On May 26, 2009, Robert Lustig gave a lecture called “Sugar: The Bitter Truth,” which was posted on YouTube the following July. Since then, it has been viewed well over 800,000 times, gaining new viewers at a rate of about 50,000 per month, fairly remarkable numbers for a 90-minute discussion of the nuances of fructose biochemistry and human physiology.

The viral success of his lecture, though, has little to do with Lustig’s impressive credentials and far more with the persuasive case he makes that sugar is a “toxin” or a “poison,” terms he uses together 13 times through the course of the lecture, in addition to the five references to sugar as merely “evil.” And by “sugar,” Lustig means not only the white granulated stuff that we put in coffee and sprinkle on cereal — technically known as sucrose — but also high-fructose corn syrup, which has already become without Lustig’s help what he calls “the most demonized additive known to man.”

Fat Thanks to Sunita K. for the tip!

Is Sugar Toxic? – NYTimes.com

Whatever we have been doing to reverse the obesity epidemic in America clearly has failed miserably. The latest USDA Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report revealed that 35 percent of all the calories we currently consume are from solid fats and added sugars. This is now such a large part of our diet that the USDA has given it an acronym — SoFAS — and, by the way, the 35 percent statistic holds for both sexes, and all ages and ethnicities.

Here are the top five sources for calories among adults 19-plus, in order: desserts, yeast breads, chicken and mixed chicken dishes, soda, and alcohol.

Fat Thanks to Maureen O. for the tip!

Susan Yager: Whats Needed to Turn the Obesity Battle Around