The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

chevron_right

No. 1 Sugar Expert: 17 Seconds Of Pleasure Can Rewire Your Brain!

whatshot 779 snips

Oct 2, 2025

Guest

Robert Lustig

Dr. Robert Lustig, a neuroendocrinologist and a leading authority on sugar and addiction, dives into startling truths about ultra-processed foods and their impact on health. He reveals how just 17 seconds of sugar-induced pleasure can rewire our brains, leading to lifelong addiction. Lustig discusses the alarming connections between sugar, dementia, and mental health issues, asserting that 95% of Alzheimer's risk is environmental. He also offers practical tips on combating sugar cravings and emphasizes the importance of reducing ultra-processed food intake for better health.

01:50:33

forum

Ask episode

web_stories

AI Snips

view_agenda

Chapters

menu_book

Books

auto_awesome

Transcript

info_circle

Episode notes

00:00 / 00:00

Alzheimer's Is Largely Environmental

95% of Alzheimer's risk is environmental, not genetic, so lifestyle matters greatly.
Ultra-processed food and sweetener consumption correlate with dementia via reactive oxygen species.

00:00 / 00:00

The Hostage Brain Explained

Chronic stress creates a 'hostage brain' that seeks dopamine relief and fuels addiction.
Dopamine provides learning and reward but chronic overstimulation causes tolerance and neuronal decline.

00:00 / 00:00

Reset Dopamine Receptors

Reduce stimulus or abstain to allow dopamine receptors to recover; a strict fast can take three weeks.
Wean off addictive foods gradually if full abstinence isn't feasible due to ubiquity of sugar.

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

Sugar's Hidden Role in Dementia and Addiction

00:57 • 2min

chevron_right

The Hostage Brain and Loss of Control

03:24 • 4min

chevron_right

How Dopamine Learns and Drives Addiction

07:21 • 4min

chevron_right

What Happens in the Brain with Food Addiction

11:03 • 1min

chevron_right

Practical Ways to Reset Dopamine Receptors

12:32 • 4min

chevron_right

Are Diet Sweeteners Safe?

16:12 • 2min

chevron_right

A New Theory on Alzheimer's: Mitochondrial Energy Crisis

18:14 • 7min

chevron_right

Analogy: Brain Energy as a Car's Engine

25:33 • 2min

chevron_right

Alzheimer's Is Mostly Environmental

27:45 • 2min

chevron_right

Ketones, Carbs, and Mitochondrial Efficiency

29:52 • 4min

chevron_right

Why Ultra-Processed Foods Are Metabolically Harmful

34:14 • 2min

chevron_right

Reengineering Processed Food to Be Healthy

36:35 • 3min

chevron_right

Will Healthier Processed Foods Still Sell?

39:20 • 1min

chevron_right

RFK Jr., Food Policy, and Vaccines

40:38 • 7min

chevron_right

Evaluating Vaccine Risk vs Benefit

48:00 • 7min

chevron_right

Information, Algorithms, and Confirmation Bias

55:10 • 2min

chevron_right

Practical Steps to Break Sugar Addiction

57:28 • 4min

chevron_right

Targeting Stress to Improve Brain Energy

01:01:10 • 1min

chevron_right

Inflamed Brain Reduces Capacity to Love

01:02:21 • 4min

chevron_right

Loneliness, Serotonin, and Gut-Brain Signaling

01:06:26 • 3min

chevron_right

Do Vagus Nerve Stimulators Work?

01:09:44 • 2min

chevron_right

The Truth About GLP-1 Drugs (Ozempic)

01:11:52 • 5min

chevron_right

GLP-1s, Motivation, and Addiction Pathways

01:17:10 • 3min

chevron_right

Dietary Rules and Grocery Shopping Tips

01:20:15 • 9min

chevron_right

Is Juice Healthy? Fruit vs Juice

01:29:41 • 5min

chevron_right

Reducing Sugar Is Job One

01:34:59 • 4min

chevron_right

What To Do If You're Prediabetic

01:38:30 • 4min

chevron_right

Continuous Glucose Monitors as Educational Tools

01:42:46 • 19sec

chevron_right

Psychedelics and Serotonin: Rewiring Ruts in the Brain

01:43:05 • 5min

chevron_right

Questioning Beliefs to Know Yourself

• Mentioned in 14 episodes

Metabolical

The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine

Robert Lustig

In 'Metabolical', Dr. Robert Lustig explains the eight pathologies that underlie all chronic diseases and documents how processed food has negatively impacted health, economy, and the environment over the past 50 years. He challenges the current healthcare paradigm influenced by Big Food, Big Pharma, and Big Government. Lustig argues that food is the key to biochemical change and health improvement, emphasizing the importance of protecting the liver and feeding the gut. He also highlights the global environmental impact of processed food and offers practical solutions for healthier dietary choices and policy changes to promote sustainability and health.

