before.

play02:16

Now, these are smaller carbohydrate molecules which includes things that are called disaccharides

play02:22

and monosaccharides.

play02:23

Saccharide just means sugar, "Di" means two, "Mono: means one and so, a disaccharide is

play02:28

made up of two monosaccharides.

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Now, even though we're using some of these jargony biology terms, you have likely heard

play02:34

of disaccharides and monosaccharides that are found in the foods you eat.

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For example, lactose is the disaccharide found in milk products and of course, sucrose is

play02:44

the disaccharide that makes up table sugar and since we're really kind of focusing in

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on this table sugar, this table sugar, AKA, sucrose is made up of one monosaccharide called

play02:56

glucose bonded to another monosaccharide called fructose.

play03:00

So glucose plus fructose equals sucrose which is table sugar.

play03:04

So, if we kind of take a step back - imagine yourself holding a spoonful of sugar and that

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spoonful of sugar is made up of multiple, multiple molecules of sucrose and therefore

play03:14

the building blocks of glucose and fructose and you're about to eat it.

play03:18

But of course you're an inquisitive mind about biology, anatomy and physiology and you're

play03:22

thinking to yourself "What is it about this table sugar - and therefore the fructose and

play03:27

glucose that's found in this that makes it worse than the glucose or fructose that I

play03:32

find just in the fruits and vegetables and other food sources?

play03:36

Well, to answer that.

play03:37

I think we need to talk a little bit about the starches.

play03:40

Starches are complex carbohydrates which are polysaccharides, and the starches that humans

play03:45

ingest the most are amylose and amylopectin and these are multiple glucose molecules strung

play03:51

together or bonded together or you could think of them as these long chains of glucose, hence

play03:56

they are referred to as polysaccharides.

play03:58

Now, we can definitely compare and contrast these to the disaccharides or the table sugar

play04:03

as we can see yes, they both do contain glucose but there's a huge difference in the size

play04:08

of say table sugar versus the size of the molecules that make up the starches, and this

play04:13

is where you start to see some discuss a negative potential effect of the table sugar and that

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has to do with how it's broken down and absorbed into the body when you compare it to the starches.

play04:23

So, we need to talk about what happens when you put the table sugar in your mouth versus

play04:27

what happens when you put the starch in your mouth.

play04:29

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play04:33

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play05:43

So, back to the ingesting of sugars and starches and this discussion around how bad is sugar.

play05:48

So, once we place the sugar and starches into our mouths, what we refer to as the oral cavity

play05:53

in anatomy, this is where the process of digestion begins - through chewing and through the secretion

play05:57

of saliva which contains certain enzymes to help start this digestive process.

play06:02

We then move this down the esophagus and into the stomach where the sugars and starches

play06:06

will mix with the acid through the smooth muscle contractions of the stomach and this

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mixture will eventually make it to the first part of the small intestine called the duodenum.

play06:13

Now, the duodenum contains specific enzymes that can break down specific types of carbohydrates

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- for example sucrose will break down sucrose, the table sugar into the individual glucose

play06:25

and fructose molecules that we talked about earlier.

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Amylase is a specific enzyme to breaking down amylose and what's important to understand

play06:32

is that our bodies can only absorb the monosaccharides, meaning the individual glucose and fructose

play06:39

molecules.

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So, you can see that this breakdown and digestive process is important for the absorption.

play06:45

And as those glucose and fructose molecules move further down the small intestine as they've

play06:49

been freed through the digestive process, they'll move into the and duodenum the ilium,

play06:53

second and third part of the small intestine, and then be absorbed through the wall and

play06:57

into the bloodstream.

play06:59

And once those glucose and fructose molecules are in the bloodstream, the first place that

play07:03

they will go is to the liver.

play07:04

Now, the liver does a lot of different but one of the first things that we'll do is convert

play07:08

those fructose molecules into glucose molecules.

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So, we don't have all this fructose circulating throughout the body and when you think about

play07:16

that from a clinical setting, when we measure say like blood sugar levels, we're measuring

play07:20

blood glucose levels as glucose is this primary monosaccharide that's circulating throughout

play07:24

our body.

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But I did graze over something kind of quickly there, and that was the breakdown and the

play07:31

absorption rate of say like a sugar versus the breakdown an absorption rate of a starch.

play07:38

And remember, we mentioned that sugars are relatively small carbohydrate molecules - the

play07:42

disaccharides, especially when we compare them to the complex carbohydrates, polysaccharides

play07:47

and because of this difference, the sugars, the disaccharides, tend to be broken down

play07:52

and absorbed much more quickly.

play07:54

So, blood sugar levels will rise more rapidly but they'll also taper off or go down more

play07:58

rapidly as compared to say like a complex carbohydrate where that breakdown or that

play08:03

digestion is more slow and so, the blood sugar levels tend to rise more slowly but they also

play08:08

tend to be sustained for a longer period of time.

