Metabolism, health & Disease Sugar - the sources of all evil?

If you haven't heard of the popular opinion that sugar is the route of all our health issue’ then you have been hidden under a rock. I have personally heard a TV presenter during an afternoon programme stating that “sugar causes cancer” while there are many examples of celebrities (celebrity scientists not excluded) referring to sugar as the primary cause of obesity and diabetes. While tempting to blame one single food type, obesity is far too complex an issue. Indeed, most things in life are the consequence of multiple factors. Take Brexit for example. Its not that simple with many different points of view to consider. Obesity and health are no different. Yet its very tempting to blame one factor so we can get on and deal with it. Research conducted in my laboratory has found that obesity and obesity related issues are brought on by too much sugar / carbohydrates, too much fat as well as high insulin concentrations. This later hormonal response (i.e. elevated insulin) has received much of the blame for the rise in obesity (more on the insulin obesity hypothesis later). Am I suggesting that sugar in large amounts does not contribute to increased body fat and health risk? Not for one minute. I’m merely adding that too much fat also contributes to this problem. In fact, ongoing research in my laboratory and others also tells us that too much protein may also add to the problem. In essence, the current evidence tells us that the issue is not the type of food we eat, its more about the amount of energy we eat. To blame one food type is far too simplistic and is wholly wrong. In its true that too much fat and or too much sugar can lead to obesity and health problems. Both statements are true and valid and don’t contradict one other. Differences in our genetic makeup, environmental factors as well as learnt behaviours will all contribute to obesity risk and that each of us are distinctly different from one person to the next. For example, one person may be genetically prone to being more efficient in absorbing, digesting and storing fats while another may get more of the available energy from carbohydrates over another individual. We need to approach this medical issue from a personalised metabolic and nutritional perspective.