Bros Do Science - Weekly Must Read - 23/04/2017
Bring your coffee we'll get the rest
Hot news of the week!
AARR is out! Check Alan Aragon’s new research review is out! And as the Brofessor Alan posted: “YEEEEEAAH!!!!!! AARR is UP!!!! Once again, I'm confident I matched the previous issue in terms of sheer quality, and I'm pretty sure I surpassed it in quantity... Awesome guest spots by Matt Kal-El Woodard (the body is smarter than we are), Jacob Schepis (evidence-based personal training: possible or unicorn territory?), and Anthony Howard-Crow gives us a 90-day update on his diet consisting solely of ice cream, protein powder, and a smidge of alcohol. I also discuss breaking research on post-exercise carbs, overfeeding & metabolic flexibility, and I critically analyze a review about added sugars & obesity. I also answer a subscriber's provocative questions about macronutrient composition of caloric surpluses for "lean massing." I'm really stoked about this issue, oh man, wait till you crack it open. :) Don't know what I'm mumbling about: https://.alanaragon.com/aarr/ Index of topics & studies covered thus far (don't skip your workout to read this please): https://alanaragon.com/aarr-index/ Subbers log-in link: https://alanaragon.com/login “
Posts of the week!
April 13 at 9:02pm | Joseph Agu: Elite Nutrition Coaching - ENC
Is Sugar Addictive?
If ‘TV nutritionists’ and the Daily Mail is anything to go by, it certainly appears that way. Along with news headlines are made up MRIs of rats brains after being fed either sugar or cocaine as justification for the addictive properties of sugar.
Though sugar does have an impact on the reward centres in the brain (food, in general, does that), any rational person would have a hard time putting sugar in the same category as cocaine or heroin.
Fortunately, Westwater and colleagues published a review paper in the European Journal of Nutrition last year that sheds some light on this topic called ‘Sugar addiction: the state of the science’.
The authors summarise the state of the science as follows, “Most of the evidence is limited to the animal neuroscience literature, and it is far from convincing. Importantly, several key elements of drug addiction have not been evaluated in sugar addiction models, such as the transition to compulsive drug-taking and dose-dependent effects on addiction liability. There remains a paucity of human evidence in this area, and we did not consider the literature encompassing the behavioural and neural effects of sweet or palatable food consumption as this would be far too indirect to the question of sugar addiction. There is the problem of the dearth of data on pure sugar consumption as we rarely consume sugar in isolation, and the ecological validity of studies examining pure sugar consumption in humans would be limited…. The science of sugar addiction at present is not compelling. Nevertheless, sugar addiction remains a very popular and powerful idea, but as this special issue illustrates, it is by no means alone in this regard when it comes to misconceptions about sugar. Even the most perfunctory Internet search reveals how much emotive and explanatory power the term ‘sugar addiction’ has when used in its lay sense for individuals personally, as well as in the context of major public debates such as those over the sugar tax or campaigns such as Action on Sugar in the UK. Although the concept as we discuss it here is far more rigorous, the lay interpretation raises the question of whether sugar addiction is a useful (if not valid) concept to help tackle obesity and/or change the food environment? From a policy perspective, it is unlikely that sugar could be excluded from individuals’ diets given its presence in numerous food items, and any analogies suggested based on the regulation of illicit drugs would be specious. Given the multitude of interacting factors that increase one’s risk for eating disorders and obesity, we argue that support of sugar addiction as a primary causal mechanism of weight gain represents an extremely narrow view that fails to capture the complexity of these conditions, and one that may hamper more coordinated and appropriate responses. Furthermore, while there is a pressing need to address these important concerns, we argue that it is dangerous to draw strong conclusions about the validity of sugar addiction based on the current evidence. There are many strong arguments for cutting down the consumption of sugar and reformulating food products accordingly, yet these arguments will all stand or fall according to the scientific case that supports them.”
In short, there’s no evidence that sugar is addictive in humans. That’s not to say that people don’t have a hard time moderating their consumption of highly palatable foods.
FREE full-text link: https://goo.gl/jBB0mM
Poscasts of the week!
STUART MCGILL EXPLAINS THE MECHANICS OF BACK PAIN AND THE SECRETS TO A HEALTHY SPINE
by STUART MCGILL Read Article/Go to Podcast
Episode 174: Researcher from Maastrict University, Jorn Trommelen is on the show to discuss his research on the effect of glucose/fructose on carbohydrate oxidation during exercise and the effect of pre-sleep protein on muscle protein balance.
by sigmanutrition.com Read Article/Go to Podcast
Articles for serious Brainz (Brain + Gainz)!
WHICH BARBELL SQUAT VARIATION IS OPTIMAL FOR YOU?
by Dr. Jon Rusin Read Article
Integration for Fitness – Another System, Another Useful Tool
by Dean Somerset Read Article
In this five minute video, Dr. Greg Lehman challenge common beliefs and correct myths about biomechanics and posture using current research.
by PTDC Read Article
Intra Workout Carbohydrates: To Carb or not to Carb?
by Miguel Blacutt Read Article
Intra Workout Carbohydrates: To Carb or not to Carb?
by Miguel Blacutt Read Article
How to BIOHACK your exercise for RAPID progress. LOL Just kidding, but here are some tips.
by Patrick Umphrey Read Article