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And this is one of the negative things you can think of or that sometimes mentioned about

play08:15

sugar is that the blood sugar levels could spike but then also kind of crash down.

play08:20

Now, you can combat that in some situations.

play08:23

If you only ate a simple sugar, you'd kind of deal with that spike and crash but if you

play08:28

paired that simple sugar, say with complex sugar or complex carbohydrate, yes, the blood

play08:33

sugar levels would increase relatively rapidly but then you get that sustained blood sugar

play08:38

level because you'd have that complex carbohydrate following behind.

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Now, there are certain situations where I want a simple sugar or a sugar to get in there

play08:47

and raise the blood sugar levels quickly.

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For example, say like in a clinical setting, I had a patient that was hypoglycemic.

play08:53

I don't want to wait for a complex carbohydrate, I want to get a simple sugar in there to raise

play08:58

the blood sugar levels up to get them out of that hypoglycemic state.

play09:02

Maybe I'm a marathon runner and a halfway through the marathon, my glucose levels are

play09:07

getting low and I need to get an energy boost of glucose into my bloodstream as quickly

play09:12

as possible.

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Yes, the ideal situation is to have a balanced intake of carbohydrates or blood glucose levels

play09:20

but as you can see, there are certain situations where it can be appropriate to get that glucose

play09:25

into the bloodstream as quickly as possible.

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And one thing I do want to mention is that in the clinical setting, if we have to get

play09:31

somebody's blood sugar levels up or during a marathon, it's not like giving people like

play09:35

spoonfuls of table sugar - there are certain mixtures or products that are made up of simple

play09:40

sugars or simple carbohydrates to get this done but if you are in a pinch, a sugary drink

play09:45

or a sugary juice often will have the same effect and we have to go back to this idea

play09:50

that I mentioned or alluded to earlier, the glucose molecule in table sugar is the exact

play09:57

same structure in form as the glucose molecule that came from some fruit, vegetable, or other

play10:03

whole food source.

play10:04

It's not like the glucose molecule from the sugar is labeled as poison.

play10:08

It's not like your body has this glucose segregating police force that says, "You, glucose molecule

play10:14

that came from the sugar, you are banished for the fat cell.

play10:18

But you, glucose molecule that came from the whole grain food, you can go into the muscle

play10:23

cell and you, the glucose molecule that came from the kale, you can go into the nerve cell."

play10:30

No, your body doesn't care or the difference between where the glucose came from.

play10:35

Glucose is glucose.

play10:36

Now, even though I said "glucose is glucose" and that our body doesn't differentiate between

play10:40

the sources from where the glucose comes from, there are still some important considerations

play10:45

we have to have when it comes to sugar.

play10:47

For example, sugar is often referred to as "Empty calories".

play10:51

Meaning, that glucose and fructose is essentially all we get in the form of calories and energy

play10:56

from that sugar as opposed to getting that glucose and fructose from whole food sources.

play11:00

In that case, that glucose and fructose is often going to be associated with other benefits

play11:06

with things like vitamins, fiber, and other nutrients that can help bolster health and

play11:10

wellness.

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And building further off of this idea of empty calories - if we had to pick the most negative

play11:16

thing when it comes to sugar, it's probably this - we can eat a ton of it without actually

play11:22

feeling that full and when you think about it from the perspective of say like early

play11:26

human ancestors or hunter gathers, did they get carbohydrates and some simple sugars through

play11:32

fruits and vegetables?

play11:33

Yes, of course, but were they also creating these factories where they were developing

play11:38

refined table sugar to also add to the foods they were already eating?

play11:42

No, but we do.

play11:45

Think about maybe the last time you went to a restaurant.

play11:47

Maybe instead of ordering a water, you ordered a soda and maybe you got two to three refills

play11:53

and that extra sugar that was in that soda was ingested and probably didn't make you

play11:58

feel any more full than if you just had two to three glasses of water instead.

play12:03

Also, adding that sugar to foods that we already eat.

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Again, probably doesn't increase how full we feel but increases the amount of carbohydrates

play12:11

and sugars and therefore, calories that we ingest on a day-to-day basis.

play12:15

Again, depending on how much sugar that you ingest and so, this whole idea again is we've

play12:21

changed the ratio and therefore, the total amount of carbohydrates and sugars that we

play12:26

ingest.

play12:27

The sugar in and of itself is not evil.

play12:29

It's the amount that we're getting easily included in our daily diet.

play12:33

So, another thing that I think will be helpful is for us to understand what happens is the

play12:38

glucose circulates throughout the body and what happens is there's too much.

