Is Sugar Toxic

Gary Taubes recently published an article in the New York times based on the work of Robert Lustig, a leading expert in childhood obesity and specialist for pediatric hormone disorders. The article was titled “Is Sugar Toxic”  It explores the damage caused by sugary foods, and directly links sugar to be the main cause of obesity due to its effect on insulin.  It’s difficult to argue the point, when the National Diabetes fact sheet released in January of this year, estimated that around 8.3% of the population, or 25.8 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes. The American Heart Association now recommends that you keep added sugars to less than 5% of your calorie intake. That’s about 25 grams or 6 teaspoons per day for an average-sized adult.

Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin.