Finger Pointing at Fructose

Gary Taubes pointed fingers at just the excess carbohydrates in diets as the cause of the obesity epidemic.

Lustig narrows the finger pointing even more to just one little sugar molecule:  fructose.

Where he gets off saying that fructose is poison is beyond me.  When not consumed in excess/acute doses, there's no evidence that fructose if bad for humans.  Given that we have a separate metabolic pathway to handle it AND convert it to another form for energy storage fructose being a poison doesn't make sense.  Furthermore, evidence abounds that paleo man consumed most carbs from fruits and honey (honey having the fructose:glucose ratio similar to HFCS).

AFAIC, it is a no-brainer, or should be, that consuming Mega Gulps of sugary sodas or several glasses of fruit juices and/or drinks is just plain stupid.  Why do Americans do this?  Lustig implies some addictive new ingredients in the secret formulas.  Sheesh!  It is not the American government, or the low-fat advocates who have encouraged folks to consume 20-30% of their daily calories in the form of sugary drinks!!  Nor, frankly to choose processed/refined/fake foods over whole real foods.  And it's not big business' fault either.  They are giving us what we want.  If more Americans wanted XYZ, someone would make it. 

Taubes hit the nail on the head about sodas ... should have stopped there instead of going on with the various unsubstantiable theories on fat and carbs.  Lustig suggests eliminating liquid calories from the diet.  Again ... should have just stopped right there. 

If this stuff scares folks off the sugars, that's great.  But fruits are already wrongly demonized and obsessed over in the LC community.  I, myself, have gone months maybe even without enjoying one of my favorite things on the planet out of fear of the carbs.  And now to fear the fructose itself. 

Count me out on this alarmist's band wagon.  Humans ate and were meant to eat fruit.  I've been adding in more if anything to no ill effect.