Does Sugar Cause Weight Gain
Sugar has long been blamed for weight gain in the fitness industry. This myth is largely based off the glycemic index. Which is a way of measuring the effect certain foods have on blood sugar levels.
The thought was that since sugar is digested so quickly. Your body suddenly has a large amount of fuel with no use for it. Therefore it gets turned to fat.
One study put this theory to the test by taking two groups of people and feeding one group 100g of sugar per day and the other only 10g of sugar per day. Furthermore all meals were pre made for participants.
By the end of the study there was no difference found in fat loss between the two groups.
But whats even more surprising was both groups had almost identical improvements in health markers.
Which suggests that your health can be drastically improved my simply just losing weight.
Sugar has also been described as addictive. But whens the last time you saw some one guzzling honey or downing 10 apples at once? It's actually the foods like cookies, ice cream and cake that have a combination of both processed sugars and fats that can are highly palatable.
Also sugar intake has been on the decline since the nineties while obesity rates have still climbed. Which can be seen in the graph below.
Now Here is the problem with sugar when dieting. Foods high in refined sugar are not very filling, they lack nutrients and they are also really easy to over eat.
So for that reason I would recommend limiting sugar while dieting. Remember, its a calorie surplus that causes weight gain, not just sugar.
Travis Moss
Online Evidence Based Personal Trainer
MVMNT Wellness
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