Brown Bag Lecture: Addicted to Sugar

It might very well be the most dangerous drug of our time: sugar. While government regulation focusses aggressively on the use of cigarettes and alcohol, the food industry has few limits in raising the percentage of sugars and fast carbs. According to Aart Jan van der Lelij, professor of Endocrinology at the Erasmus MC, this leads to the biggest health danger in modern society: massive sugar addiction.

In his lecture professor Van der Lelij explains how excessive use of sugar destabilizes our body. When the body functions correctly, our brains tell us to stop consuming in time. But hedonistic stimuli disturb this process. They make us want even more.

Fat people, professor Van der Lelij states, should be seen as junkies. Giving them diet restrictions is useless – you don’t ask an alcoholic to drink less. Instead, they should be treated with the same methods that help addicts in rehab.

Brown Bag Lecture: prof. Aart Jan van der Lelij. | Wednesday 4 December | 12.30 – 13.30 hrs | Erasmus Paviljoen | Free | English spoken