Twenty percent of obese people are in metabolically great health. Meanwhile, sixty percent of supposedly ‘healthy’ weight people are metabolically unwell and at risk of a host of chronic diseases. With this in mind, do we need to change our thinking about what ‘being fat’ really means?

Today, I’m thrilled to welcome back Dr Robert Lustig, a leading public health authority who for many years has been trying to expose the truth behind the food industry and the many myths within modern medicine. Rob is Professor Emeritus of Paediatrics, Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco. He’s also the author of multiple books including Metabolical: The Truth About Processed Food and How it Poisons People and the Planet – which was published back in 2021.

Robert first came onto my podcast back on episode 251 when we took a deep dive into what happens inside our bodies when we consume excess sugar. In today’s conversation, we do touch again on the impact of sugar on human health, but the main focus is on the three different sites in the body where we deposit fat: key types of fat deposits: subcutaneous (which you can see and feel); visceral (stress-related fat around the middle), and liver fat. It’s only the first of these that you’re likely to notice on the scales – but it’s the latter two, says Rob, that really determine your health.

We talk about why it’s stress, not food, that largely drives dangerous visceral fat – the fat that surrounds our organs – and Rob’s view that chronic stress underpins metabolic, mental, global, and planetary health.

We also discuss:

• How a minimally processed, whole food diet can mitigate both stress and weight gain.
• Why he’s not a fan of fructose, nor the glycaemic index.
• Why he thinks that continuous glucose monitors (CGM) can help the general population, not just those with diabetes.
• Why the liver may well be the body’s most important organ when it comes to metabolic health, and some of the key tests we can do to assess the current state of our own liver health.
• And, we also talk about alcohol, fruit, honey, and many more topics that will help you make empowered decisions for you and your family’s health.

Rob’s work has changed many people’s lives around the world and his message deserves to be heard loud and clear. He is knowledgeable, passionate, and someone who is not afraid to say what he thinks. I always enjoy talking to him, I hope you enjoy listening.

Watch the video version of the conversation here: