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A lot of discussion recently on the Forum about obesity and its link with sugar consumption, so I thought I would 'crawl out from under my rock again' ( ) and write something about the very wide range of effects that sugar has on the body.

We are all aware of much of what I write below, but in such postings we cannot leave out what we think is obvious on the assumption it is obvious to everyone (also because someone will immediately respond with "Eh mate, call yourself a biologist? What about tooth decay? Missed that didn't ya! Bl**dy know-all scientists!" or maybe not )

If one person finds even one fact they did not know before or the posting causes one thought about sugar intake for that person and his family (the damage starts YOUNG) then it is worth the time writing such postings - after all, what else do I have to do???

A major point about sugar (the body's energy source) is that its presence is often disguised in foods by using a variety of names - so we can easily consume more than we think.



(from https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/features/how-sugar-affects-your-body).

Another issue is that, as with the unlikelihood of getting the balance in intake/output exactly right at any moment in time, the body has to convert unused glucose (a simple sugar consumed as glucose or produced from other more-complex sugars by metabolism) into glycogen (a complex sugar) and store it, usually in muscle tissue (of the skeletal system) and the liver. BUT, there is limited storage capacity for glycogen and so excess glycogen is then converted to FAT (which is a more compact form of storage). Glycogen is the easiest storage form to convert back to glucose for use in the body and stored fat converts back only when the glycogen is depleted (glucose < > glycogen < > fat). Thus, when we build up fat (adipose tissue) we find it difficult to get rid of when we continue to consume more sugar than the body requires.

So, exercise uses glucose converted from stored glycogen and then from stored fat - if we consume only the amount of sugar the body needs then there is no excess to store and if we consume excess sugar there is no way to prevent fat accumulation other than using it up by sufficient activity (exercise). This is the simple story of 'diet and exercise' and the link to obesity. This is the point @Rye83 makes: that if (in energy terms) input exceeds output then you get fat/obese. In simple terms: You cannot do work/exercise (use energy) unless you input energy BUT also you cannot remove excess energy (stored as fat) unless you do work/exercise (i.e. use up energy).

However, there is much more to sugar than a bulging waist:

As a general issue: Too much sugar causes the release of insulin and stress hormones, which raises the level of inflammation within the body. This can have very damaging effects all over the body, as seen below.

Heart and circulatory disease can be linked to excess inflammation and the accumulation of fats, both caused by excess sugar intake. This can leads to heart attacks and strokes.

When the liver stores too much fat, it causes liver cells to become fat cells and results in 'non-alcoholic fatty liver disease' - this can progress to liver failure in the same way excessive alcohol consumption can. This may require a liver transplant.

The pancreas helps control blood sugar levels by producing the hormone insulin but this mechanism can fail if it is 'overworked' by consuming too much sugar - it starts to produce too much insulin and this may result in Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

An effect of diabetes is to cause kidney damage. The kidneys filter impurities from the blood so any decrease in function can be very serious.

Excess inflammation can be responsible for joint damage and pain. (Decreasing sugar intake might be a better first approach to joint pain than reaching for medications).

Another side effect of inflammation is in causing damage to the skin fibres (collagen and elastin) that keep the skin firm, so making your skin age faster (wrinkly and sagging!).

Bacteria in the mouth cause tooth decay as they feed on sugar and convert it to lactic acid. The acid is strong enough to erode the outer-covering of teeth (the enamel) and get to the softer inside (dentine) and destroy it rapidly.

Finally, and maybe most importantly (not): Sugar may have an impact on achieving an erection because of the effect on the blood circulatory system. So cut out that late night/early morning/midday/early evening/whenever coke(s)!

 

Just wanted to give a shout out to Neva's Valencia as they have been our go to here in Combado Bacong for the last 7 months.... the Bhan Mi is our staple both beef and chicken and the Cottage Pie (they call it Shepard's Pie ) is our 3 yr old's favorite ... Just tried the chicken Tika Masala and it was Lami !! .always quick delivery even in the rainy dark of night... Thanks Neva's

 

When tourism finally comes back (if ever) i would suggest that the company's that rent them motorbikes should really stress to the hirer how vigilant they need to be of the dangers caused by dogs, chickens, goats, drunks wandering into the road.
I know the subject of stray / unleashed dogs has been well covered before in the forum but i felt the need to bring it up as over the last 3 days 2 filipino men i know who were both experienced riders and knew the dangers have both been in accidents caused by dogs.
Fortunately their injuries were not fatal but 1 is in hospital awaiting an operation for his injury, what is probably more important to them is that they now cannot work until they heal up so no money coming to feed the family and of course the medical bills.
Will the dog owners compensate them for this...
My suggestion is that all the people that are sitting around at the covid checkpoints but not even stopping anybody should be put to work rounding up these dogs and fining the owners.
YES i know i am flogging a dead horse but one more lash won't make it any more dead

 

I would like to share this video of a Filipina who is greatly loved and appreciated by her employers abroad. So proud of her—-

 

This comparison is about prices/fees. Not about quality

 

Based on the latest DOH numbers (august 12), Negros Oriental has recorded 155 cases of covid-19 in total, of which 49 are currently active.
Relative to the population size, that means a total infection rate of around 0.01% for the province. In comparison, Cebu City has an infection rate of 1.0%, and Cebu province is at 0.37% overall, while the NCR is at 0.64%.
Internationally, the Philippines still has a relatively low infection rate of 0.13% overall, USA (1.6%), Brazil (1.5%) and a whole bunch of others are much worse.
The rate at which infections are growing in the Philippines is worrisome though, about one third of all cases are from the current month of August.

Almost all the cases in Negros Oriental can be traced to people travelling into the province from elsewhere. Almost all, but not quite all. Last month there was a situation with an elderly lady who tested positive after her death, but who had no travel history whatsoever. There may have been more of these unexplained cases, that I missed.
However, these (hopefully very few) unexplained cases are the ones deserving most attention, because they point to something we should all be concerned about, which in covid terminology is called "local transmission".

All in all though, one can argue (as I do) that we have been very lucky so far, and that keeping travel down (ferries/airport, border with Negros Occidental) is a crucial part of why we have been so lucky.
Unfortunately, Negros Occidental has not been so lucky, they currently report about 1,000 cases (including Bacolod), which means the infection rate there is at 0.04%, or about 3 times as high as in Negros Oriental.

However, I don't think we will remain so lucky, the Philippine government has already indicated that money is running out and that people need to get back to work. If that would imply (as I fear) increased travel, then we may soon see a much worse situation than today.

 

It is hard to be talking about the passing of a good person who called himself Solid Pan here in DI. He was a German national who had bypass surgery before deciding to live here in Dumaguete with his new-found family from Siaton.
I came to know him because he was one of those who signed up and stayed to learn Bisaya until middle of March this year. When COVID-19 was at its peak mid March, he suggested that we take a break for everyone's safety. Three months after on June 3 I received a text message from his partner that he passed away. It was devastating. I am writing this post for those who know him.