The Discovery of a Major Survival Pathway That Has Gone Astray in Humans

So why would sugar have such an important function in human survival and disease? Why is it different from other foods we might view as delicious? If it is more than a calorie, how does it work. Here we explore the role of sugar in survival, focusing on how animals survive in nature, and how animals store extra fat and become insulin resistant to survive times of food scarcity. The discussion takes us from hibernating bears to hummingbirds.

Learning outcomes

We then discuss the discovery of a central biological pathway of protection, mediated by fructose, that is either ingested or produced. We discuss how this pathway has gone astray with Western Diet, and we can tie into the first lecture. We discover how other foods, such as high glycemic carbohydrates and salt, can interplay, and we use this to dissect how many of the major epidemics, including diabetes, obesity and heart disease are all driven by this pathway. We can also link the survival with how bacteria survive in the mouth, and the formation of caries – so we can link this to oral health

Speaker

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