The Bitter Truth About Big Sugar: A Hidden History That Shaped Our Health
Imagine discovering that for decades, the guidance we followed to stay healthy — ditch fat, embrace carbs — was built not on unbiased science, but on corporate influence. It might sound like a conspiracy theory. But it is not!
In fact, it all started in 1967, when the Sugar Research Foundation (SRF)—a powerful industry group—quietly paid three Harvard scientists to publish research that would shift blame for heart disease away from sugar and onto saturated fat and cholesterol.
The Cover-Up That Changed Public Health
The researchers, including Dr. D. Mark Hegsted and Dr. Frederick Stare, published their review in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. What readers didn’t know was that the scientists had been paid by the sugar industry, and disclosure of such funding wasn't required at the time.
This review minimised the health risks of sugar while spotlighting fat and cholesterol as the villains of heart disease.
Fast forward to 2016, and the truth finally surfaced. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) uncovered this deception and published their findings in JAMA Internal Medicine, exposing one of the most significant corporate influences on public health policy in modern history.
How It Shaped What We Ate
The impact was far-reaching.
Dr. Hegsted, one of the paid scientists, later helped draft the first USDA Dietary Guidelines—the foundation of nutrition advice for millions. Unsurprisingly, the focus shifted to low-fat diets, often filled with refined carbohydrates and added sugars as replacements for fat.
The result? Supermarket shelves became dominated by "low-fat" processed foods—many loaded with hidden sugars.
A Sweet Surge in Chronic Illness
As sugar crept into nearly everything we ate, sugar consumption soared—and so did rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.
But here’s the nuance: not all carbohydrates are created equal.
Whole-food carbohydrates like oats, beans, and vegetables are part of some of the world’s healthiest traditional diets—from the Japanese to the Mediterranean. The real problem lies in refined sugars and ultra-processed carbs, which spike blood sugar, trigger inflammation, and disrupt our metabolism.
So What Can We Do?
It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of such a systemic issue, but the solution starts with small, conscious changes. Here’s how we reclaim control:
Reduce added sugars—especially those lurking in "low-fat" processed foods - forget about your “skinny latte”.
Ditch ultra-processed snacks and focus on whole, natural ingredients - think a handful of nuts and seeds, boiled eggs, fresh fruit, or a slice of cheese with cucumber or apple.
Be sceptical of industry-funded nutrition science, and dig deeper.
Support food policies that encourage transparency and independent research.
Ultimately, health is political—but it’s also personal. We can’t change the past, but we can choose better for our bodies and our families today.
And the more we share the truth, the more we empower others to do the same.
📚 Sources & Further Reading
Kearns, C.E., Schmidt, L.A., & Glantz, S.A. (2016). Sugar Industry and Coronary Heart Disease Research: A Historical Analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine.
The New York Times. (2016). How the Sugar Industry Shifted Blame to Fat.
UCSF Food Industry Documents Archive: Sugar Papers.
