Dr. Kimber Stanhope

When sugar, any sugar, leaves our intestine, it goes into the portal vein.

And the first stop for the portal vein is, now I'll beg your surprise, based on the name, the liver.

Now, the liver can use whatever sugar is in that blood, pull it in and turn it into energy, or it can let it stay in the blood and get delivered to the rest of the body.

Now, in the case of glucose, if the liver doesn't need that sugar, because let's say at the very same time you're drinking the glucose, you are also consuming a Big Mac and French fries.

The glucose in that beverage or whatever is going to go past the liver and go to the muscle, go to the fat cells, go to the brain, and the rest of the body gets to use it up.

With fructose, even in situations where the liver absolutely doesn't need the energy to

All the fructose is pulled into the liver.

86% of the fructose you consume in a big gulp drink is going to end up in the liver.

Wow.

And that is way too much substrate for the liver to deal with.

So it does the best it can, but the leftover gets turned into fat.

And it's that extra fat making in the liver that mediates this chain of bad events that follows the consumption of fructose.

That increased liver fat, some of it gets sent into the blood where you get more triglyceride and more cholesterol because they get sent out hand in hand

And the results are increased risk for cardiovascular disease, increased risk for diabetes, increased risk for liver disease.

Certainly, we need fruit and vegetable for their incredible nutrient profile.

And the amount in fruit and vegetable would cover any need we absolutely have for sugar.

With regard to being an energy source, if you're eating a whole wheat grain, you're going to get lots and lots of glucose.

And that will provide your energy.

Your whole grains are your safe source of carbs.

And in my mind, your fruit and vegetable are your required source.