Tag Archives: john yudkin

January 20, 2015 · 8:15 AM

John Yudkin Wrote a Book About Sugar Called “Pure, White, and Deadly”

Sugar is poisonous according to John Yudkin and Robert Lustig, among others. Australia’s “The Age” had the details but my prior link is no good. A quote:

[Robert] Lustig is one of a growing number of scientists who don’t just believe sugar makes you fat and rots teeth. They’re convinced it’s the cause of several chronic and very common illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s and diabetes. It’s also addictive, since it interferes with our appetites and creates an irresistible urge to eat.

This year [2014], Lustig’s message has gone mainstream; many of the New Year diet books focused not on fat or carbohydrates, but on cutting out sugar and the everyday foods (soups, fruit juices, bread) that contain high levels of sucrose. The anti-sugar camp is not celebrating yet, however. They know what happened to Yudkin and what a ruthless and unscrupulous adversary the sugar industry proved to be.

In 1822, we in the U.S. ate 6.2 pounds of sugar per person per year. By 1999, we were up to 108 pounds.

An occasional teaspoon of sugar probably won't hurt you

An occasional teaspoon of sugar won’t hurt you

The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that added sugars provide 17% of the total calories in the average American diet.  A typical carbonated soda contain the equivalent of 10 tsp (50 ml) of sugar.  The average U.S. adult eats 30 tsp  (150 ml) daily of added sweeteners and sugars.

On the other hand, Fanatic Cook Bix found a study linking higher sugar consumption with lower body weight, which you might think would protect against type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.

Steve Parker, M.D.

h/t Jamie Scott

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June 10, 2013 · 4:58 AM

Is Sugar the New Fat?

Lumps of Death

Lumps of Death

In the 1950s, John Yudkin wrote a book, Pure, White, and Deadly (amazingly still available at Amazon), blaming sugar as the primary cause of heart disease (coronary heart disease).  The idea didn’t gain sufficient traction and the dietary fat theory of heart disease became the reigning dogma.  Now that the latter theory has been discredited, researchers are looking at sugar again.

The British Medical Journal has a pertinent article you’ll undoubtedly enjoy, if you’re the sort of person who enjoys these things.  I quote:

“In recent years, and slowly, the sugar hypothesis has been making a comeback, driven in part by the emerging perception of heart disease as a consequence of what’s now described as the metabolic syndrome: obesity, dyslipidaemia, raised blood pressure, and insulin resistance. Although there is still no consensus about the causes of the syndrome, an excess of fat in the liver—a response to dietary sugar—is one of the acknowledged possibilities.  Fructose, found in large quantities in nearly all added sugars, is known to increase lipogenesis in the liver and the synthesis of hepatic triglyceride.”

Steve Parker, M.D.

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August 23, 2010 · 5:22 AM

2002 Atkins Diet at a Glance

Dr. Robert C. Atkins is the modern popularizer of low-carb dieting.  He was neither the first nor only low-carb advocate of the 20th century, but certainly the most influential in modern history in terms of followers.  His Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution was published in 1972 and sold millions of copies. 

Sir Isaac Newton wrote in 1676: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”  Twentieth century giants for Dr. Atkins include Frank Evans, Blake Donaldson (the original paleo diet guru?), Per Hansen, Alfred Pennington, and John Yudkin.  Most of these were physicians, by the way.  William Banting preceeded them, in the 19th century.

Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, published in 2002, was a huge seller then and maintains a respectable sales volume even now.  My impression is that Atkins Nutritionals, Inc., has replaced it with The New Atkins for a New You, which I reviewed last spring.  Enough people still follow DANDR that I need to stay familiar with it.  Here’s my brief summary of the phases.

Induction or Phase 1

  • Limit carbs to 20 g of “net carbs” daily for a minimum of two weeks.
  • “Net carbs” is the total carb count in grams, minus the fiber grams.
  • 3 cups of salad greens daily with olive oil/vingar or lemon juice OR 2 cups of salad greens and one cup of non-starchy cooked vegetables (e.g., broccoli or zucchini).
  • May also eat 3–4 ounces of aged cheese, a handful of olives, and half an avocado daily.

Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL) or Phase 2

  • Deliberate slowing of weight loss.
  • Gradually add back nutrient-rich carbs.
  • Increase net carbs weekly by just 5 g, by eating more veggies, nuts, seeds, even berries (this is where the “carb ladder” comes into play, adding carb groups in a specific order).
  • Some dieters can even add small amounts of beans and fruits other than berries, until weight loss stalls.  At that point, you drop back 5 g net carbs, to your Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing (CCLL).

Pre-maintenance or Phase 3

  • Begins 5 or 10 pounds before reaching your weight goal.
  • Weight loss slows even more, taking at least 2 months to lose that last 10 pounds.
  • Can now add some starchy veggies like sweet potatoes, peas, whole grains.
  • If weight loss stops before goal, drop back down by 5-10 g net carbs, to your revised CCLL.

Lifetime Maintenance or Phase 4

  • Starts when you’ve been at goal weight for one month.
  • No more junk food, ever.
  • Stay vigilant for excessive carbs.  You may never be able to go back to whole grains or higher-carb fruits and vegetables.

Steve Parker, M.D.

PS: Gary Taubes reviews the history of low-carb diets in his masterpiece, Good Calories, Bad Calories.

Sir Isaac Newton
Head and shoulders portrait of man in black with shoulder-length gray hair, a large sharp nose, and an abstracted gaze

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