Chapter1

DRUGORFOOD?
ThesweetshopinLlandaffintheyearof1923wastheverycenterofourlives.Tous,itwas
whatabaristoadrunk,orachurchistoaBishop.Withoutit,therewouldhavebeenlittleto
livefor....Sweetswereourlifeblood.
RoaldDahl,Boy:TalesofChildhood,1984
Imagineamomentwhenthesensationofhoneyorsugaronthetonguewasanastonishment,a
kindofintoxication.TheclosestIveevercometorecoveringsuchasenseofsweetnesswas
secondhand,thoughitleftapowerfulimpressiononmeevenso.Imthinkingofmysonsfirst
experienceofsugar:theicingonthecakeathisfirstbirthday.Ihaveonlythetestimonyof
Isaacsfacetogoby(that,andhisfiercenesstorepeattheexperience),butitwasplainthathis
firstencounterwithsugarhadintoxicatedhimwasinfactanecstasy,intheliteralsenseofthat
word.Thatis,hewasbesidehimselfwiththepleasureofit,nolongerherewithmeinspaceand
timeinquitethesamewayhehadbeenjustamomentbefore.BetweenbitesIsaacgazedupat
meinamazement(hewasonmylap,andIwasdeliveringtheambrosialforkfulstohisgaping
mouth)asiftoexclaim,Yourworldcontainsthis?FromthisdayforwardIshalldedicatemy
lifetoit.
MichaelPollan,BotanyofDesire,2001
WhatifRoaldDahlandMichaelPollanareright,thatthetasteofsugaronthetonguecanbea
kindofintoxication?Doesntitsuggestthepossibilitythatsugaritselfisindeedanintoxicant,a
drug?Imagineadrugthatcanintoxicateus,caninfuseuswithenergy,andcandosowhentaken
bymouth.Itdoesnthavetobeinjected,smoked,orsnortedforustoexperienceitssublimeand
soothingeffects.Imaginethatitmixeswellwithvirtuallyeveryfoodandparticularlyliquids,and
thatwhengiventoinfantsitprovokesafeelingofpleasuresoprofoundandintensethatits
pursuitbecomesadrivingforcethroughouttheirlives.
Overconsumptionofthisdrugmayhavelongtermsideeffects,buttherearenoneintheshort
termnostaggeringordizziness,noslurringofspeech,nopassingoutordriftingaway,noheart
palpitationsorrespiratorydistress.Whenitisgiventochildren,itseffectsmaybeonlymore
extremevariationsontheapparentlynaturalemotionalrollercoasterofchildhood,fromthe
initialintoxicationtothetantrumsandwhiningofwhatmayormaynotbewithdrawalafew
hourslater.Morethananything,ourimaginarydrugmakeschildrenhappy,atleastfortheperiod
duringwhichtheyreconsumingit.Itcalmstheirdistress,easestheirpain,focusestheir
attention,andthenleavesthemexcitedandfullofjoyuntilthedosewearsoff.Theonly
downsideisthatchildrenwillcometoexpectanotherdose,perhapstodemandit,onaregular
basis.
Howlongwoulditbebeforeparentstooktousingourimaginarydrugtocalmtheirchildren
whennecessary,toalleviatepain,topreventoutburstsofunhappiness,ortodistractattention?
Andoncethedrugbecameidentifiedwithpleasure,howlongbeforeitwasusedtocelebrate

birthdays,asoccergame,goodgradesatschool?Howlongbeforeitbecameawayto
communicateloveandcelebratehappiness?Howlongbeforenogatheringoffamilyandfriends
wascompletewithoutit,beforemajorholidaysandcelebrationsweredefinedinpartbytheuse
ofthisdrugtoassurepleasure?Howlongwoulditbebeforetheunderprivilegedoftheworld
wouldhappilyspendwhatlittlemoneytheyhadonthisdrugratherthanonnutritiousmealsfor
theirfamilies?
Howlongwoulditbebeforethisdrug,astheanthropologistSidneyW.Mintzsaidaboutsugar,
demonstratedanearinvulnerabilitytomoralattack,beforeevenwritingabooksuchasthis
onewasperceivedasthenutritionalequivalentofstealingChristmas?
Whatisitabouttheexperienceofconsumingsugarandsweets,particularlyduringchildhood,
thatinvokessoreadilythecomparisontoadrug?Ihavechildren,stillrelativelyyoung,andI
believeraisingthemwouldbeafareasierjobifsugarandsweetswerenotanoption,if
managingtheirsugarconsumptiondidnotseemtobeaconstantthemeinourparental
responsibilities.Eventhosewhovigorouslydefendtheplaceofsugarandsweetsinmoderndiets
aninnocentmomentofpleasure,abalmamidthestressoflife,astheBritishjournalistTim
Richardsonhaswrittenacknowledgethatthisdoesnotincludeallowingchildrentoeatas
manysweetsastheywant,atanytime,andthatmostparentswillwanttorationtheir
childrenssweets.
Butwhyisitnecessary?ChildrencravemanythingsPokmoncards,StarWarsparaphernalia,
DoratheExplorerbackpacksandmanyfoodstastegoodtothem.Whatisitaboutsweetsthat
makesthemsouniquelyinneedofrationing,whichisanotherwayofaskingwhetherthe
comparisontodrugsofabuseisavalidone?
Thisisofmorethanacademicinterest,becausetheresponseofentirepopulationstosugarhas
beeneffectivelyidenticaltothatofchildren:oncepopulationsareexposed,theyconsumeas
muchsugarastheycaneasilyprocure,althoughtheremaybenaturallimitssetbycultureand
currentattitudesaboutfood.Theprimarybarriertomoreconsumptionuptothepointwhere
populationsbecomeobeseanddiabeticandthen,perhaps,beyondhastendedtobeavailability
andprice.(Thisincludes,inonestudy,sugarintolerantCanadianInuit,wholackedtheenzyme
necessarytodigestthefructosecomponentofsugarandyetcontinuedtoconsumesugary
beveragesandcandydespitetheabdominaldistressitbroughtthem.)Asthepriceofapound
ofsugarhasdroppedoverthecenturiesfromtheequivalentof360eggsinthethirteenth
centurytotwointheearlydecadesofthetwentieththeamountofsugarconsumedhas
steadily,inexorably,climbed.In1934,whilesalesofcandycontinuedtoincreaseduringthe
GreatDepression,TheNewYorkTimescommented,Thedepressionprovedthatpeoplewanted
candy,andthataslongastheyhadanymoneyatall,theywouldbuyit.Duringthosebrief
periodsoftimeduringwhichsugarproductionsurpassedourabilitytoconsumeit,thesugar
industryandpurveyorsofsugarrichproductshaveworkeddiligentlytoincreasedemandand,at
leastuntilrecently,havesucceeded.
Thecriticalquestion,whatscientistsdebate,asthejournalistandhistorianCharlesC.Mannhas
elegantlyputit,iswhether[sugar]isactuallyanaddictivesubstance,orifpeoplejustactlikeit

is.Thisquestionisnoteasytoanswer.Certainly,peopleandpopulationshaveactedasthough
sugarisaddictive,butscienceprovidesnodefinitiveevidence.Untilrecently,nutritionists
studyingsugardidsofromthenaturalperspectiveofviewingsugarasanutrienta
carbohydrateandnothingmore.Theyoccasionallyarguedaboutwhetherornotitmightplaya
roleindiabetesorheartdisease,butnotaboutwhetherittriggeredaresponseinthebrainor
bodythatmadeuswanttoconsumeitinexcess.Thatwasnottheirareaofinterest.
Thefewneurologistsandpsychologistsinterestedinprobingthesweettoothphenomenon,or
whywemightneedtorationoursugarconsumptionsoasnottoeatittoexcess,didsotypically
fromtheperspectiveofhowthesesugarscomparedwithotherdrugsofabuse,inwhichthe
mechanismofaddictionisnowrelativelywellunderstood.Lately,thiscomparisonhasreceived
moreattentionasthepublichealthcommunityhaslookedtorationoursugarconsumptionasa
population,andhasthusconsideredthepossibilitythatonewaytoregulatethesesugarsas
withcigarettesistoestablishthattheyareindeedaddictive.Thesesugarsareverylikely
uniqueinthattheyarebothanutrientandapsychoactivesubstancewithsomeaddictive
characteristics.
Historianshaveoftenconsideredthesugarasadrugmetaphortobeanaptone.Thatsugars,
particularlyhighlyrefinedsucrose,producepeculiarphysiologicaleffectsiswellknown,wrote
thelateSidneyMintz,whose1985bookSweetnessandPowerisoneoftwoseminalEnglish
languagehistoriesofsugaronwhichother,morerecentwritersonthesubject(includingmyself)
heavilyrely.*Buttheseeffectsareneitherasvisiblenoraslonglastingasthoseofalcohol,or
caffeinatedbeverages,thefirstuseofwhichcantriggerrapidchangesinrespiration,heartbeat,
skincolorandsoon.Mintzhasarguedthataprimaryreasonthatthroughthecenturiessugar
hasescapedreligiousbasedcriticisms,ofthekindpronouncedontea,coffee,rum,andeven
chocolate,isthat,whateverconspicuousbehavioralchangesmayoccurwheninfantsconsume
sugar,itdidnotcausethekindofflushing,staggering,dizziness,euphoria,changesinthepitch
ofthevoice,slurringofspeech,visiblyintensifiedphysicalactivity,oranyoftheothercues
associatedwiththeingestionoftheseotherdrugs.Asthisbookwillargue,sugarappearstobea
substancethatcausespleasurewithapricethatisdifficulttodiscernimmediatelyandpaidinfull
onlyyearsordecadeslater.Withnovisible,directlynoticeableconsequences,asMintzsays,
questionsoflongtermnutritiveormedicalconsequenceswentunaskedandunanswered.
Mostofustodaywillneverknowifwesufferevensubtlewithdrawalsymptomsfromsugar,
becausewellnevergolongenoughwithoutsugartofindout.
*TheotherisTheHistoryofSugar,publishedintwoencyclopedicvolumesin1949and1950,

byNolDeerr,asugarindustryexecutiveturnedsugarhistorian.

Excerpted from THE CASE AGAINST SUGAR by Gary Taubes. Copyright 2016 by Random House. Excerpted by
permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be
reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.