One thing about this “sugar = diabetes” thing is that people hyper focus on just sugar. Insulin acts on all digestible carbohydrates, not just sugar. Vegetable starch such as rice, corn, wheat or potatoes is just a chain of glucose molecules and is actually turned into blood glucose faster than sucrose. Eating 1 lb of potatoes is exactly the same as eating 1/4 lb of sugar, other than that it comes with some oil too.
Also it sure is annoying having type 1, which has nothing to do with that, and type 2, which does, is 24x as common.
Your overall point is very, very important and often overlooked but pure sugar does not take "longer" to turn into sugar in the bloodstream than simple carbohydrate.
You don't need to turn to hyperbole! Your point is already very important!
Thanks, but it’s not hyperbole. Vegetable starch is, as noted, only a chain of glucose molecules. It takes 1 chemical step to turn into glucose - breaking the bonds. The only thing faster is pure glucose or maltodextrin. Sucrose is a disaccharide consisting of glucose+fructose. It takes a two-step process. The glucose is absorbed, but fructose takes a much longer pathway through the liver.
There’s a dietary concept called ‘glycemic index’ which ranks foods on how fast they are absorbed into your blood stream. It’s moderated by fat, protein, and fiber content in meals, but still it’s worth looking at the basic food items. I had a hard time finding good charts that listed not only prepared foods but included sugar and starches, but check out this chart for example, or this one. Observe how on both lists, sucrose is in the upper middle, 60ish, while potatoes, corn, rice and wheat are among the highest around 100, second only to glucose and maltodextrin.
I'm extremely fascinated and this is pertinent to my work so I'm going to thank you for it now (because it'll take me a day or two to have time to really give it a good look.)
Oh, cool! Like you said, the speed of absorption is a minor distraction from the greater point, which is that all carbs are essentially sugar. Slower absorption does help people with T2, but mainly eating fiber and protein makes more of a difference than the base carb source. This is just what I recall from researching this topic when I got type 1 a few years ago, and my main focus was on the most efficient way to treat low blood glucose.
Does this mean that you can get a boost of energy quicker by eating something like potato chips, rather than chocolate? Not that the former would be healthier
i have type 1 and have to watch out for and treat oncoming or acute hypoglycemia. If it’s an emergency, like drooling and shivering with glucose of 35, you want the fastest possible, which would be glucose tabs/gel or honey. Pure potato or white rice potato is right up there. For preventative maintenance, if I seem to be dipping, I prefer things like cheetos or corn chips and salsa because it’s more enjoyable. If you were experiencing symptoms of hypoglycemia (which typically would not happen to a regular person without massive aerobic exercise stress or long starvation) you’d want the fastest method possible. I have type 1 so I have a CGM and manual blood monitor, and most people don’t have those insights. Anyway, I take potato chips with me everywhere I go.
The fastest would be the glucose tablets or liquid they sell for type 1 diabetics. Honey that is crystallized is very fast too, as the crystals are pure glucose. Some candies like US Smarties are sweetened with glucose. Fruit juice and sucrose are pretty quick, still, but if I’m in a hurry, I eat potato or white rice.
Fat slows down absorption of carbohydrates, so chocolate, and to a lesser extent potato chips, are slower than pure potato or other candies with sugar.
Whole potatoes have some vitamins and fiber. Brown sugar has some, processed sugar has none. Peeled potatoes have little more nutrition than white sugar, and the same or worse effect on insulin response, which is the key of type 2 diabetes. Mainly what I was pointing out is that something like mashed potatoes is the same as sugar, maybe worse, and that “type 2 diabetes happens from too much sugar” might as well be “type 2 diabetes happens from too much french fries” but the real issue is total carbohydrate intake. In practice, Type 2 issues combine with lifestyle, as in if you’re a marathon runner or body builder, eat as many carbs as you want. If not, watch all carbs.
The difference is the medical definitions of cause and factor. Lack of breathing will cause death. Obesity from eating too much sugar is a factor. If it was a cause eating too much sugar would CAUSE it to happen every time. It does not.
Sure, carb intake is only one factor. It’s a very important one though. Obesity and inactivity contribute a great deal, along with genetics. In essence people develop tolerance to insulin because their bodies are flooded with it, in an attempt to metabolize excess carbohydrates. Insulin resistance means the insulin stops working as effectively, resulting in the body putting out more and more, which doesn’t work either, and resulting in chronic hyperglycemia. High body mass means the body has to put out more insulin to maintain a certain blood concentration. Exercise plays a role in glucose utilization, also. Over time, the islet cells get exhausted, too. Type 2 can to some extent be turned around with a low-carb diet and exercise, unlike Type 1.
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