Gary Taubes is a science and health journalist and author of* The Case Against Sugar* (2016). The Harvard graduate has degrees in journalism and applied physics, but the focus of his latest book is about a simple substance: sugar. The refined substance, in Taubes words, is responsible for killing people. Taubes believes sugar is the cause for a whole host of illnesses, many of which are largely preventable if we simply put away our use of sugar.
Taubes writes, “Diabetes is more prevalent today than ever; obesity is at epidemic proportions; nearly 10% of children are thought to have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. And sugar is at the root of these, and other, critical society-wide, health-related problems.” The author points to sugar being used as a preservative as proof that the substance finds its way into many different types of foods.
Have you ever wondered how some of your hams are cured? Take a look next time you go grocery shopping. Many meats are cured with sugar. And it’s not just in food where one can find the granulated substance. Taubes uncovered the fact that even the tobacco industry uses sugar to help addict its customers to their harmful products. He reveals how the industry uses sugar as an additive in cigarettes.
But sugar can also come in many different forms. Now food manufacturers are using high-fructose corn syrup in drinks, candies, treats, and baked goods. The added sweetener is also found in commercially available teas and snacks.
Taubes dives into research studies to show how harmful the white substance can be. He also attempts to clarify the many arguments against the consumption of sugar, while at the same time correcting misconceptions about the relationship between sugar and weight loss. According to his website www.garytaubes.com, his main purpose is to help people make informed decisions as to how they should be consuming sugar.
Taubes’ first few chapters are dedicated to explaining precisely how sugar consumption works like a drug in the human body, creating dependency, cravings, accompanied by highs and lows. He also discusses just how little nutritional value sugar has.
Starting in Chapter 3, he addresses ethical issues where he shows how Big Sugar is not all that much different from Big Tobacco. Taubes goes on in later chapters to discuss the misconceptions even nutritionists have when it comes to sugar consumption. The physicist, turned nutritionist, finishes his book with helpful suggestions on how to get sugar out of someone’s diet and keep it out.
In a recent interview, Taubes discussing his book with Tom Ashbrook, says sugar is a long-term toxin, which “does its damage over years and decades.” He told Ashbrook the misconception that sugar is nothing more than “empty calories” is a dangerous idea.
Taubes said sugar is believed to contribute to “metabolic syndrome” which leads to heart disease and diabetes. “Sugar is the most likely cause of diabetes which today afflicts 30 million Americans.” He also believes that sugar increases the risk of cancer and dementia. “I’m suggesting for those people who really care about being healthy, …it would be a very good idea to cut back or quit sugar,” he concluded.
Taubes’ book is less than 400 pages long. Taubes is also the author of Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It (2011) and Good Calories, Bad Calories (2007).
556 Words
