Robert H. Lustig, MD, MSL
@robertlustigmd.bsky.social
Robert H. Lustig, M.D., M.S.L. is Professor emeritus of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He is a global leader in advancing #MetabolicHealth.
There's a price to pay for reward. It used to be measured in dollars, pounds, or yen, but not it's measured in neurons. As the monetary price of reward fell, the physiological price of reward skyrocketed.
December 31, 2025 at 3:51 AM
There's a price to pay for reward. It used to be measured in dollars, pounds, or yen, but not it's measured in neurons. As the monetary price of reward fell, the physiological price of reward skyrocketed.
Is a calorie, a calorie?
Well, I don’t believe in common sense. I believe in science. I believe in data.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxyx...
Well, I don’t believe in common sense. I believe in science. I believe in data.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxyx...
Is a Calorie a Calorie? Processed Food, Experiment Gone Wrong
YouTube video by Stanford Health Care
www.youtube.com
December 29, 2025 at 2:34 AM
Is a calorie, a calorie?
Well, I don’t believe in common sense. I believe in science. I believe in data.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxyx...
Well, I don’t believe in common sense. I believe in science. I believe in data.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxyx...
If sugar cravings feel uncontrollable, there are reasons for that...
I'll be at the 13th Annual Quit Sugar Summit (Jan 12–18, 2026), a free online event featuring a bounty of experts discussing sugar and related topics. Register and reclaim your energy!
quitsugarsummit.com?a_aid=651d65...
I'll be at the 13th Annual Quit Sugar Summit (Jan 12–18, 2026), a free online event featuring a bounty of experts discussing sugar and related topics. Register and reclaim your energy!
quitsugarsummit.com?a_aid=651d65...
December 27, 2025 at 10:30 PM
If sugar cravings feel uncontrollable, there are reasons for that...
I'll be at the 13th Annual Quit Sugar Summit (Jan 12–18, 2026), a free online event featuring a bounty of experts discussing sugar and related topics. Register and reclaim your energy!
quitsugarsummit.com?a_aid=651d65...
I'll be at the 13th Annual Quit Sugar Summit (Jan 12–18, 2026), a free online event featuring a bounty of experts discussing sugar and related topics. Register and reclaim your energy!
quitsugarsummit.com?a_aid=651d65...
Food now matters even more than it should. Food is beyond a necessity; it’s also a commodity...
December 25, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Food now matters even more than it should. Food is beyond a necessity; it’s also a commodity...
Sugar accelerates aging, inflammation, and insulin resistance. It hides in 74% of packaged foods, even the “healthy” ones.
But here’s the good news: understanding how sugar works in your body can help you break free for good, without deprivation.
But here’s the good news: understanding how sugar works in your body can help you break free for good, without deprivation.
December 23, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Sugar accelerates aging, inflammation, and insulin resistance. It hides in 74% of packaged foods, even the “healthy” ones.
But here’s the good news: understanding how sugar works in your body can help you break free for good, without deprivation.
But here’s the good news: understanding how sugar works in your body can help you break free for good, without deprivation.
Real food, containing endogenous micronutrients, prevents metabolic syndrome. Processed food causes metabolic syndrome.
December 22, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Real food, containing endogenous micronutrients, prevents metabolic syndrome. Processed food causes metabolic syndrome.
Sugar is 8X more addictive than cocaine, and it’s in nearly everything we eat. I’ll be speaking at the 13th Annual Quit Sugar Summit (Jan 12–18, 2026) to help you break free...
40+ expert speakers. 100% free online.
Secure your spot here: quitsugarsummit.com?a_aid=651d65...
40+ expert speakers. 100% free online.
Secure your spot here: quitsugarsummit.com?a_aid=651d65...
The 13th Quit Sugar Summit
Welcome to the World's Largest Sugar Summit! January 12th - 18th, 2026!
quitsugarsummit.com
December 19, 2025 at 12:27 AM
Sugar is 8X more addictive than cocaine, and it’s in nearly everything we eat. I’ll be speaking at the 13th Annual Quit Sugar Summit (Jan 12–18, 2026) to help you break free...
40+ expert speakers. 100% free online.
Secure your spot here: quitsugarsummit.com?a_aid=651d65...
40+ expert speakers. 100% free online.
Secure your spot here: quitsugarsummit.com?a_aid=651d65...
I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be speaking at the 13th Annual Quit Sugar Summit (Jan 12–18, 2026) 🍎
Register here (it's FREE): quitsugarsummit.com?a_aid=651d65...
Register here (it's FREE): quitsugarsummit.com?a_aid=651d65...
