Dr. Robert Lustig

So it's a three-year window between the change in the diet and the change in the metabolic health consequences. We have those data. And the fact that they work both on the way up and on the way down is like, you know, take it to the bank. Now, that's for the sugared beverages. You asked me about diet beverages. I've got one here. Let's look at it. All right. I've covered up the logos.

Oh, I've never seen this before. I wonder what that is. The data now show, I mean, it took a while for these data to come in, but the data now show that the toxicity of one sugared soda equals the toxicity of two diet sodas. Half as bad. Half as bad does not mean good. Half as bad means half as bad. Well, it says zero sugar here, so how can it be bad? Well, because it's bad for a different reason.

Oh, I've never seen this before. I wonder what that is. The data now show, I mean, it took a while for these data to come in, but the data now show that the toxicity of one sugared soda equals the toxicity of two diet sodas. Half as bad. Half as bad does not mean good. Half as bad means half as bad. Well, it says zero sugar here, so how can it be bad? Well, because it's bad for a different reason.

So, yes, zero fructose, zero calories. I agree. But that doesn't make it good. It makes it better than the sugared alternative, but it doesn't make it good. Why? Why? Number one, you put something sweet on the tongue. Message goes, tongue to brain, sugar's coming. Message goes, brain to pancreas, sugar's coming, release the insulin. So I still get an insulin release?

So, yes, zero fructose, zero calories. I agree. But that doesn't make it good. It makes it better than the sugared alternative, but it doesn't make it good. Why? Why? Number one, you put something sweet on the tongue. Message goes, tongue to brain, sugar's coming. Message goes, brain to pancreas, sugar's coming, release the insulin. So I still get an insulin release?

You still get an insulin response. And the more other food you ate, the bigger the insulin response. So you will have an accentuated insulin response because you're exposed to the diet sweetener. This is work from Yanina Pepino, 2013 at Wash U St. Louis. And it's been corroborated multiple times since.

You still get an insulin response. And the more other food you ate, the bigger the insulin response. So you will have an accentuated insulin response because you're exposed to the diet sweetener. This is work from Yanina Pepino, 2013 at Wash U St. Louis. And it's been corroborated multiple times since.

Because insulin's a bad guy. So we always talk about glucose being a bad guy in terms of diabetes, and it is, of course. But insulin's a bad guy too. Glucose causes small vessels... to be dysfunctional, causes endothelial cell dysfunction. It causes high blood pressure because it causes those small vessels to constrict.

Because insulin's a bad guy. So we always talk about glucose being a bad guy in terms of diabetes, and it is, of course. But insulin's a bad guy too. Glucose causes small vessels... to be dysfunctional, causes endothelial cell dysfunction. It causes high blood pressure because it causes those small vessels to constrict.

It interferes with nitric oxide, which is one of the things that relaxes the blood vessel. and it will basically reduce blood flow to specific organs. So high glucose is not good for you, and it's bad for small vessel disease. And that's why diabetics get retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, kidney disease, nerve damage, and eye disease.

It interferes with nitric oxide, which is one of the things that relaxes the blood vessel. and it will basically reduce blood flow to specific organs. So high glucose is not good for you, and it's bad for small vessel disease. And that's why diabetics get retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, kidney disease, nerve damage, and eye disease.

But insulin is also a problem because what insulin does is it causes cell growth. Insulin is a growth factor and it causes vascular smooth muscle growth like in your coronary arteries and it causes glandular growth. So it is one of the primary drivers of heart disease and cancer.

But insulin is also a problem because what insulin does is it causes cell growth. Insulin is a growth factor and it causes vascular smooth muscle growth like in your coronary arteries and it causes glandular growth. So it is one of the primary drivers of heart disease and cancer.

So you can be a diabetic, a type 2 diabetic, and have your hemoglobin A1C, a measure of your glucose control, down near normal range because you're on insulin or oral hypoglycemics or even GLP-1 analogs for that matter, okay? And you will die just the same because you will die of a heart attack or of a cancer because diabetics have a much higher incidence of cancer.

So you can be a diabetic, a type 2 diabetic, and have your hemoglobin A1C, a measure of your glucose control, down near normal range because you're on insulin or oral hypoglycemics or even GLP-1 analogs for that matter, okay? And you will die just the same because you will die of a heart attack or of a cancer because diabetics have a much higher incidence of cancer.

They also have a higher incidence of dementia as well. And the reason is because of insulin because insulin is a bad guy in this story. Glucose causes microvascular disease. The insulin causes macrovascular disease. They're both bad. You need to control both of them. And this controls the glucose. It doesn't control the insulin.

They also have a higher incidence of dementia as well. And the reason is because of insulin because insulin is a bad guy in this story. Glucose causes microvascular disease. The insulin causes macrovascular disease. They're both bad. You need to control both of them. And this controls the glucose. It doesn't control the insulin.

So the other thing that we've learned about non-nutritive sweeteners across the board is that they alter the microbiome. Now, the microbiome is the bacteria that live in your gut. Now, you have to feed your microbiome. You have to feed your bacteria. Because if you don't feed your bacteria, your bacteria will feed on you.

So the other thing that we've learned about non-nutritive sweeteners across the board is that they alter the microbiome. Now, the microbiome is the bacteria that live in your gut. Now, you have to feed your microbiome. You have to feed your bacteria. Because if you don't feed your bacteria, your bacteria will feed on you.

It will strip the mucin layer, a protective physical barrier, right off the surface of your intestinal epithelial cells. And when it does that, it denudes them and allows for other bacteria, toxic bacteria, to take up residence and cause irritable bacteria. bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and the junctions between the cells become dysfunctional as well.