Dr. Robert Lustig: How Sugar & Processed Foods Impact Your Health

In this episode, my guest is Dr. Robert Lustig, M.D., neuroendocrinologist, professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and a bestselling author on nutrition and metabolic health. We address the “calories in- calories out” (CICO) model of metabolism and weight regulation and how specific macronutrients (protein, fat, carbohydrates), fiber and sugar can modify the CICO equation. We cover how different types of sugars, specifically fructose, sugars found in liquid form, taste intensity, and other factors impact insulin levels, liver, kidney, and metabolic health. We also explore how fructose in non-fruit sources can be addictive (acting similarly to drugs of abuse) and how sugar alters brain circuits related to food cravings and satisfaction. We discuss the role of sugar in childhood and adult obesity, gut health and disease and mental health. We also discuss how the food industry uses refined sugars to create pseudo foods and what these do to the brain and body. This episode is replete with actionable information about sugar and metabolism, weight control, brain health and body composition. It ought to be of interest to anyone seeking to understand how specific food choices impact the immediate and long-term health of the brain and body. For show notes, including referenced articles and additional resources, please visit hubermanlab.com. Use Ask Huberman Lab, our new AI-powered platform, for a summary, clips, and insights from this episode. Thank you to our sponsors AG1 (Athletic Greens): https://athleticgreens.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Waking Up: https://wakingup.com/huberman Momentous: https://www.livemomentous.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Dr. Robert Lustig (00:02:02) Sponsors: LMNT & Waking Up (00:06:41) Calories, Fiber (00:12:15) Calories, Protein & Fat, Trans Fats (00:18:23) Carbohydrate Calories, Glucose vs. Fructose, Fruit, Processed Foods (00:26:43) Fructose, Mitochondria & Metabolic Health (00:31:54) Trans Fats; Food Industry & Language (00:33:55) Sponsor: AG1 (00:37:04) Glucose, Insulin, Muscle (00:42:31) Insulin & Cell Growth vs. Burn; Oxygen & Cell Growth, Cancer (00:51:14) Glucose vs. Fructose, Uric Acid; “Leaky Gut” & Inflammation (01:00:51) Supporting the Gut Microbiome, Fasting (01:04:13) Highly Processed Foods, Sugars; “Price Elasticity” & Food Industry (01:11:51) Processed Foods & Added Sugars (01:14:19) Sugars, High-Fructose Corn Syrup (01:18:16) Food Industry & Added Sugar, Personal Responsibility, Public Health (01:30:04) Obesity, Diabetes, “Hidden” Sugars (01:34:57) Diet, Insulin & Sugars (01:38:20) Tools: NOVA Food Classification; Perfact Recommendations (01:43:46) Meat & Metabolic Health, Eggs, Fish (01:46:44) Sources of Omega-3s; Vitamin C & Vitamin D (01:52:37) Tool: Reduce Inflammation; Sugars, Cortisol & Stress (01:59:12) Food Industry, Big Pharma & Government; Statins (02:06:55) Public Health Shifts, Rebellion, Sugar Tax, Hidden Sugars (02:12:58) Real Food Movement, Public School Lunches & Processed Foods (02:18:25) 3 Fat Types & Metabolic Health; Sugar, Alcohol & Stress (02:26:40) Artificial & Non-Caloric Sweeteners, Insulin & Weight Gain (02:34:32) Re-Engineering Ultra-Processed Food (02:38:45) Sugar & Addiction, Caffeine (02:45:18) GLP-1, Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Tirzepatide), Risks; Big Pharma (02:57:390 Obesity & Sugar Addiction; Brain Re-Mapping, Insulin & Leptin Resistance (03:03:31) Fructose & Addiction, Personal Responsibility & Tobacco (03:07:27) Food Choices: Fruit, Rice, Tomato Sauce, Bread, Meats, Fermented Foods (03:12:54) Intermittent Fasting, Diet Soda, Food Combinations, Fiber, Food Labels (03:19:14) Improving Health, Advocacy, School Lunches, Hidden Sugars (03:26:55) Zero-Cost Support, Spotify & Apple Reviews, YouTube Feedback, Sponsors, Momentous, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer

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Huberman Lab discusses neuroscience — how our brain and its connections with the organs of our body control our perceptions, our behaviors, and our health. We also discuss existing and emerging tools for measuring and changing how our nervous system works. Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., is a neuroscientist and tenured professor in the department of neurobiology, and by courtesy, psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford School of Medicine. He has made numerous significant contributions to the fields of brain development, brain function and neural plasticity, which is the ability of our nervous system to rewire and learn new behaviors, skills and cognitive functioning.  Huberman is a McKnight Foundation and Pew Foundation Fellow and was awarded the Cogan Award, given to the scientist making the most significant discoveries in the study of vision, in 2017. His lab’s most recent work focuses on the influence of vision and respiration on human performance and brain states such as fear and courage. He also works on neural regeneration and directs a clinical trial to promote visual restoration in diseases that cause blindness. Huberman is also actively involved in developing tools now in use by the elite military in the U.S. and Canada, athletes, and technology industries to optimize performance in high stress environments, enhance neural plasticity, mitigate stress and optimize sleep.   Work from the Huberman Laboratory at Stanford School of Medicine has been published in top journals including Nature, Science and Cell and has been featured in TIME, BBC, Scientific American, Discover and other top media outlets.  In 2021, Dr. Huberman launched the Huberman Lab podcast. The podcast is frequently ranked in the top 5 of all podcasts globally and is often ranked #1 in the categories of Science, Education, and Health & Fitness.