Sweet Poison: Why Sugar Makes us Fat

For as long as I can remember (perhaps 4 years of age) I have had problems with being overweight. I have also survived two heart attacks (at 40 and 47), so I have been searching for a way to get healthier for a long time. I tried many different regimens including Dean Ornish's diet plan for 18 months after my first heart attack. I lost weight, but eventually went back to my old ways and gained all of the weight back and more. At my heaviest, I was 306 lbs (at 6'2" tall) and this is when I had my second heart attack. I realized that I could not embark on any temporary "diet" because I would eventually revert back to (bad) form. What I needed was a permanent lifestyle change. In the last several years, I have read a number of books on nutrition related to weight loss and in October 2013, I read "The 100" by Jorge Cruse and started down the path of attempting (though not always succeeding) to limit my carbohydrate intake to 100 sugar calories per day or less, with most of that coming from dry red wine and dark chocolate (>70% cocoa solids). I have largely eliminated both grains and fructose from my diet. I also quit diet pop cold turkey to eliminate the memory of "sweetness". By doing so, I have experienced many positive benefits. In the 15 months since I started, I have lost over 40 pounds and I would say that this has been almost effortless compared to past undertakings. As the author of this book noted, my experience of hunger has changed completely. I no longer go through intense craving cycles daily and I can go for eight or more hours without really needing to eat. I know I am hungry and that it would be nice to eat, but it is not intense and there is no weakness or headache associated with the long period of not eating. I do not shy away from meat and fat, though I am careful not to eat much polyunsaturated vegetable oil and not to eat virtually any trans fat. I also eat a lot of green vegetables and small amounts of fruit, mostly berries and melons. Perhaps the best side-effect is my sense of well-being. I have truly never felt better in my life. The daily dyspepsia I experienced when eating a lot of grains and sugar is a distant memory and my mental acuity is much better. The triglyceride level in my blood is < 50 mg/dl which is excellent and is far more indicative of heart disease risk than total cholesterol ever was. I have found my permanent lifestyle and couldn't be happier. If you would like to read some other eye-opening books, let me suggest "Grain Brain" by Dr. David Perlmutter, "Fat Chance" by Dr. Robert Lustig, "Wheat Belly" by Dr. William Davis, "The Great Cholesterol Myth" by Dr. Stephen Sinatra and Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes (or the shorter version called "Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It") and "The Big Fat Surprise" by Nina Teicholz. You will be shocked at how little evidence there ever was that low fat and high carb diets were good for you and how much bad science was practiced to foist this myth off on the public for so long. Good luck in your journey. By the way, the only reason I didn't give this book five stars is that I am a scientist and would have preferred a little more technical detail, but from a practical point of view, there is nothing wrong.

I was recommended this book by a friend and found it very easy reading.I have a scientific background but know very little about metabolism or biology.The book is well laid out, easy to follow, and speaks directly to the reader but doesn't dumb down the complex science behind diet and the way our body processes food into energy.I have been cutting high-fructose foods from my diet for a few weeks now, and already find that my appetite is generally reduced and I feel full quicker. I sleep better and my regularity has improved! I also enjoy eating foods that previously tasted bland much more (ie vegetables and plain, unsweetened biscuits). I've already noticed that I've started losing some body fat, and a little weight, with no real other significant change to my lifestyle other than avoiding high-fructose foods. But the improved well-being is more important than the weight issue for me.Although there are many other very important factors in lifestyle and diet such as excersise and avoiding high-salt and 'bad' fats, the dangers of the hidden sugar added to most of our food is a hugely important issue and is one that the diet industry seems to ignore. Just last week, leading research groups were writing newspaper articles about the dangers of eating too much carbohydrates, and completely ignoring the sugar issue except in passing reference ("oh well, and of course you should avoid too many sweets.")For me personally, the message in this book has made a positive impact on my lifestyle in just a few weeks.This book is a must-read!

I have read numerous books on different diets but this is the best one ever. David has a great sense of humour and an easy to read style of writing. I did Chemistry to year 12 which helped to understand some of it but he does give good explanations in laymans terms as well as more in depth ones. Every book recommends avoiding processed sugar and processed foods but it wasn't until I read exactly what I was doing to my body by consuming it that I could conquer my sugar addiction. I've been over 4 weeks without sugar and I no longer miss it. The first week was hard but the kids and I got through it. I also bought the quit plan and cookbook and his other book big fat lies which I would highly recommend. You do need alternatives to make the change so the recipe book has been fantastic, I did buy that at the bookstore as I didn't fancy cooking from my kindle. My kids are love the recipes from the book. When they ask for other foods that are full of fructose or vegetable oils all I have to say is that it has the bad sugar (even works on my almost 3 yo) or the toxic oil and they no longer want it.

Reading this book literally blew me away! David Gillespie has written a remarkable book here. He has done a lot of research, much of it very technical, and has managed to keep it simple enough for me to understand completely about what he has uncovered. Personally, I just wish he had written this 20 years ago. After reading this, I now really know about sugar, what it is doing to America and the world, why so many people are suffering and dying in a place of so much abundance, and how I can begin to reverse it's effects. The sugar industry does not want the world to read this book. It has since changed my life. I've lost 8 pounds already in 3 weeks without even giving anything up but sugar and fruit juices. The American diet experts have been preaching lies to us for years and maybe reading this will open your eyes like it did mine. Just to qualify myself, I do not know David Gillespie and I'm not Australian. I'm just a guy who was over weight and could get any straight answers under I read this book.

Many important informations for those who, like me, are worried about their own health, specially about the effects of fructose in our body. Clear language and technical terms used in adequate measure.

An easy read that will change the way you think about sugar!!Would recommend this book to anyone out there who is complaining about their weight. Start reading food labels and watching sugar levels in all foods. You will be amazed.Good bye sugar. I will miss you but not those extra pounds.

I read this book a few years back. My sister had just passed away from Diabetes and Liver failure and I was just recovering from Breast Cancer. Not only was I grieving my loss, I was also in need of changing my life. I decided to quit sugar for 100 days and raise money for diabetes uk. My weight loss was phenomenal. I had more energy, I had very few Cancer related fatigue days and I was soon back on my bike and my yoga mat. 2 years on..The sugar crept back in my diet, Ive gained all my weight and more and struggle with motivation. So, here I am. Full circle. Ive read this book again. Its very thorough, scary in places but it is fact...sugar makes you fat, its more addictive than cocaine and is slowly poisoning us all. This time its not 100 days, im doing it for life.

I read this book as I have a longstanding interest in low carbohydrate and ketogenic diets for health and weight management, having read a lot on the subject. Quite a lot of the subject matter is not new or contentious but amongst others here are a couple of statements from the book that rang alarm bells for me:1). Too little glucose, called hypoglycaemia (hypo – too little; glyc – sugar; aemia – in the blood), results in very immediate problems for your brain. Remember, the only fuel your brain can use is pure glucose. Without it, the brain begins to shut down."2). Carbohydrates (except for fructose) are not bad for you. You need glucose from carbohydrates to live.The human brain can use ketones perfectly well as a backup fuel, the first statement (the only fuel your brain can use is pure glucose) is not strictly true.You do not need glucose from carbohydrates to live, the second statement is untrue. The human requirement for carbohydrates from the diet is zero. Sufficient glucose can be produced by the liver to maintain normal blood glucose via a process called gluconeogenesis.Reading these statements made me question the book.

I can’t believe how ignorant I have been about the effect sugar has had on my health. I thought I ate a balanced diet, restricted sweets and dessert but now know I should have eliminated them completely! I wish to express my profound gratitude to David for writing this book, opening my eyes and giving me the opportunity to hopefully reverse some of the damage I have ignorantly inflicted on myself. A must read for everyone...and should be taught in schools!