Sheri’s Rants #42: Prove It To Me!!

Dear Sheri,

Do you know of any medical studies that show connection of sugar and inflammation/joint pain? My sister, who is 58, has serious issues with both elbows and now both knees. She is also a major sugar addict (tho’ doesn’t see it), out of shape/overweight. Her husband is a surgeon, so she tends to poo-poo the kind of literature I want to send her (Sugar Blues or Dr. Mercola). I’m wondering if there are more “mainstream” studies (you know–Harvard or Yale stuff!). She doesn’t see any connection b/t her joints and sugar or how she eats (nor can I talk to her about it, cause she gets very defensive about food issues–she thinks  I’m way obsessive/compulsive about my desire to not eat sugar)

Thanks!

Nancy Reece-Jones

Dear Nancy,

The problem I run into with locating literature for folks who really do not want to hear it is that nothing is good enough.  The major Universities do only well-funded studies and the food industry has lots of funds but they do not invest in studies that will ‘look bad’ for them.  As well, medically funded research tends to be about 10 years behind of what the fitness/health field figures out.   Your sister’s husband is a surgeon; that is a very distinct belief system that she obviously does not want out of.  You will probably not find any one or any thing written that will be ‘good enough’ until she is ready to see things differently.  This is the sad truth.  That said, you could do some research and see what you can come up with deep in the archives.  I’ve found many studies where the down-side is that they are fairly unreadable by the general population.  I was recently sent a good one by the health director of a University on how fructose causes pancreatic cancer through a long series of chemical reactions.  It’s really good, but… Not useful for someone in deep denial.
If anything comes to mind I will pass it on.  But really, sometimes you have to allow people to live in their own world!
My own personal rule is that I don’t talk about food/fat loss/nutrition/health/fitness unless I’m asked.  People already squirm enough when I walk into a room of folks eating…!!  The assumptions they operate off of when it comes to ‘what I think’ are amazing to me.  Folks attribute all kinds of weird dietary behaviors to me with their assumptions.  (‘you don’t eat potatoes, right?’  ‘Why are you eating carrots, don’t they have a lot of sugar?’ ‘Oh, you eat meat?  I thought you wouldn’t because you’re healthy.’  ‘YOU drink coffee?’  ‘What’s in that shaker bottle, wheat grass and vitamin E?’)  on and on.  I gave up long ago defending/explaining/defining.  I just do what I do and respond to questions and otherwise be as graceful as possible.  Most folks are absolutely sure that eating healthy is the biggest pain in the ass on the planet.  I consider it a personal mission to make it look fun and easy and keep my mouth shut!!

All of that said, it is difficult to watch loved ones degenerating.  I watched my father die, feeling helpless.  It was such an easy fix!  In our culture Nancy, many people would rather die than give up the crap they have become addicted to.  You’d be surprised.  People even SAY that to me: ‘I’d rather DIE than give up my ice cream!’ (or bread, or cheese, or cookies…)  and I say okay.  I do not argue.

have fun,

Sheri Lynn