#7478

• Mentioned in 5 episodes

Fat Chance

Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease

Robert Lustig

Robert Lustig's "Fat Chance" explores the complex relationship between sugar, fat, and health. The book challenges the conventional understanding of dietary guidelines, arguing that sugar is a primary driver of metabolic diseases. Lustig presents scientific evidence to support his claims, discussing the metabolic effects of fructose and its impact on various bodily systems. He advocates for a reduction in sugar consumption and emphasizes the importance of lifestyle changes for improving health. The book is a valuable resource for individuals seeking to understand the role of sugar in their diet and overall health.

Dr. Robert Lustig, a world-leading expert on sugar addiction, metabolism, ultra-processed food, and artificial sweeteners, reveals how they fuel obesity, dementia, dopamine overload, and addiction - and the dangers of RFK Jr.’s health approach.

Dr. Robert Lustig is a neuroendocrinologist and expert on sugar, obesity, and the science of addiction, whose groundbreaking new research reveals how the 4 major health crises are all interconnected and driven by stress. He is also the bestselling author of books such as, ‘Metabolical’, and ‘Fat Chance’.

He explains:

◼️Why 29% of Americans are depressed and how food plays a hidden role

◼️How 17 seconds of pleasure can rewire your brain for lifelong addiction

◼️How the food industry secretly engineers addiction and fuels chronic disease

◼️Why 95% of Alzheimer’s risk is environmental and completely preventable

◼️The dangerous link between dopamine spikes and brain cell death

(00:00) Intro
(02:28) The Hostage Brain
(06:24) Dopamine and the Pain of Lacking Control
(09:32) Tolerance Is the Start of Addiction
(10:39) If You Depend on Anything, It's Bad
(11:25) Is Dopamine Fasting the Cure?
(13:25) Can You Rewire Your Brain Away from Sugar Cravings?
(15:15) The Shocking Link Between Dementia and Diet Products
(22:39) Proteins
(25:32) Is Alzheimer's Genetic or Environmental?
(28:56) Ketones
(33:08) Ultra-Processed Foods Are Poison
(34:26) Reengineering Ultra-Processed Food to Be Healthy
(39:41) What Needs to Change in the USA
(45:06) RFK and Vaccination in the USA
(51:56) Important Message About Where You Get Your Information
(55:27) Ads
(56:29) Practical Steps to Fix Your Addiction
(01:01:24) If You Have an Inflamed Brain, You Can't Love
(01:04:08) Are Our Diets Making Us Lonely?
(01:08:03) Your Vagus Nerve Needs to Be Healthy
(01:08:44) Do Vagus Nerve Stimulators Work?
(01:10:53) The Real Truth About Ozempic
(01:16:08) Can Ozempic Help with Addiction?
(01:18:45) Practical Tips to Lose Weight and Eat Less Ultra-Processed Food
(01:22:02) The Dangers of Drinking Soda
(01:24:22) Younger People Are Getting Cancer More Than Ever
(01:27:35) Ads
(01:34:29) Does Exercise Help Lower Your Sugar Consumption?
(01:36:27) Almost Half of the Population Is Pre-Diabetic
(01:39:38) Glucose Monitors
(01:41:58) Psychedelics

Follow Dr Robert:

Instagram - https://bit.ly/3KkR9ce

Website - https://bit.ly/48MtKdA

You can purchase Dr Robert’s book, ‘Metabolical: The Lure and the Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine’, here: https://amzn.to/48Cme56

The Diary Of A CEO:

◼️Join DOAC circle here - https://doaccircle.com/

◼️Buy The Diary Of A CEO book here - https://smarturl.it/DOACbook

◼️The 1% Diary is back - limited time only: https://bit.ly/3YFbJbt

◼️The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards (Second Edition): https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb

◼️Get email updates - https://bit.ly/diary-of-a-ceo-yt

◼️Follow Steven - https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb

Sponsors:

Pipedrive - http://pipedrive.com/CEO

Stan Store - https://stevenbartlett.stan.store for your 14-Day free trial

Home Top podcasts Popular guests Top books