The 13th Quit Sugar Summit ENCORE WEEKEND| 100% FREE To Attend: January 17th - 19th, 2025
Welcome to the World's Largest Sugar Summit! January 12th - 18th, 2026!
quitsugarsummit.com
December 16, 2025 at 3:12 AM
I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be speaking at the 13th Annual Quit Sugar Summit (Jan 12–18, 2026) 🍎
Register here (it's FREE): quitsugarsummit.com?a_aid=651d65...
Register here (it's FREE): quitsugarsummit.com?a_aid=651d65...
As mentioned in my appearance on Huberman Lab:
70% of all items in the average American grocery store have added sugar because it’s highly addictive; it activates the reward center of the brain as effectively as drugs like cocaine.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n28W...
70% of all items in the average American grocery store have added sugar because it’s highly addictive; it activates the reward center of the brain as effectively as drugs like cocaine.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n28W...
How Sugar & Processed Foods Impact Your Health | Dr. Robert Lustig
YouTube video by Andrew Huberman
www.youtube.com
December 14, 2025 at 9:41 PM
As mentioned in my appearance on Huberman Lab:
70% of all items in the average American grocery store have added sugar because it’s highly addictive; it activates the reward center of the brain as effectively as drugs like cocaine.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n28W...
70% of all items in the average American grocery store have added sugar because it’s highly addictive; it activates the reward center of the brain as effectively as drugs like cocaine.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=n28W...
ICYMI... what happened when a family ditched ultra-processed foods for a month, and what they learned:
www.wsj.com/health/welln...
www.wsj.com/health/welln...
Essay | My Family Went Off Ultra-Processed Foods for a Month. The Results Surprised Us.
What started as an experiment has become our new diet.
www.wsj.com
December 12, 2025 at 11:38 PM
ICYMI... what happened when a family ditched ultra-processed foods for a month, and what they learned:
www.wsj.com/health/welln...
www.wsj.com/health/welln...
A quick note on insulin: insulin's job is to take whatever you're not burning and put it into fat for storage.
Insulin is not the diabetes hormone, insulin is the energy storage hormone.
Insulin is not the diabetes hormone, insulin is the energy storage hormone.
December 11, 2025 at 1:52 AM
A quick note on insulin: insulin's job is to take whatever you're not burning and put it into fat for storage.
Insulin is not the diabetes hormone, insulin is the energy storage hormone.
Insulin is not the diabetes hormone, insulin is the energy storage hormone.
2/3 of American adults are overweight.
Shaming and blaming doesn't work!
Here's when I talked about it on The People's Pharmacy:
www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/sho...
Shaming and blaming doesn't work!
Here's when I talked about it on The People's Pharmacy:
www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/sho...
Show 1332: What Everyone Gets Wrong About Weight Loss (Archive)
Pediatric neuroendocrinologist Robert Lustig explains what everyone gets wrong about weight loss and why drugs are not the best solution.
www.peoplespharmacy.com
December 10, 2025 at 3:10 AM
2/3 of American adults are overweight.
Shaming and blaming doesn't work!
Here's when I talked about it on The People's Pharmacy:
www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/sho...
Shaming and blaming doesn't work!
Here's when I talked about it on The People's Pharmacy:
www.peoplespharmacy.com/articles/sho...
A calorie burned is a calorie burned. I don't argue that. That's true. That's the first law of thermodynamics.
But that doesn't mean a calorie eaten is a calorie eaten. That's not the same.
But that doesn't mean a calorie eaten is a calorie eaten. That's not the same.
December 9, 2025 at 2:45 AM
A calorie burned is a calorie burned. I don't argue that. That's true. That's the first law of thermodynamics.
But that doesn't mean a calorie eaten is a calorie eaten. That's not the same.
But that doesn't mean a calorie eaten is a calorie eaten. That's not the same.
You may be surprised to learn that smoothies aren't as nutritious as they sound. By turning the fruit into a paste, you're losing out on the insoluble fiber and its benefits.
www.businessinsider.com/robert-lusti...
www.businessinsider.com/robert-lusti...
A sugar expert explains the unhealthy downside of smoothies
You're missing out on 3 of the 4 things that make fruit healthy.
www.businessinsider.com
December 6, 2025 at 5:14 PM
You may be surprised to learn that smoothies aren't as nutritious as they sound. By turning the fruit into a paste, you're losing out on the insoluble fiber and its benefits.
www.businessinsider.com/robert-lusti...
www.businessinsider.com/robert-lusti...
If a food has a label, it’s a warning label.
December 5, 2025 at 3:04 AM
If a food has a label, it’s a warning label.
A reminder to come see me, Dr. Elissa Epel, and others for the weekend workshop in Big Sur! Heavy focus on metabolic and mitochondrial health, nutrition, and mindfulness. January 9th - 11th.
Learn more at the link below. Limited space left!
www.esalen.org/workshops/mi...
Learn more at the link below. Limited space left!
www.esalen.org/workshops/mi...
