Dr. Robert Lustig: How Sugar & Processed Foods Impact Your Health
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In this episode, my guest is Dr. Robert Lustig, M.D., neuroendocrinologist, professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and a bestselling author on nutrition and metabolic health. We address the “calories in- calories out” (CICO) model of metabolism and weight regulation and how specific macronutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates), fiber and sugar can modify the CICO equation. We cover how different types of sugars, specifically fructose, sugars found in liquid form, taste intensity, and other factors impact insulin levels, liver, kidney, and metabolic health. We also explore how fructose in non-fruit sources can be addictive (acting similarly to drugs of abuse) and how sugar alters brain circuits related to food cravings and satisfaction. We discuss the role of sugar in childhood and adult obesity, gut health and disease and mental health. We also discuss how the food industry uses refined sugars to create pseudo foods and what these do to the brain and body. This episode is replete with actionable information about sugar and metabolism, weight control, brain health and body composition. It ought to be of interest to anyone seeking to understand how specific food choices impact the immediate and long-term health of the brain and body.
Journal Articles
- Mount Everest in Utero (American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology)
- The star shines bright (World Nutrition)
- Sucrose-sweetened beverages increase fat storage in the liver, muscle, and visceral fat depot: a 6-mo randomized intervention study (The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)
- Short-Term Consumption of Sucralose with, but Not without, Carbohydrate Impairs Neural and Metabolic Sensitivity to Sugar in Humans (Cell Metabolism)
- Effects of aspartame-, monk fruit-, stevia- and sucrose-sweetened beverages on postprandial glucose, insulin and energy intake (International Journal of Obesity)
- The Metabolic Matrix: Re-engineering ultraprocessed foods to feed the gut, protect the liver, and support the brain (Frontiers in Nutrition)
- Caffeine increases liking and consumption of novel-flavored yogurt (Psychopharmacology)
- The Origins of Personal Responsibility Rhetoric in News Coverage of the Tobacco Industry (American Journal of Public Health)
- Leisure-time physical activity and intra-abdominal fat in young adulthood: A monozygotic co-twin control study (Obesity)
- Sugar Industry and Coronary Heart Disease Research: A Historical Analysis of Internal Industry Documents (JAMA Internal Medicine)
- Randomized Controlled-Feeding Study of Dietary Emulsifier Carboxymethylcellulose Reveals Detrimental Impacts on the Gut Microbiota and Metabolome (Gastroenterology)
Articles & Other Resources
- Sugar: The Bitter Truth
- Perfact
- Eat Real
- American Legislative Exchange Council
- Kuwaiti Danish Dairy
- The Metabolic Matrix
- “The Drive” episode with Dr. Lustig
- BioLumen
- Levels Health
Huberman Lab Episodes Mentioned
About this Guest
Dr. Robert Lustig
Robert Lustig, M.D., is a neuroendocrinologist, professor of pediatrics at the University of California,San Francisco (UCSF) and a bestselling author on nutrition and metabolic health.
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