Dr. Robert H. Lustig, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at UCSF, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. Recently, a talk he gave called “The Bitter Truth”, was made available on the Internet. Though the date of his presentation is 2009, this information remains timely and important. Being knowledgeable in the area of nutrition and health, I was surprised and dismayed to learn how erroneous some of my knowledge was. I encourage you to take the time to listen to his lecture. The truth about sugar and how it relates to weight gain is critical for all of us to know and understand.
How many of you remember the low fat popularity in the 80’s? If you are too young to remember the low fat movement, look at what remains today: “Low Fat”, “Heart Healthy”, “No Transfats” – but how much emphasis or even obvious information is there on the amount of sugar in foods? Sugar includes fructose and sucrose – and high fructose corn syrup – among other chemical equations. And here is a shocking statistic: we consume over 141 pounds of sugar a year (according to the Journal of Clinical Investigation). It’s no wonder that obesity and heart disease are on the rise at such an alarming rate.
Obesity—along with the associated chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease—has become a national epidemic. And you may be a prime target. But it’s not your lifestyle that’s the problem; it’s your food, and what has happened to it. For valuable and lifesaving information, please take the time to listen to Dr. Lustig to learn why obesity isn’t about personal responsibility, but rather how you can change your environment to prevent this scourge. You’ll walk away with an entirely different perspective.