In this powerful clip, Peter Defty sits down with Dr. Johnathan Edwards to unpack the unseen consequences of chronic high sugar intake—not just in everyday populations, but in athletes pushing extreme carbohydrate loads. What starts as a discussion on glycation quickly expands into a sobering look at the ripple effects of metabolic dysfunction triggered by excess glucose and seed oils.
Dr. Edwards pulls back the curtain on how chronic sugar intake—especially when combined with industrial seed oils—sets the stage for fatty liver disease, mitochondrial dysfunction, and systemic inflammation. He points out that Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), once rare, is now surpassing hepatitis as the leading liver disease in America, with even children requiring liver transplants.
Peter connects these insights to athletic performance, noting that the excessive use of high-carb fueling strategies accelerate glycation, oxidative stress, inflammation resulting in long-term cellular and mitochondrial damage. They explore how these biochemical stressors impair mitochondria—the powerhouse of our cells—leading to everything from poor energy production to hormonal dysregulation and cognitive decline.
🔑 Key Topics Discussed:
Glycation and AGEs (Advanced Glycation End Products): How excess glucose attaches to and damages lipo-proteins, accelerating aging.
Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD/NASH): The modern epidemic tied to high sugar and calorie overload, even in youth.
Mitochondrial Dysfunction: Why mitochondria suffer under the metabolic stress of too much sugar, and how fat-adaptation supports cellular health.
Seed Oils & Oxidative Stress: The inflammatory cocktail of excess sugar and polyunsaturated fats in the standard diet.
Athletic Implications: Why athletes are not immune, and how relying on fat metabolism promotes long-term resilience.
This discussion doesn’t just highlight what’s going wrong—it emphasizes the solution: restoring metabolic function by prioritizing fat metabolism.
📌 Conclusion
Dr. Edwards and Peter deliver a compelling fact based argument that goes far beyond the current ‘quick-fix’ of stacking carbs in the diet and fueling. They reveal how today’s high-sugar, seed oil-laden diets and hyper high carb fueling are driving liver disease, inflammation, and mitochondrial decline—even in the young and athletic. The message is clear: understanding and addressing the unintended but very real consequences of consuming too much sugar, specifically glycation, metabolic derangement, liver disease/dysfunction and systemic inflammation is no longer optional—it’s essential. Once you understand these basic facts the solution; focusing on reclaiming your foundational physiology via optimizing fat metabolism (OFM) to build metabolic capacity so you can harness carbs/sugar when needed for performance and adaptation instead of metabolic derangement and breakdown.
To get started on your Metabolic Health & Performance journey start here or contact us.