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Now, we already know that the glucose will first go to the liver and any fructose that's

play12:45

in there will just get converted to glucose anyway but the liver will also start to store

play12:50

the glucose in its storage form which is called glycogen and the liver can store about 100

play12:55

grams of glycogen and the rest of the glucose that isn't stored in the liver will circulate

play13:00

out the body and yes, insulin is going to be released by the pancreas in response to

play13:05

these increasing blood sugar levels and we're going to do a whole video series on insulin

play13:10

and diabetes.

play13:11

So, for now, just know that insulin essentially tells the majority of the cells in your body

play13:15

to take the glucose from the bloodstream and into themselves.

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Therefore, lowering blood glucose or blood sugar levels.

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And if we take a look at skeletal muscle in particular, that glucose that gets pulled

play13:26

into the skeletal muscle tissue will also get stored as glycogen and the skeletal muscles

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throughout your body could store about 400 to 500 grams of glycogen depending on who

play13:36

you are.

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So, kind of think of the liver and the skeletal muscle tissue is little gas tanks for glucose

play13:40

and glycogen.

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But, what happens when we've completely filled up the liver, completely filled up the skeletal

play13:47

muscle tissue and there's still more glucose in the bloodstream?

play13:51

That's when we start seeing the glucose getting converted to fat and getting stored in the

play13:56

adipose tissue and that's where we can start to run into problems by really increasing

play14:01

our glucose or our sugar intake beyond the capacity of say like our liver and our skeletal

play14:06

muscle tissue.

play14:07

So, hopefully that gives you a different perspective or a better understanding of how sugar can

play14:11

be bad.

play14:12

So, consistently ingesting too much of it and having increased blood glucose levels

play14:16

and that excess blood glucose getting stored as fat and increasing weight over time and

play14:22

the associations of increased adipose with things like diabetes, cardiovascular disease,

play14:27

and other conditions but finally, how does exercise influence or even change how we process

play14:33

sugar or glucose?

play14:35

Moderate to intense activity causes the skeletal muscles to preferentially shift their source

play14:40

of energy to burning more carbohydrates more so than fats.

play14:44

Also, as someone increases their activity or consistently exercises, their ability to

play14:50

store glycogen in their skeletal muscles increases.

play14:52

So, think as your skeletal muscle gas tank for glycogen getting bigger so you can store

play14:58

more glycogen and if you compared that to a sedentary or an inactive person with that

play15:03

of an active person, those who are inactive, you'd see that their resting glycogen stores

play15:08

are about 20 to 30% less than the active person.

play15:11

So, in theory, someone who's consistently active could eat more carbohydrates not only

play15:16

because they're just burning more calories on a day-to-day basis but also because they

play15:20

have the ability to store more of it in their skeletal muscles before it'll start getting

play15:25

converted to fat.

play15:26

Exercise also sensitizes muscles to insulin especially directly after exercise and this

play15:31

is kind of the opposite of what happens during type 2 diabetes.

play15:35

Generally, we say with type 2 diabetes that the majority of cells throughout the body

play15:38

become insensitive to insulin but exercise has this sensitizing effect especially with

play15:44

the skeletal muscles.

play15:45

And speaking of insulin, something that's really cool with exercise is that an exercising

play15:50

muscle doesn't actually need insulin to bring in the glucose like a resting muscle does.

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So, say you're running a marathon or exercising and you ingest like a simple sugar or a carbohydrate

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to replenish your carbohydrate stores, those contracting muscles can bring in the glucose

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without the need for insulin.

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So obviously you can see there are some amazing benefits to exercise through how it helps

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us to process and utilize those sugars or that glucose.

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And again, hopefully all of this help to just clarify how and when sugar can be bad and

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of course, if you made me pick between the two extremes - say I had someone that didn't

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eat any processed sugar and only got their carbohydrates from whole food sources versus

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someone who ate a ton of sugar.

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Obviously, we're going to pick the situation where we get our carbohydrates only from the

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whole food sources but most of us don't live on those two extremes and as long as the majority

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of your carbohydrates come from whole food sources and you have this balanced ratio of

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carbohydrates to lipids to proteins, you're likely going to be just fine with indulging

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into your favorite sugary treat every so often.

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And remember, one of the best times to that is directly after exercise when those skeletal

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muscles are sensitized to bring in that glucose to replenish the glycogen stores and FYI,

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it's also a good time to add protein to that because your skeletal muscles are primed to

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also bring in those amino acids or those proteins to help the rebuilding process.

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And as always, thank you for watching everyone.

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We really do appreciate everyone's support in making this channel possible.

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If you're interested in checking out AG1, again, that link is in the description below

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and if you feel the need, like, subscribe, leave some comments below, and we'll see you

play17:32

in the next video.

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Étiquettes Connexes
Sugar ImpactHealth NutritionDigestion ProcessExercise BenefitsCarbohydratesBlood SugarDiabetes LinkSugar vs StarchEnergy SourcesNutritional Drink
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