Did anyone catch this last night on 60 Minutes? I wish I had! I do have a video clip that I found online this morning.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504803_...eadStories

Lots of good points in here, most zoners would be nodding their heads through this one!

Here's some additional information from the mayo clinic, backing up the 60 minutes piece:
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Sugar has always held a contentious place in the American diet, and today the presence of sugar in the foods we eat is greater than ever.
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The Mayo Clinic says: "If you're like many people, you may be eating and drinking more sugar than ever because it's added to so many foods and beverages.
It's thought that added sugar may be one of the factors in the rise in obesity and other health problems."
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Mayo continues: "Does that mean you can or should avoid all sugar? Not necessarily. Sugar occurs naturally in some healthy foods.
But it's added to other foods and beverages. Desserts and sodas and energy and sports drinks are the top sources of added sugar in most American diets.
Foods high in added sugar do little more than contribute extra calories to your diet—and often are low in nutritional value. They can set the stage for health problems."

That brings me to a study that ties high levels of sugar consumption to heart disease.
The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
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Study: Sugar Boosts Heart Disease Risk
October 2011
Adults who consume high levels of sugar have significantly elevated levels of several risk factors for heart disease, according to a study by a team of researchers at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) and in Japan.

The study results suggest that U.S. dietary guidelines for sugar may be lax and should be reconsidered, the researchers said. Their findings are reported in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

"While there is evidence that people who consume large amounts of sugar are more likely to have heart disease or diabetes, it has been controversial as to whether high-sugar diets may actually promote these diseases," said Kimber Stanhope, the study's senior author and a research scientist at UC Davis.

"Our new findings demonstrate that several factors associated with an elevated risk for cardiovascular disease were increased in individuals who consumed 25% of their calories as fructose or high fructose corn syrup," Stanhope added.

In the study, researchers examined 48 adult participants between the ages of 18 and 40 years. For five weeks before the study, subjects were asked to limit daily consumption of sugar-containing beverages to one eight-ounce serving of fruit juice. The participants were then divided into three groups, each group consuming 25% of their daily calories as fructose, high fructose corn syrup or glucose.

The researchers found that within two weeks, study participants consuming fructose or high fructose corn syrup exhibited increased bloodstream concentrations of three known risk factors for heart disease: LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and a protein known as apolipoprotein-B, which can lead to plaque build-up in arteries.

The same risk factors for heart disease did not increase in participants who consumed glucose. (In this study, the researchers were looking at the participants consuming glucose as a control group, against which results from the other two groups could be compared.)

Stanhope noted that the American Heart Association recommends that people consume only five percent of their daily calories as added sugar, but the federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, suggest an upper limit of 25% or less.

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism; Published online ahead of print.

Great information John. I gave up sugar for a period of nine months several years ago. Some weight came off.
As soon as I started eating it again the weight came back on. With the zone I am not craving. The little demon
in my head telling me to pull in to McDonalds for a Frappe is gone. I am so relieved. Wish I had found this way of eating years ago.
I tried every diet under the sun. This one really ties it all together and makes me realize why I couldn't lose weight.
I've got my husband and two year old daughter doing it with me. So glad to have a place to fellowship.

To hear what Barry Sears has to say about this topic go to the Dr. Sears Zone Facebook Group page (on Facebook) and scroll down to the Get the Book Candy TV: Ask Dr. Sears Widget-Widgetbox link at the right.

Thank you, Sue. Listening now.

Still listening... but I think he is done talking about the 60 minute segment.

The 60 Minutes segment was focusing on sugar as the culprit. I agree. However, I think it was an incorrect assumption on the part of Dr. Sears to assume that this reporter was talking about sugar as the one and only problem. I don't feel that this was the intent of the segment. Plus, you have to keep in mind the targeted audience--the majority of Americans who are eating sugar to an extreme. Cutting back on sugar intake may not solve all of the nutritional issues, but IMO would make a huge difference in many lives. We in the Zone realize that there are other issues, as well. But just how much material can one cover in a 5 minute segment?

For those who have yet to watch Dr. Sanjay Gupta's report on sugar on "60 Minutes" (it's actually over 14 minutes in length), here's a link to it so you can judge for yourself the different views of Dr. Gupta and Dr. Sears on this topic: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7403942n

Sue,

My link is only about 5 minutes long (if that).

I think it would have been helpful to the discussion if it had been shared previously that my link was only a portion of what was presented (one of my original comments prior to that discussion being deleted was about the fact that I wasn't sure if my link was the entire piece, or if there was more that actually aired on TV).

I posted the actual length of the piece in the link in case people who want to view it are expecting it to 5 minutes in length based on previous coment in this thread. My thought is if they know ahead it will take about 15 minutes to watch, they may wish to wait until they have more free time to view it.

oh, OK then.

CHEERS!