Mindfulness, Metabolism, and Mitochondria: Improve Your Vitality, Nutrition, and Metabolic Control | Workshops | Esalen
January 9–11, 2026 Elissa Epel and Robert Lustig
www.esalen.org
December 4, 2025 at 12:25 AM
A reminder to come see me, Dr. Elissa Epel, and others for the weekend workshop in Big Sur! Heavy focus on metabolic and mitochondrial health, nutrition, and mindfulness. January 9th - 11th.
Learn more at the link below. Limited space left!
www.esalen.org/workshops/mi...
Learn more at the link below. Limited space left!
www.esalen.org/workshops/mi...
Hope your Thanksgiving was delicious and sugar-free.
In this podcast, I talk about how to make nutrition work for you. We talk GLP-1's, fiber, fats, and of course, the Big Kahuna sugar.
open.spotify.com/episode/3Hy5...
In this podcast, I talk about how to make nutrition work for you. We talk GLP-1's, fiber, fats, and of course, the Big Kahuna sugar.
open.spotify.com/episode/3Hy5...
Metabolic Health with Dr Robert Lustig
Spotify video
open.spotify.com
December 3, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Hope your Thanksgiving was delicious and sugar-free.
In this podcast, I talk about how to make nutrition work for you. We talk GLP-1's, fiber, fats, and of course, the Big Kahuna sugar.
open.spotify.com/episode/3Hy5...
In this podcast, I talk about how to make nutrition work for you. We talk GLP-1's, fiber, fats, and of course, the Big Kahuna sugar.
open.spotify.com/episode/3Hy5...
There is no fat accumulation without insulin. Insulin shunts sugar to fat. It makes your fat cells grow.
The more insulin, the more fat, period.
The more insulin, the more fat, period.
December 1, 2025 at 2:47 AM
There is no fat accumulation without insulin. Insulin shunts sugar to fat. It makes your fat cells grow.
The more insulin, the more fat, period.
The more insulin, the more fat, period.
How to measure cardiometabolic health, explained by me in 6(ish) minutes:
www.ajmc.com/view/dr-robe...
www.ajmc.com/view/dr-robe...
Dr Robert Lustig on Pediatric Metabolic Health: “Sugar Is the Alcohol of the Child” | AJMC
Robert Lustig, MD, MSL, explains how the US health care industry needs to shift from measuring body mass index and obesity to measuring cardiometabolic health, which affects 93% of Americans, includin...
www.ajmc.com
December 1, 2025 at 1:36 AM
How to measure cardiometabolic health, explained by me in 6(ish) minutes:
www.ajmc.com/view/dr-robe...
www.ajmc.com/view/dr-robe...
Ever thought about the *Corporate* Determinants of Health — i.e., how companies manipulate our health for their profit?
If you want to understand how our current culture foments chronic disease, this may be the podcast for you:
lifestyle4health.nl/algemeen/pod...
If you want to understand how our current culture foments chronic disease, this may be the podcast for you:
lifestyle4health.nl/algemeen/pod...
Podcast: Hoe het voedselsysteem onze metabole gezondheid beïnvloedt (podcast #18)
How the food system affects our metabolic health Lifestyle4Health bestaat dit jaar 5 jaar. We hebben de afgelopen jaren leefstijlgeneeskunde op de agenda
lifestyle4health.nl
November 29, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Ever thought about the *Corporate* Determinants of Health — i.e., how companies manipulate our health for their profit?
If you want to understand how our current culture foments chronic disease, this may be the podcast for you:
lifestyle4health.nl/algemeen/pod...
If you want to understand how our current culture foments chronic disease, this may be the podcast for you:
lifestyle4health.nl/algemeen/pod...
Pleasure (reward) is the emotional state where your brain says, this feels good — I want more... happiness (contentment) is the emotional state where your brain says, this feels good — I don’t want or need any more...
November 29, 2025 at 5:03 AM
Pleasure (reward) is the emotional state where your brain says, this feels good — I want more... happiness (contentment) is the emotional state where your brain says, this feels good — I don’t want or need any more...
The pursuit of pleasure is, in fact, modern-day addiction.
As we enter the year's biggest shopping season, give a glance to my 2017 op-ed in The Guardian:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
As we enter the year's biggest shopping season, give a glance to my 2017 op-ed in The Guardian:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The pursuit of pleasure is a modern-day addiction
The easy availability of temptations, combined with constant stress, is taking its toll on a whole generation
www.theguardian.com
November 28, 2025 at 8:50 PM
The pursuit of pleasure is, in fact, modern-day addiction.
As we enter the year's biggest shopping season, give a glance to my 2017 op-ed in The Guardian:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
As we enter the year's biggest shopping season, give a glance to my 2017 op-ed in The Guardian:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...