What is making us sick? Is it fat or is it sugar?
In "The Case Against Sugar," Gary Taubes presents a compelling case that sugar and carbohydrates, not fat, are at the root of Western diseases. These diseases include diabetes, heart disease, asthma, hypertension, obesity, cancer and perhaps Alzheimer's. He presents population after population (including the Inuit and the Masai) that transitioned from a high-fat diet to a Western diet with high levels of sugar and carbohydrates. Prior to the Western diet, these populations had miniscule numbers of people afflicted with diabetes and attendant Western diseases. But as sugar and other carbohydrates became more prevalent in their diets, Western diseases soared. Critics say these populations become more sedentary, attributing these diseases to a lack of physical exercise.
The Tokolau of New Zealand, however, provide a perfect counterargument. Before emigrating to New Zealand, the Tokolau derived 50 percent of their diet from high saturated fat (including coconuts). When they emigrated to the mainland, they took on heavy labor jobs much more demanding physically compared to what the islanders previously performed. Their diet changed to higher levels of sugar, and the physical activity increased, yet diabetes and other Western diseases rose sharply in this population
Why point to sugar as the culprit? Taubes explains higher levels of insulin in the bloodstream increase the amount of fat deposited. Insulin levels rise with the ingestion of sugar and carbohydrates. Insulin doesn't rise as a result of calorie intake or the amount of fat consumed. This challenges the commonly held view eating fat or excessive food intake causes obesity and correlated diseases. Rather, Taubes argues increased insulin levels cause what is known as "metabolic syndrome." Metabolic syndrome is the precursor or predictor of this cluster of Western diseases.
Is the research conclusive? Unfortunately, no. It would be expensive to prove this conclusively. Big Sugar has taken a page from Big Tobacco and waged a war of disinformation, funding scientists to conduct research disproving the link between sugar and disease and implicating fat or lack of exercise. Thus federal funders are reluctant to support such a large research project. How much sugar is too much? Taubes answers this question with another question: How many cigarettes are too many cigarettes?
Taubes does not overstate his case; he does not overreach. He acknowledges the limitations of each piece of research he presents. For example, he acknowledges susceptibility to sugar varies from one person to another, just as some people can smoke cigarettes for years without getting cancer. This adherence to the evidence at hand increases his credibility. I found this book to be interesting and well written.
Kira Michaelieu is the head of Missouri River Regional Library's Adult Services, which includes programs like the Writing Tutor and Poetry Nights.