Sugar??

[1swimmer]

Okay, I've been wanting to ask. How bad is sugar while on treatment?
I eat quite healthily but enjoy my sugary desserts at nite. I finally posted this question
after reading a discussion on alcohol use. I don't drink but wonder if sugar is just as bad.
C

[1swimmer]

Today is day 2 of adding Vic to the other meds and I'm noticing a change in food desire. I seem to stay fuller, longer and I don't want the sweets as much. If I am less hungry, I figure, I need to make really balanced, healthy choices. It's amazing how fast my appetite has changed. I still act like Popeye, and eat my spinach every day, no matter what.
Cheers,
C

[rockymoe]

I have always had a sweet tooth. I am on triple tx with VIC. Since I have been on treatment I can't stand sugar or salt, or fried foods it has kind of made me make healthy choices. Also I can't eat a lot. A kids meal is perfect for me. If you ask and tell them your on meds most will let you order off kids menu.

[1swimmer]

Another reminder; I did see that 60 min. piece. What I was left with, is that the brain starts to need more and more sugar for satisfaction. I think I'll put a note on my fridge that says, the brain will always want more, what do YOU want. I do believe sugar (in excess) will put some stress on my liver and I want to do my part in the big fight. I wish there was more hard evidence on this topic, as well.
side note: I never ate sugar until I quit drinking alcohol 7 yrs. ago.

to all, thanx for the posts.
C

[stormy456]

My husband is wrapping up his 24 wk tx next week.  He met with our usual family doctor, who is a naturopath/dr. of oriental medicine/molecular biologist.  We attrtibute my husband's nearly constant VL of 2,500 for many years to him.  His position on sugar is very, very clear - he believes that refined sugar creates cellular damage and is absolutely toxic to the liver.  I do not know the science behind his belief, but trust him more than any other doctor I've ever come across.   While on tx, my husband ate more than his fair share of sugar, and that was our doctor's biggest concern, not the interferon.   Post-tx, my husband will cut all sugar out of his diet, as will the rest of our family.

[BeatTheBeast]

There's been a lot of commentary about added sugar being toxic to the body.  The liver processes added sugar differently.  There was a 60 minutes piece on this topic about three weeks ago moderated by Dr. Sanjay Gupta and focusing on work by Dr. Lustig at UC San Francisco.  It's on YouTube (14 minutes).  Since learning more since then about the effects of added sugar on the body, I've been surprised not to have seen any references to this in the HCV context.  Maybe I or someone else should start a thread on this topic.

[1swimmer]

I think I'll try parsley. I go to the dentist for deep cleanings regularly and have started flossing more than once a day. Hoping i can avoid too many problems. Thanx for listing specific products.
Cheers,
C

[orphanedhawk]

For mouth sores inside the mouth, I started eating lots of parsley, fresh is best,  for the lysine and take liquid acidopholus. Usually that works. You can also buy lysine at the health food store if you're not into parsley.
I always try to go with the non-chemical ways first for dealing with health issues.

However, when that doesn't work, there's a dental paste my hepatologist prescribed that does the trick called Trimacinolne Acetonide.

Dry mouth was a problem for me so I used Biotene gel at night, and used Xylitol tooth paste, gum and mints. I like Epic products, you can google them.

[nygirl7]

I had the mouth sores on tx. My teeth are a wreck but always have been I can't blame interferon, more like 25 year bad life style. Oh wait gosh I'm old...that math isn't quite right ;)

I think one sugary treat at night is just fine. If you get worried, sugar free fudgicles work good, ask anyone who knew me when I treated I lived on them.  :)

[working dog]

on tx mouth sores are very common....i ate maple syrup on blueberry pancakes with lots of butter every morning...it was a good way for me to get the fat needed as well as the blueberries with antioxidants..2 tables spoons of butter = 22 grams of fat...it made the meds work great...trouble is i gained 20 pounds on tx....there can be times on tx when your mouth is so sore....good luck....billy

[1swimmer]

Thanx for the reminder w/ regards to teeth. I'm trying to be diligent about flossing. Did you ever get mouth sores or were you able to avoid that? And I'll cut back on the sugar to be safe.
C

[BoceprevirGal]

  I think, if you ate sugar, before Tx, and you weren't diabetic, or experiencing your blood-sugar rising back then, it should be okay.
   My Doctor never warned me to stay away from sugar, just alcohol.
  Besides, I like to pamper myself on Tx. Yeah, sure, I try to avoid sugar most of the time, because I read my labs, and noticed this treatment seemed to be making my non-fasting glucose higher than usual, but then again, what do I even know about that test? If there is a problem with our labs, having to do with our sugar intake, then I'm pretty sure our Doctors would mention it to us~

[Idyllic]

Enjoying a sugary dessert at night sounds like moderation to me. :)

But if you mean does sugar interfere with the meds or our liver then unless one has fatty liver or is diabetic in some way I am not entirely sure.

[orphanedhawk]

My guess is the worst affect from eating  sugar on tx is it could increase your likelihood for tooth decay. Treatment is hard on our teeth.
If you're going to eat your sugary treats, clean your teeth really, really well afterwords.
I got obsessive on tx, with brushing my teeth after I ate anything, and using dry mouth products, in between.