Why Sugar And Fructose Are So Deadly with Dr. Richard Johnson

May 18, 2022

Dr. Richard Johnson, a Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado, dives into the shocking truth about sugar's deadly impact on our health. He explains how high sugar and fructose consumption can derail metabolism, leading to obesity and diabetes. The discussion reveals that sugar not only triggers fat storage but also disrupts appetite regulation. Johnson also highlights the link between salt intake and fructose production, emphasizing how lifestyle changes can reverse harmful effects. His insights empower listeners to view food as medicine for better health.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

The Fat Switch

Sugar's fructose component activates a biological "fat switch", causing weight gain.
Even animals genetically modified to lose their sense of sweet taste still crave and gain weight from sugar.

INSIGHT

Understanding the Fat Switch

The "fat switch" is a biological mechanism designed for survival in times of scarcity.
It causes increased hunger, decreased energy expenditure, and fat storage.

ANECDOTE

Grizzly Bear Analogy

Mark Hyman describes observing grizzly bears in Alaska gaining substantial weight before winter.
He highlights the issue of continuous fat storage in humans due to the constant availability of food.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health, InsideTracker, and HigherDOSE.

Eighty-eight percent of people are metabolically unhealthy, and since the 1920s we’ve shamed them into believing it’s their fault—that they should just eat fewer calories and exercise more.

But the real culprit is sugar and the processed foods that contain it. The majority of foods on our market shelves contain insane amounts of added sugar and high-fructose corn syrup—ingredients that literally slow down our metabolism and turn on our internal fat storage switch. That means we have the power to turn that switch off by choosing to use food as medicine. Today, I’m excited to talk to Dr. Richard Johnson about how our biological fat storage process works and what we can do to positively affect it.

Dr. Richard Johnson is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado in Denver and has been a practicing physician and clinical scientist for over 25 years. He is internationally recognized for his seminal work on the role of sugar and its component fructose, in obesity and diabetes. His work has also suggested a fundamental role for uric acid (which is generated during fructose metabolism) in metabolic syndrome. He previously authored The Sugar Fix with Timothy Gower in 2008, and The Fat Switch in 2012. His new book, Nature Wants Us to Be Fat was just released.

This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health, InsideTracker, and HigherDOSE.

Rupa Health is a place where Functional Medicine practitioners can access more than 2,000 specialty lab tests from over 20 labs like DUTCH, Vibrant America, Genova, and Great Plains. You can check out a free, live demo with a Q&A or create an account at RupaHealth.com.

InsideTracker is a personalized health and wellness platform like no other. Right now they’re offering my community 20% off at insidetracker.com/drhyman.

Right now, get your own Infrared Sauna Blanket or Infrared PEMF Mat at HigherDOSE.com. Use my promo code FARMACY15 at checkout to save 15% off OR just go to HigherDOSE.com/hyman to get your 15% off today.

Here are more details from our interview (audio version / Apple Subscriber version):

What makes sugar so bad? (5:50 / 2:44)
How our body’s fat-storage switch works (7:25 / 4:06)
Why eating certain foods makes us hungrier (15:07 / 11:58)
Why eating sugar slows down your metabolism (18:08 / 14:59)
Comparing high-fructose corn syrup to table sugar (27:19 / 21:55)
The physiology of how fructose affects your body’s energy production and weight gain (32:45 / 27:52)
The difference between eating a high-carb and low-carb diet, even if calorie intake is the same (42:30 / 36:46)
Why mitochondrial function is key to health and longevity (53:35 / 49:27) /
Supplementing with vitamin C (59:44 / 55:51)
Is salt good or bad for us? (1:05:33 / 1:00:46)

Get a copy of Dr. Johnson’s book, Nature Wants Us to Be Fat: The Surprising Science Behind Why We Gain Weight and How We Can Prevent—and Reverse—It, here.