The Bitter Truth About Sugar

with Dr. Robert Lustig

We all know by now that sugar can lead to weight gain and cavities. But there is a lot about how sugar operates that we may not have realized before. The truth is that it ages us on the inside and out (causing wrinkles, for example). It shortens our lifespan. It leads to many modern diseases rooted in mitochondrial and metabolic dysfunction.

Dr. Robert Lustig, endocrinologist, professor, and author, explains just how serious the situation is, on today’s podcast. He uncovers the problem of hidden sugars in our food and how it weakens our immune system, making us vulnerable to sickness. He offers numerous suggestions for how to reduce our exposure to sugar and what to eat in its place.

Notes:

Highlights from the conversation include:

Why many people consume sugar despite knowing its dangers
How our bodies do not require fructose, but it stimulates the reward center in our brain
How fructose is the molecule that leads to addiction and fructose is the molecule that makes sugar addictive
How sugar ages humans causing wrinkles, cataracts, etc.
Why 20% of children today suffer from fatty liver disease
How sugar leads to chronic metabolic diseases
Why fruit isn’t as bad as refined sugar
How metabolic syndrome is a cluster of diseases including diabetes, alcoholic fatty liver disease, cancer, dementia, mitochondrial dysfunction
How fructose drives all of these sub-cellular pathologies: glycation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, insulin resistance, membrane instability, methylation, & autophagy
How foods that are low in sugar and high in fiber protect your liver and feed the gut
Sugar’s direct and indirect effects on the immune system
How food allergies, autoimmune disease & metabolic syndrome came along at the same time as processed foods
How fructose depletes the ATP (the energy) of the cells leading to a host of health issues
How does sugar affects autoimmune diseases
How sugar can make people vulnerable to COVID-19
Where to start if you want to reduce or eliminate sugar intake
The social disparities that arise when trying to eat right
How to better understand food labels
Key differences between real and processed food
Resources for get real food recipes during the COVID-19 panic