Sugar: The Bitter Truth

Dr Robert Lustig is a paediatric endocrinologist, and in 2009 he hit the world in a big way with his amazing lecture called Sugar: The Bitter Truth. In this detailed lecture, Dr Lustig explains the differences between glucose and fructose and outlines where the dangers lie in our current societal patterns of sugar consumption.

For those who enjoy watching real scientific knowledge and conviction in action, Dr Lustig is your man. He has no qualms about challenging a room full of grad students or doctors to stand up and state in his presence that obesity is being overwhelmingly caused by gluttony and sloth – a position he vigorously opposes. Nobody ever seems to take the challenge, unfortunately. In his brilliant 2013 follow-up lecture, Fat Chance: Fructose 2.0, he also declares with eminent authority that all calories are not equal – that a “calorie is not a calorie”, at least in the sense that it’s used in dietary discussion.

Dr Lustig is the go-to guy on sugar in the global sugar discussion. If you see one of the new spate of sugar documentaries, it would be surprising to not see Lustig’s input. In the meantime, you’ll just look silly if you try to discuss nutrition, contemporary health or sugar without memorising Dr Lustig’s name first, and making the effort to watch and understand his two critical lectures below.

Dr Lustig’s 2013 bestselling book is called Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease.