Thanks for passing this recommendation along. I frequently listen to Dr. Peter Attia but had missed this episode. I listened to it over the weekend and learned a lot! I had no idea about the link between fructose and high blood pressure, or the way that animals use fructose to promote fat storage.

I’m not surprised that Dr. Rick Johnson reinforced the message that context matters a lot when it comes to fructose, specifically: (i) liquid sugars are public enemy number one, (ii) whole fruits get a “pass” despite their fructose content (both experimentally and epidemiologically) are consistent with what I’ve heard from Dr. Robert Lustig.

It’s unfortunate that most people tend not to absorb these nuances and instead adopt a black and white view that “all carbs are bad”.

As usual, the dose — and context — make the poison (or the medicine!).

I also appreciated the light that Dr. Johnson shed on the way that our response to sugar depends on our current metabolic health. All the more reason to focus on preventing metabolic syndrome (and obesity) in the first place. I feel strongly that we need to take children’s nutrition more seriously. I have three children and feel that it’s a constant uphill battle to fight against societal norms, but one that is worth fighting. We are not doing the next generation any favours by “treating” them to the standard western diet.

Dr. Chana Davis,

Founder, Fueled by Science