Dr. Robert Lustig

And the reason is because fructose and alcohol are metabolized virtually identically. What's the difference between sugar and fructose? So, sugar, dietary sugar, the sweet stuff, the crystals, the stuff you put in your coffee.

Yeah, like that stuff. Yeah, that stuff. The five-pound bag right there. That's called sucrose. Okay, this is sucrose. This is sucrose. Now, sucrose is two molecules bound together. One molecule called glucose, one molecule called fructose. They are not the same. Now, the food industry will tell you they are the same. They are not the same.

Yeah, like that stuff. Yeah, that stuff. The five-pound bag right there. That's called sucrose. Okay, this is sucrose. This is sucrose. Now, sucrose is two molecules bound together. One molecule called glucose, one molecule called fructose. They are not the same. Now, the food industry will tell you they are the same. They are not the same.

The reason they tell you they are the same is because that's the way they assuage their own culpability for what they've done to the food. But they are not the same. They will say a sugar is a sugar, a calorie is a calorie, a glucose and fructose both have four calories per gram. Why should you care? Oh, you care a lot. You care a whole lot. Now, glucose is the energy of life.

The reason they tell you they are the same is because that's the way they assuage their own culpability for what they've done to the food. But they are not the same. They will say a sugar is a sugar, a calorie is a calorie, a glucose and fructose both have four calories per gram. Why should you care? Oh, you care a lot. You care a whole lot. Now, glucose is the energy of life.

Every cell on the planet burns glucose for energy. Glucose is so important that if you don't consume it, your body makes it. Okay. The Inuit had no carbohydrate. They had ice. They had whale blubber. They still had a serum glucose level.

Every cell on the planet burns glucose for energy. Glucose is so important that if you don't consume it, your body makes it. Okay. The Inuit had no carbohydrate. They had ice. They had whale blubber. They still had a serum glucose level.

That's right. Yeah. They're formerly known as Eskimos. Right. But they didn't have any carbohydrate. They ran off fat. but they still had a serum glucose level because your brain runs on glucose. It can also run on ketones too, but your brain runs on glucose. My brain runs on glucose. And you need glucose because certain hormones and certain proteins in the body require glycosylation.

That's right. Yeah. They're formerly known as Eskimos. Right. But they didn't have any carbohydrate. They ran off fat. but they still had a serum glucose level because your brain runs on glucose. It can also run on ketones too, but your brain runs on glucose. My brain runs on glucose. And you need glucose because certain hormones and certain proteins in the body require glycosylation.

in order to be effective. An example, LH and FSH. When you don't have glycosylation of LH and FSH, the hormones that tell your testicle and your ovary to work, you are infertile. It's that simple. So survival of the species says you need some glucose, but if you're not consuming it, you'll still get it because your body will make it. It will make it out of amino acids. It will make it out of fat.

in order to be effective. An example, LH and FSH. When you don't have glycosylation of LH and FSH, the hormones that tell your testicle and your ovary to work, you are infertile. It's that simple. So survival of the species says you need some glucose, but if you're not consuming it, you'll still get it because your body will make it. It will make it out of amino acids. It will make it out of fat.

Gluconeogenesis, it's called. So glucose is essential. It's just not essential to eat. Fructose, on the other hand, the sweet molecule in that bag.

Gluconeogenesis, it's called. So glucose is essential. It's just not essential to eat. Fructose, on the other hand, the sweet molecule in that bag.

Not only do you not need it... But in high dose, it's toxic. Now, your liver has the innate ability to metabolize a small amount, on the order of about six to nine teaspoons per day. Of dietary sugar, so half of that being fructose. So about 12 grams. Your liver can manage about 12 grams of fructose a day.

Not only do you not need it... But in high dose, it's toxic. Now, your liver has the innate ability to metabolize a small amount, on the order of about six to nine teaspoons per day. Of dietary sugar, so half of that being fructose. So about 12 grams. Your liver can manage about 12 grams of fructose a day.

In the same way it can manage about 12 grams of alcohol per day without showing any signs of any metabolic derangement. But if you go above that, now you get problems.

In the same way it can manage about 12 grams of alcohol per day without showing any signs of any metabolic derangement. But if you go above that, now you get problems.

We are so above that. We are at 50 grams of fructose per day, 100 grams of sugar per day. We're supposed to be at 25. We are at 100. We are quadruple our limit.

We are so above that. We are at 50 grams of fructose per day, 100 grams of sugar per day. We're supposed to be at 25. We are at 100. We are quadruple our limit.

Okay.