“60 Minutes” Segment Claims Sugar Is Toxic, Addictive

Anti-sugar crusader Robert Lustig was among the scientists participating in an April 1, 2012, “60 Minutes” interview claiming that studies indicate that sugar is toxic, addictive and can lead to obesity, Type II diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Lustig, an endocrinologist at the University of California, San Francisco, has written extensively about the topic, including an article titled “The Toxic Truth About Sugar” featured in Issue 425 of this Update.

Asserting that sugar is as “equally toxic” as high-fructose corn syrup, Ludwig recommended that men daily consume no more than 150 calories of added sugars and women no more than 100, which is less than the amount in one can of soda. “Ultimately this is a public health crisis,” Lustig said in reference to what he deems the excessive amount of sugar in many processed foods. “When it’s a public health crisis, you have to do big things and you have to do them across the board. Tobacco and alcohol are perfect examples. We have made a conscious choice that we’re not going to get rid of them, but we are going to limit their consumption. I think sugar belongs in this exact same wastebasket.”