Podcasts

Sweetness and light Sugar may not be the malevelent demon many people think it is

sugar-banner

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:51 — 24.0MB)

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Spotify | Android | RSS | More

sugarBefore I read Christopher Emsden’s book Sweetness and Light: Why the demonization of sugar does not make sense I had no idea that the statistical correlation of air pollution and the epidemic of “diabesity” was stronger than the correlation with sugar. Or that among the indigenous people of Canada, those who still spoke their tribal language have far lower incidence of type 2 diabetes and obesity than those who have mostly lost their language.

Does that let sugar off the hook as a dietary demon? There’s no doubt that as a potent source of calories, sugar can be a problem. But as a specifically toxic substance, as many authors have claimed? Emsden makes a good case that there is more to blame for society’s dietary woes than pure, white and deadly sugar.

Personally, I’m not convinced there’s anything worse about sugar than that it packs a lot of calories into a small volume – but then so does peanut butter, even without added sugar.

Notes

  1. Order Sweetness and Light from Amazon.
  2. The media’s latest sugar binge began recently with an article by Ian Leslie in The Guardian.
  3. Katherine Docimo Pett, aka Nutrition Wonk, followed up with a lengthy response. You may find Marion Nestle’s summary easier going. Or you may want even more meat, from Nutrevolve or Sheila Kealey.
  4. Banner artwork by Lucy Clink.

You might also like:

  1. Spam: a special edition I did not know that that the famous Monty Python spam sketch was recorded on 6 June 1970. At least, that’s the claim of a Tumblr obsessed with Minnesota in the 1970s. (Wikipedia says only that “[i]t premiered on 15...
  2. Backpackers and their food When you’re on holiday, or just away from home, do you seek out the “authentic” local food, or look for a reassuringly familar logo? Backpackers, keen to distinguish themselves from the vulgar hordes who are merely on holiday, seek out...
  3. Long live the Carolina African Runner Who cares whether it really is the “ur-peanut” of the American South Is the Carolina Runner No.4 peanut "the first peanut cultivated in North America" and does it matter anyway? ...
  4. In praise of meat, milk and eggs For poor people, a little animal source food goes a long way Giving up on animals as a source of food is a luxury that many people cannot afford. For poor people in developing countries, a bit of animal source food can greatly improve their health and wellbeing....

One comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *