Hey Transformers!

Is sugar toxic? We are frequently asked about the sugar and fructose in our products; but recently a well-known endocrinologist, Dr. Robert Lustig from the University of California at San Francisco, posed this hypothetical question from a scientific perspective. As a society, I don’t think we’ll like the answer (see his interviews here and here).

We cannot overestimate the importance of glycemic control. The ability to control or manage your body’s ability to metabolize glucose is paramount. A seminal paper in the New England Journal of Medicine demonstrates the relationships between glycemic control and hazard ratios regarding various disease diagnoses, including mortality rates. The paper can be found here (subscription required). As expected, poor glycemic control—or high glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) values—had a linear relationship with increased hazard ratios for diabetes diagnoses. The researchers also found linear relationships with hazard ratios for stroke, coronary heart disease, and even with death. These data certainly corroborate Dr. Lustig’s and others findings.

How then can we better control our blood sugar levels? Think of the three things we address in Transformation: nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle. In each these three areas—with the help of your trained coaches—you are learning what to eat and how much of it to eat (including reducing your sugar intake), how to help your body become more efficient at using energy (achievable exercises), and lifestyle choices that remove obstacles from proper nutrient processing (sleep and stress management). As Dr. Lustig states, this has now reached pandemic levels and we need to not only live the program but share the program with as many people who need it as possible. Will you be the one to make a difference for someone in need?