🧊Pure, white and deadly: the story of Fructose

Pure, White, and Deadly is a book wrote by Yudkin in 1972.

The book argues that greater intakes of refined sugar (mainly fructose) is the dietary factor that contributes to cardiovascular illnesses.

After all, intakes of fat have significantly declined. And yet the incidence of cardiovascular diseases has continued to rise, thus implicating that fat may not be the culprit behind the cardiovascular problems.

Fructose is a type of sugar that is naturally found in high amount in fruits, some vegetables and honey.

However, fructose syrups are cheap and a great addition to processed foods to increase sweetness and improve texture.

Plenty of emerging research is beginning to uncover the link between excess fructose and the development of cardiovascular diseases.

When consumed in isolation or in high amount, fructose breakdown in the liver contributes to liver toxicity, and this:

1. promotes insulin resistance

2. drives fat synthesis and deposition in the liver

3. alters the microbiome and the gut barrier to increase inflammation

And increases the risk of high blood pressure.

It doesn’t look good, does it?

🥊 Punchline

The narrative around fat and cardiovascular illnesses is changing. And rightly so because long overdue. Excess refined sugar intake (mainly fructose) is emerging as a dietary factor that significantly contributes to liver toxicity and thus cardiovascular illnesses. Consuming food naturally rich in fructose is not an issue, but reducing fructose intake through eating less ultra processed foods should be on everyone’s agenda.

🥦Fibre: A well rounded ally for our gut health

Fibre is fermented by your gut bacteria and so it’s great for your gut health.

The by products of fibre fermentation are mainly short chain fatty acids (SCFA).

Called this way because they are shorter than other types of fats.

However, there is so much more to fibre than only SCFA.

Fibre rich foods are also rich in other nutrients (e.g. beans are high in both fiber and protein).

And so fibre fermentation releases other compounds from foods.

The indirect effects of greater fibre intake includes production/release of secondary bile acids (2°BAs), aromatic amino acid derivatives, neurotransmitters, and B vitamins.

All of which shape our health.

After all, fibre traps other nutrients within a matrix, and so fibre degradation releases and potentially transform fiber-associated byproducts in the colon that positively influence our gut bacteria make up.

🥊 Punchline

Fibre degradation in the gut shapes the gut bacteria community at a compositional and functional level, beyond direct production of short chain fatty acids.

🐟 How eating small fish whole can prolong life expectancy

The habit of eating small fish is usually limited to several coastal or maritime countries.

With fish intakes in the UK mainly limited to large fish, like cod, haddock and salmon.

When eating fish, however, we only eat a part of it. And often we don’t eat the skin (where most omega 3 is found in most fish).

In comparison, eating small fish involves eating the whole fish, including skin, bones and organs. All of which are rich micronutrients, like omega 3, calcium and vitamin A.

Also, small fish doesn’t have as much heavy metal as bigger fish.

A new study has found evidence linking intake of whole-sized small fish with a reduced risk of all-cause and cancer mortality.

Among the 80,802 people studies for 9 years, eating whole small fish for at least twice a week decreased all-cause mortality and cancer mortality by 30% on average for women.

This was true even after controlling for factors that can affect mortality risk, like age, BMI, smoking, alcohol and intake of various nutrients and foods,

There are limitations to this study. For example:

• The study was carried out in Japan, and so may not be applicable to other countries due to the type of food in Japan

• The effect was seen in women only

• A food questionnaire was used to recall food eaten. Some people may over or underestimate intake of certain foods

However, small fish is usually richer in nutrients and physiologically active substances. And they are more affordable.

🥊 Punchline

The inverse relationship between intake of whole small fish and the mortality risk in women underscores the importance of the greater nutrient-density in small fish (e.g. omega 3, calcium, vitamin A) compared to large fish.