John Yudkin: the man who tried to warn us about sugar
I'm getting sick of this ignorant sugar alarmism. Sugar is not the culprit behind all the diseases listed in the article. Obesity is [5] [6]. Unless of course you're talking about cavities. Then not brushing your teeth is the culprit. The reason sugar gets such a bad rep is that high-sugar foods tend to be less-filling and lead to overeating [1]. Stay at a healthy weight by controlling caloric consumption [2].<p>The article mentions such scientific evidence as "nearly two-thirds of the studies cited there to repudiate Lustig's views were funded by Coca-Cola." Seriously?<p>Normally I wouldn't care - sugar alarmism = more candy for me - except that, as the article notes, "Lustig ... calls for sugar to be treated as a toxin, like alcohol and tobacco, and for sugar-laden foods to be taxed, labelled with health warnings and banned for anyone under 18." That's just bullshit extremism. Doughnuts, one of my favorite foods, can be part of a healthy diet just like anything else. In fact, sugar is fantastic for stimulating muscle growth [3], and can help with diet adherence during a caloric deficit [4].<p>[1] <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin_index" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insulin_index</a> - this page lists satiety indexes for common foods. Notice all the lowest scores are bakery goods and sugary snacks.<p>[2] <a href="http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2009/10/14/ajcn.2009.28595" rel="nofollow">http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/early/2009/10/14/ajcn.2009...</a><p>[3] <a href="http://jcs.biologists.org/content/122/20/3589.full" rel="nofollow">http://jcs.biologists.org/content/122/20/3589.full</a><p>[4] <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11126336?ordinalpos=47&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum" rel="nofollow">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11126336?ordinalpos=47&it...</a><p>[5] <a href="http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/obe/risks.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/obe/ris...</a><p>[6] <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19801534" rel="nofollow">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19801534</a><p>Edit: People are taking my words out of context. This is my reply to another comment below that elucidates my meaning: "I advocate moderation and balance. Consume reasonable calorie and macronutrient (protein, fat, carbohydrate) quantities. Eat what allows you to do that. For me, those carbs come from doughnuts and candy but also from brown rice and pasta. Just like my meats include both lean meats (chicken breast) and fatty, delicious meats (bacon). Combine this with exercise and all you'll avoid all the scary things the article talks about."