Dec 04 2009
For The Love of Food
For The Love of Food
I had to take a little break from reading articles this week since I have a big project I’m working on in lab right now. Instead of the usual awesome links, today I want to share with you a video lecture by UCSF professor, Robert Lustig.
It is long, but absolutely worth watching.
And it is particularly important if someone you know is suffering from type 2 diabetes or other chronic disease.
Dr. Lustig argues that sugars, and specifically fructose, are a direct cause of the current obesity epidemic and more similar to alcohol (poison) than to food. His discussion of the effects of fructose on children is heartbreaking and makes his arguments particularly poignant.
It also helps answer the question I often get about why cultures that depend largely on pasta and white rice (Italian and Asian societies) aren’t as unhealthy as Americans even though we all eat “processed carbs.” The answer is that it is both the processing and the additives that cause the problem, and Dr. Lustig explains in detail the science behind it all.
I should warn you that about half way through he starts going into some serious biochemistry, but don’t let it scare you. That section is short and you don’t need to understand the details to get the take home message. Those of you with some undergrad chemistry under your belt will enjoy it, but that is by no means required. Scrub ahead if you must.
My favorite quote:
“Fructose is ethanol without the buzz.”
In other words fructose is much, much worse.
Watch this and share it with your loved ones.
P.S. Thanks to those of you who downloaded How To Get Started Eating Healthy. If you thought you should have received a copy but didn’t, you are probably signed up for the blog post emails but not the newsletter. The difference is explained here. Fill out the newsletter form to get a link to the free guide.
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Tags: diabetes, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, Obesity, sugar, video
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I’m only 40 minutes into the video and I already echo Darya’s recommendation. Cant’ wait to finish it!
-Steve
Glad you’re enjoying it!! Not sure if people had seen it already.
Thanks Darya. This is fascinating and will definitely help refresh my memory for an obesity epidemiology final coming up! I’ve posted it on my website, as well. Good luck with that lab work. I’m not sure how you juggle both so well!
Thanks for pointing me in that direction… that was worth every minute watching it!
What a great presentation. I understood enough of the biochemistry that it didn’t scare me off. This is life-changing information, and I am passing it along in various venues.
And thank you, Darya. Your blog has become essential reading in my house!
I’m so happy the video resonated with you! Glad to educate
Thanks so much for posting this Darya! I saw him give a similar presentation last year, and have been telling everyone who will listen how good it was. Anyone working in obesity management should take the time to watch this video. Thanks again!
Travis
A little longwinded/rhetorical, but very interesting nonetheless! I’ve never seen or heard of the problem broken down quite this simply before; seems like the basic message is that any reasonable level of glucose consumption is basically okay, while even moderate levels of fructose consumption can be problematic. Happily this rescues my beloved white rice, pasta, and potatoes (starch is almost all glucose). Giving up orange juice seems a small price to pay if I can keep eating my starches
.
Oh, except he also nixed beer; why cruel world?!?
LOL! You need to cultivate selective ignorance about beer like I have
What I didn’t really get: In the beginning he says that it’s bad if the insulin doesn’t go up because then the brain doesn’t get the signal “full”. Later he says that a high insulin level can interfere with the “full”-signal to the brain. What now?
Good question Sigrid. Insulin travels in the bloodstream and is a signal to the brain that you have eaten food. With chronic high insulin exposure, however, the brain and other body organs (muscles and fat in particular) become desensitized to it. This is how our metabolisms get messed up. The goal is to have stable levels of blood insulin and eat foods that promote insulin sensitivity–slowly digesting foods like vegetables, fats and protein–and avoid foods that cause insulin resistance–sugars and refined carbohydrates.
Hope this helps answer your question.
So I just got around to finishing the whole lecture. Amazing. I just wish it were simpler to educate people and help them make better choices.