FAT
CHANCE
The Hidden Truth About Sugar, Obesity and Disease
Robert H. Lustig, M.D., M.S.L.
First published in Great Britain by
Fourth Estate
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published by Hudson Street Press, a member of the Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Copyright © Robert H. Lustig 2012
The right of Robert H. Lustig to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE
While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers, Internet addresses, and other contact information at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
Ebook Edition © December 2012 ISBN: 9780007514137
Version: 2018-08-03
This book is dedicated to all the obese patients worldwide who suffer daily, and the family members who suffer with them. The children who will not know a normal childhood, who will endure an inhuman existence, and will die a slow and early death. The parents who are engulfed by guilt. The unborn children, who are already imprisoned by changes in their brains and their bodies. But most of all, I dedicate this book to those of you who are or have been my patients; for it is you who taught me the science of your affliction. You also taught me more than medical school ever did or could; and that each life is valuable, precious, and worth saving. You maintained your dignity in the face of the most adverse circumstances imaginable. You shared with me your misery, and your joy in small victories. We cried and we laughed together. I hope I was of some service and comfort.
This book is my way of returning the favor.
This book is written only for those of you who eat food.
The rest of you are off the hook.
CONTENTS
Introduction: Time to Think Outside the Box
Part I. The Greatest Story Ever Sold
1. A Fallacy of Biblical Proportion
2. A Calorie Is a Calorie—or Is It?
3. Personal Responsibility versus the Obese Six-Month-Old
Part II. To Eat or Not to Eat? That’s Not the Question
4. Gluttony and Sloth—Behaviors Driven by Hormones
5. Food Addiction—Fact or Fallacy
7. The Birth, Care, and Feeding of a Fat Cell
8. The Difference Between “Fat” and “Sick”
9. Metabolic Syndrome: The New Scourge
Part IV. The “Real” Toxic Environment
10. The Omnivore’s Curse: Low Fat versus Low Carb
13. Exercise—The Other Half of the Antidote
14. Micronutrients: Home Run or Hyperbole?
16. The “Empire” Strikes Back: Response of the Food Industry