Who I need
• Board-certified endocrinologist (MD/DO)
• Registered dietitian (RD/RDN)
What I’m after
Clear, quotable, evidence-based insights on how added sugar affects health (beyond diabetes), whether “natural/healthier” sugars or substitutes change outcomes, and realistic ways to cut back.
How to respond
Reply in writing to [email protected]
or email to set up a brief Zoom. If replying in writing, include:
• Full name + credentials + title/affiliation (as you’d like them to appear)
• One professional link for attribution (homepage, lab page, or practice site)
• Relevant disclosures (funding/paid relationships)
Answer any/all of the following 10 questions:
Cardiometabolic: How does a high–added sugar pattern affect triglycerides/VLDL, ApoB/LDL-P, and blood pressure? What shifts do you actually see in labs?
Liver: Outline the path from frequent sugar-sweetened beverages to de novo lipogenesis and NAFLD. Who is most at risk?
Hormones/appetite: Beyond insulin, how can added sugar intake influence leptin, ghrelin, GLP-1, and cortisol—and how might that show up day to day (hunger, energy, sleep)?
Brain/behavior: Clinically, how do you distinguish strong cravings and reward-pathway activation from true “addiction”? What’s a concise way to explain this to the public?
Glycemic index/load: Do lower-GI sweeteners (agave, coconut sugar) meaningfully change post-meal glycemia or long-term risk in mixed meals?
“Natural compounds”: Do antioxidants/minerals in honey, maple, or molasses matter at typical serving sizes, or is this mostly marketing?
Juice/smoothies/whole fruit: How do glycemic, satiety, and metabolic responses differ among these, and what’s your guidance for each?
Non-nutritive sweeteners: Who benefits most (if anyone) from stevia/monk fruit/aspartame/sucralose/acesulfame K? Who should limit them (kids, pregnancy, GI conditions)? Any quick notes on microbiome/GI tolerance and frequency?
High-impact cutbacks: What three swaps or micro-habits most reliably reduce added sugar without backlash (e.g., coffee/tea routines, breakfast defaults, dessert strategies)?
Guidelines & labels: Which limits (AHA/WHO/DGA) do you cite, and how do you translate them into label-reading rules of thumb? Any pitfalls with “no added sugar,” “reduced sugar,” or products mixing sugar + non-nutritive sweeteners?