The Definition of Insanity

By November 29, 2008Uncategorized


I know I’ve been a bit quiet on the blog this week but I’ve been busy getting my mug in other media.  Greg Cary (4BC) kindly had me on again yesterday to discuss flouride.  Well really it was to discuss the fact that, but for sugar, we wouldn’t need to be discussing flouride.

I’ve also been working on a piece for the Australian which appeared today.  In it I talk about many of the concepts discussed in Sweet Poison and then start getting pushy for a change in Government (and manufacturer) behaviour.
It appeared on page 14 in the Health Section.  If you prefer your paper on a computer screen you can see it (without the pretty artwork and picture of me) online.  Here’s the first few paragraphs (just to give you a feel for it):

IF the definition of insanity is to continue doing the same thing and expect a different outcome, then as a society we are not only getting fatter but crazier.

Governments spend a fortune on programs that tell people to eat less fatty food and exercise more in order to lose weight, while consumers fork out ever-increasing amounts on gym memberships, packaged meals, books, magazines and the advice of experts. Despite decades of this kind of activity we are now fatter than at any other time in history.

There is, however, a glimmer of hope. Nestle, one of the largest purveyors of sugar-filled food, has voluntarily reduced the sugar content on some of its most popular foods. The move, reported last week in The Australian, is aligned with current scientific research which points to a single substance, fructose, as the culprit behind the obesity crisis (fructose is the sugar in fruit, and one half of table sugar).

A cynic might regard Nestle’s announcement as jumping before being pushed. But on any measure, a reduction in the sugar content of some of the largest offenders is not bad news and should be viewed as a pointer to a solution which may be easier, faster and cheaper than anything previously proposed or imagined.

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