Sugar: Time to Look beyond Its Sweetness

The Great Debate on Sugar

People are calling it names, “Toxic”, "Sweet Poison", "Evil Nutrient", "Killer", "White Devil" and many more. The poor little thing is being targeted left, right and center for being too "sweet", an attribute it is best known for. Isn’t it ironical? Indeed, it is.

Although I have nothing personal against sugar, I myself have a sweet tooth, but the constant blabber all around definitely makes me anxious and curious to dig my nose deep in, to find out how good or bad the sugar actually is for our existence and is it practically possible to ignore its presence in our lives?


Among one of the most controversial and popular debates about sugar and its effects was the 90-minute lecture by Dr. Robert Lustig on "Sugar: The Bitter Truth". He spoke about the nuances of fructose biochemistry and human physiology. Dr. Lustig is a Specialist on Pediatric Hormone Disorders and a leading expert in childhood obesity at School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco.

During his lecture, in the most unbashful manner he had repeatedly referred to sugar as a "toxin" and “poison”. Lustig's anger was not only against the white granulated stuff that we put in tea and coffee (sucrose) but also towards the high-fructose corn syrup, which he called “the most demonized additive known to man.”

He debated aggressively on how it’s not all about sugar being “an empty calorie” thing. He said, “It has nothing to do with the mere calorie content. It’s a poison by itself. Its effect on us is much more insidious than weight gain. Sugar is known to be the dietary cause for increased risk of several chronic ailments such as diabetes, heart diseases, hypertension, some common cancers, and premature ageing”. In Lustig’s view, sugar should be considered as injurious as cigarettes and alcohol; things that can kill us.

The lecture left everyone pondering if it’s pure coincidence or whether the association is for real.