Dr. Lustig: Type 2 Diabetes Is 'Processed Food Disease'

Dr. Robert Lustig is an endocrinologist and professor of pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at the University of California-San Francisco. In this video, he sits down with CrossFit’s Rory McKernan to explain sugar’s toxicity, outline the stakes of sugar consumption and offer suggestions for addressing the ongoing sugar crisis.

“Sugar is toxic,” Lustig explains. “It proffers a set of biochemical alterations that are detrimental to human health—unrelated to its calories.”

In this way, Lustig says, sugar “is very much like alcohol,” and chronic metabolic diseases associated with alcohol are becoming prevalent in children with high-sugar diets.

When asked about the state of pediatric medicine in the United States, Lustig says, “We have a problem.”

Because the food industry has negatively influenced nutrition science for the last 45 years, many people still abide by the mistaken belief that a healthy diet is attained by regulating calories and saturated fat. This misconception has led to a rise in chronic metabolic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes in adult and youth populations.

People who believe they are making healthy choices and avoiding sugar are nevertheless affected by the crisis.

“Even though you might not be sick,” Lustig says, “society is.”

In the final third of the video, Lustig outlines the necessary steps for enacting a societal intervention. These steps include educating the public, approaching sugar as an addictive substance and calling Type 2 diabetes what it is: “processed food disease.”

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[raycooke]

This guy should get a Nobel prize for medicine.

[fredalovell]

I was a diabetic and went off of processed food, no soda, no white rice, white bread, no bread period if I can help it, no pizza, maybe one slice, but really no sugar, only fresh fruit with the fiber, with the peeling, no juicing that's processing, fresh whole vegetables, organic chicken, grass feed beef, not often, no pork, fresh fish, no farm fish, because of the crap they feed them. Yes, I still like to eat out, no its not that healthy, but I try like the devil to eat the best I can. I do not sit there and fill up on bread!! I do not order dessert or drink alcohol either!! I use organic stevia in my tea. I lost 60 pounds. My diabetes is considered to be in remission my A1C is 5.4. This can be done. I have not been able to exercise due to a head injury this is been done purely off of diet actually it's a change of lifestyles!! Now, the biggest problem that I have is finding the best grocery store with the best produce!!

[daveeeed]

history will look back at this guy as a true hero, a giant. the work he has done to wake people up, courageously fighting the good fight for humanity. Bucking the system to find the solutions to literally save children's lives. immense.

[shankar]

I feel huge gratitude towards this man. I was casually watching his famous 2009 lecture on sugar and thought I should stop eating sugary junk food and I should be ok. That was 2016. Boy I was wrong. I'm from a culture which has too much carbs in food all 3 meals in th day. Fast forward 5 years, I got diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I rewatched his lecture again and now I could relate and comprehend many things I missed earlier.

[waynetomo]

Dr Lustig understands this subject inside out, he absolutely nails it in every stream. Please watch more of his videos if you want to understand this subject better.

[vanhetgoor]

Professor Lustig is telling it in plain words, very easy to understand. I must get some more people to watch this.

[Katie-hbiq]

I watch so many videos from Dr. Lustig at this point, and every one still has nuggets I never heard in the others. This guy seriously is one of the most important people in the last decade - I sure wish our world would listen to what the hell he says.

[JeffreyPickett]

Well spoken, well educated and well read physician speaking out against the sugar industry. Kudos to Dr Lustig and CrossFit for pushing this up the pipeline.

[corpuscallosum]

Dr Lustig is the 21 century pioneer in true healing for humanity. Ethical, tireless, and most of all, a true hero fighting his own medical fields, pharmaceutical cos and the food conglomerates! Thanks so much for the new video.

[DraganBakema]

This man changed my life. Changed my life!

[tiffsaver]

I just watched this guy's videos, and they should be required viewing in every home and school in America... PERIOD. We are getting slowly poisoned by every major corporation in the world, and quite frankly, they should all be in jail, along with their bankster criminal conspirators.

[hemangdave]

I am a big fan of Dr Robert lustig. He changed my eating habits and how I used to eat food. Changed my life in a positive way. Everyone should listen to him.

[joeyzanne]

I reversed my Type 2. Drink water, Eat leafy green Veg, Do carb swaps. No more processed food and regular Fasting. Most important See your Doctor

[wenjiewise]

What a good man! I searched and watched every video of Dr. Lustig that I can find and got impressed and moved every time. US needs more Dr. Lustig and human beings today need more Dr. Lustig!

[mojodaso]

Have watched about 5 presentations by Dr. Lustig. Have suffered from "metabolic syndrome" for many years without really understanding it. We, my wife and I, know what to do now and are implementing it. Everything he is saying makes total sense to us, the good, the bad and the ugly. 10 stars for Dr. Lustig and his work or whatever is the top of the scale. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

[ksmoose]

Going to be tough. It took decades to get smoking numbers below 20% nationally. Can't imagine how difficult it will be with sugar when 99% of the country lives on it.

[dacisky]

His original sugar lecture caused me to give up sugar and carbs.
This was a really frightening and comprehensive follow up video.
Wow.

[MikeEdwardsphotography]

30 Food Industry Executives Disliked the video. Knowledge is key!

[HARRi_UK]

4 months ago I was diagnosed with type 2 Diabetes. My HbA1c (blood glucose) was 73 mmol/mol. Since then I have moved to a mainly wholefoods diet with little processed food and no UPF. I eat many organic things where possible. I eat strictly pumpernickel for bread, no refined carbs, no potatoes, ZERO added sugar and control carb portions to around 50g per meal. I enjoy cheese, fatty natural yoghurt, whole milk and snack on nuts, which keeps my fat intake at a good level. Kimchi, sauerkraut and yoghurt help my microbiome. I have also done a morning workout (exercise bike and weights) 4-5 times a week and have taken 500mg of Metformin twice a day. In 4 months I have lost 17.5Kg/2St 10lbs/38.5lbs and my blood test results today show a HbA1c of 36mmol/mol, which is amazing!

[neptronix]

This man's right on the money.
I've been following an approach similar to his and have reversed type 2 diabetes to the point where it's diagnostically undetectable. Both a surgeon who recently cut me up and an eye doctor who looked at the back of my eyeballs both told me that they did not see any signs of type 2 damage.

I cut carbohydrates out of my diet and started eating real food.

Other interesting things happened. I stopped having chest pains, my energy levels evened out, ED went away, and i started working out.

I've been eating a low carb diet for 6 years now and there's no turning back, for me.