How Sugar & Processed Foods Impact Your Health [Video Interview]

If you’re like me, chances are pretty good that after you were diagnosed with diabetes you read articles, and maybe a book or two and watched a number of videos about diabetes.  The video below is one of the most interesting and I dare say the most credible videos I’ve seen about dietary sugar and processed foods. 

It is among a number of videos you can find on YouTube at the Huberman Lab podcast. The Huberman Lab podcast is hosted by Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and tenured professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine.

The podcast discusses neuroscience. It also talks about science-based tools. These tools show how our brain controls our body. The brain connects to organs in our body. These connections impact our perceptions, behaviors, and health. The podcast discusses tools to measure our nervous system. It also covers new tools emerging to change how our nervous system works.

The podcast is frequently ranked in the top 10 of all podcasts globally and is often ranked #1 in the categories of Science, Education, and Health & Fitness.

In this episode, the guest is Robert H. Lustig, M.D., M.S.L. a Professor emeritus of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

He specializes in the field of neuroendocrinology, with an emphasis on the regulation of energy balance by the central nervous system.

His research and clinical practice has focused on childhood obesity and diabetes. Dr. Lustig holds a Bachelor’s in Science from MIT, a Doctorate in Medicine from Cornell University. Medical College, and a Master’s of Studies in Law from U.C. Hastings College of the Law.

Dr. Lustig has fostered a global discussion of metabolic health and nutrition, exposing some of the leading myths that underlie the current pandemic of diet-related disease.

He believes the food business, by pushing processed food loaded with sugar, has hacked our bodies and minds to pursue pleasure instead of happiness; fostering today’s epidemics of addiction and depression. Yet by focusing on real food, we can beat the odds against sugar, processed food, obesity, and disease.

In this episode they address the “calories in- calories out” (CICO) model of metabolism and weight regulation and how specific macronutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates), fiber and sugar can modify the CICO equation.

They cover how different types of sugars, specifically fructose, sugars found in liquid form, taste intensity, and other factors impact insulin levels, liver, kidney, and metabolic health.

They also explore how fructose in non-fruit sources can be addictive (acting similarly to drugs of abuse) and how sugar alters brain circuits related to food cravings and satisfaction.

They also discuss the role of sugar in childhood and adult obesity, gut health and disease and mental health.

And finally, they discuss how the food industry uses refined sugars to create pseudo foods and what these do to the brain and body.

This episode is replete with actionable information about sugar and metabolism, weight control, brain health and body composition.

Although the podcast content isn’t aimed solely at diabetics, you will find a lot of the content relates directly to diabetes. Especially when it comes to trying to understand how specific food choices impact the immediate and long-term health of the brain and body.

The video is a very long one. It runs for about 3.5 hours. So, in the interest of time, I have included the timestamps below the video so you can scroll to topics that you find interesting.

Timestamps

00:00:00 Dr. Robert Lustig
00:02:02 Sponsors: Eight Sleep, Levels & AeroPress
00:06:41 Calories, Fiber
00:12:15 Calories, Protein & Fat, Trans Fats
00:18:23 Carbohydrate Calories, Glucose vs. Fructose, Fruit, Processed Foods
00:26:43 Fructose, Mitochondria & Metabolic Health
00:31:54 Trans Fats; Food Industry & Language
00:35:33 Sponsor: AG1
00:37:04 Glucose, Insulin, Muscle
00:42:31 Insulin & Cell Growth vs. Burn; Oxygen & Cell Growth, Cancer
00:51:14 Glucose vs. Fructose, Uric Acid; “Leaky Gut” & Inflammation
01:00:51 Supporting the Gut Microbiome, Fasting
01:04:13 Highly Processed Foods, Sugars; “Price Elasticity” & Food Industry
01:10:28 Sponsor: LMNT
01:11:51 Processed Foods & Added Sugars
01:14:19 Sugars, High-Fructose Corn Syrup
01:18:16 Food Industry & Added Sugar, Personal Responsibility, Public Health
01:30:04 Obesity, Diabetes, “Hidden” Sugars
01:34:57 Diet, Insulin & Sugars
01:38:20 Tools: NOVA Food Classification; Perfact Recommendations
01:43:46 Meat & Metabolic Health, Eggs, Fish
01:46:44 Sources of Omega-3s; Vitamin C & Vitamin D
01:52:37 Tool: Reduce Inflammation; Sugars, Cortisol & Stress
01:59:12 Food Industry, Big Pharma & Government; Statins
02:06:55 Public Health Shifts, Rebellion, Sugar Tax, Hidden Sugars
02:12:58 Real Food Movement, Public School Lunches & Processed Foods
02:18:25 3 Fat Types & Metabolic Health; Sugar, Alcohol & Stress
02:26:40 Artificial & Non-Caloric Sweeteners, Insulin & Weight Gain
02:34:32 Re-Engineering Ultra-Processed Food
02:38:45 Sugar & Addiction, Caffeine
02:45:18 GLP-1, Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Tirzepatide), Risks; Big Pharma
02:57:39 Obesity & Sugar Addiction; Brain Re-Mapping, Insulin & Leptin Resistance
03:03:31 Fructose & Addiction, Personal Responsibility & Tobacco
03:07:27 Food Choices: Fruit, Rice, Tomato Sauce, Bread, Meats, Fermented Foods
03:12:54 Intermittent Fasting, Diet Soda, Food Combinations, Fiber, Food Labels
03:19:14 Improving Health, Advocacy, School Lunches, Hidden Sugars
03:26:55 Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter