Food now matters even more than it should. Food is beyond a necessity; it’s also a commodity, and it has been reformulated to be an addictive substance. This has many effects on our world: economically, politically, socially, and medically.

Fructose is not a nutrient. It is not required for life. In fact, it is a chronic dose-dependent mitochondrial toxin. 5 minutes here, where I cover this (and more). www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4tr...

San Francisco! Come see me in-person on Thursday, September 25th. I'll be at the Mission Bay Conference Center speaking at the First Annual Symposium for Mitochondrial Health, Healthspan, & Aging. Register at the link: www.blueoaknx.com/symposium/

I'm glad to share that I'll be appearing on Diary of a CEO on Oct 2nd. My conversation with Stephen Bartlett is wide ranging; it's about our society at a turning point. Stay tuned. www.youtube.com/@TheDiaryOfA...

A free virtual event to keep on your radar. October 2nd-12th, 2025. www.kicksugarsummit.com?ref=55999-Ro...

It all starts with the sugar you eat: www.facebook.com/615645387653...

The worst habit in America is the sugary drink habit. Last year, I discussed this truth with PARADE Magazine: parade.com/health/habit...

800,000, and more to come.

If someone is looking to break free from an addiction to sugar, what should that process look like? Last year, I talked about this (and more) with Doug Bopst: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAfd...

For those of you with a Washington Post subscription, here is a study of sugar consumption going up with ambient temperature. A big focus here on sugared beverages, especially in lower in socio-economic status populations.

As I said, when the going got tough, RFK abdicated. I agree with Kelly Brownell — if the food industry doesn’t have to change, they won’t. And RFK pulled his punches, because he doesn’t want the fight. All talk and no action. Just like a politician. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/10/w...

There are more metabolically ill people with normal weight than those who are overweight. Metabolic disease is the problem. Obesity is a marker, not a cause – thin people suffer from metabolic disease too. robertlustig.com/wp-content/u...

Resharing an announcement about my upcoming speaking event in Dana Point, CA: I'm excited to be speaking at the 13th Annual Thought Leader Consortium, hosted by PLMI, on October 17th–18th. This event brings together top leaders in the functional and integrative medicine space to share insights.

I spoke to @nytimes.com about the surge of AI scammers using faces like mine to sell health products and trick viewers. Read the details: www.nytimes.com/2025/09/05/t...

On RFK, I've held my fire, on purpose, hoping for some good things to happen. But no longer. I know Susan Monarez. She's a career scientist-civil servant. She was a guardrail. Now gone. Along with 4 top CDC officials.

For those of you with Substack access, I recommend this treatise on fixing the food supply from my friend and colleague Carter Williams: open.substack.com/pub/foodishe...

A living story that illustrates the impact of dietary habit changes, this essay explores what happened when Michaeleen Doucleff and her daughter eliminated ultra-processed foods for a full month... and how the experiment sparked meaningful transformation. www.wsj.com/health/welln...

Mark Twain said, “Education is mainly what we have unlearned.” If the last fifty years of medicine has taught us anything, it’s that we physicians have a whole lot to unlearn—except when it comes to nutrition, in which case you can’t unlearn what you were never taught in the first place.

What is processed food? Ninety percent of the food produced in the United States is sold to you by a total of ten conglomerates—Coca-Cola, ConAgra, Dole, General Mills, Hormel, Kraft, Nestle, Pepsico, Proctor and Gamble, and Unilever.

Apparently, I'm not the only physician or scientist who has trouble with the MAHA agenda. I had hopes, but they've been dashed.

I'm excited to be speaking at the 13th Annual Thought Leader Consortium, hosted by PLMI, on October 17–18 in Dana Point, CA. This event brings together top leaders in functional and integrative medicine to shape the future of healthcare. I'll be talking about Reactive Oxygen Species and Dementia.

At long last — my treatise on Food Addiction. This is a hotly contested issue in the obesity and metabolic health fields.

Shop for our smart fiber supplement now at www.monchmonch.shop (use code HOWIE15 and save 15% at checkout)

While some of the other advanced world economies have fared slightly better than the US, the truth is that longevity and health are beginning to stall throughout the developed world.

💡For those of you who are game for an immersive experience💡 Sign up for this very special Mindfulness, Metabolism, and Mitochondria weekend January 9-11, 2026, at the famed Esalen Institute just south of Big Sur.

I'm thrilled to share that Ignorance Unmasked is being released on Sept 16th! I wrote a chapter in it on obesity and personal responsibility. Anyone who orders from the Stanford University Press site will receive a 20% discount: www.sup.org

I had the huge honor of lobbying Sacramento on behalf of AB 1264, which gets ultraprocessed foods out of California schools. A big test for the bill next week is the Appropriations Committee. But as California goes, so goes the nation. www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2025...

On his podcast, Jesse Chappus and I dig into insulin, fiber, and what causes metabolic mayhem... Listen here: jessechappus.com/dr-robert-lu... Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2Vu...

Better screening, diagnostics, and treatment is what modern medicine does; but preventing or reversing NCDs is what modern medicine doesn't do.

While some of the other advanced world economies have fared slightly better than the US, the truth is that longevity and health are beginning to stall throughout the developed world.

Dopamine is a Jekyll-Hyde neurotransmitter. Without it, you're a laconic couch potato; too much and you can get aggressive and paranoid. In other words, like so many other things in medicine, there is a sweet spot...

The holy grail of Modern medicine is that you can't fix healthcare until you fix health, and you can't fix health until you fix the food. Everyone is talking about healthcare, few people are talking about health, and nobody is talking about the food.

Wherever you see "low-fat", you might as well put a skull and crossbones on it. youtu.be/8laJ2QuMCyc?...

ICYMI: On July 30th, SOSV (a multi-stage, deep tech VC focused on health) stalwart Mohan Iyer and I sat down to discuss the food system, healthcare, the pandemic of chronic diseases, mental health problems in the present day, and more. Enjoy! www.linkedin.com/events/bitte...

If you’re confused between happiness and pleasure, don’t feel alone. Google “pleasure” and what you’ll read is “a feeling of happy satisfaction and enjoyment.” Money can buy you pleasure, but happiness has to come from somewhere else.

www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Article/2025... ^ This is what I spoke to the House Appropriations Committee about back in 2024...

www.linkedin.com/events/bitte... In the middle of an NYC heat wave on July 30th, SOSV stalwart Mohan Iyer and I sat down to discuss the food system, the healthcare system, the pandemic of chronic disease and mental health problems, the problems of ultraprocessed food, and how to fix them.

Metabolical: The Lure and Lies of Processed Food, Nutrition, and Modern Medicine (2021) -- this book is a synthesis of my research on sugar, processed food, and the metabolic crisis. robertlustig.com/metabolical/

Hi everyone, please join us at UCSF on Sept. 25 for a free symposium on mitochondria and their role in health and disease, featuring both basic and clinical talks. All are welcome! If you haven't already, register now: www.blueoaknx.com/symposium/

In July 2024, I joined Dr. Dom D’Agostino to explore obesogens like BPA, phthalates, and glyphosate... and how they shape obesity beyond calories. The Metabolic Link: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...

Any time an industry has offered to voluntarily regulate itself, it has basically caused nothing but disaster. Whether it be seat belts, whether it be tobacco, whether it be pollution, industry has a vested interest in not allowing itself to be regulated.

Real food protects your liver and feeds your gut. Processed food starves you. Hear more in my 2021 appearance on The Resilient Surgeon: www.sts.org/podcasts/105...

A thoughtful conversation on The Great Simplification, circa May 2023, exploring how ultra‑processed food and our metabolic dysfunction intersect with global environmental crises... www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/69-r...

You can learn more here about the books I've published over the years. robertlustig.com/books/

Did you know that fructose and alcohol both lead to Alzheimer's disease? www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTyx...

The problem often isn't what is in the food, but rather, what's been done to the food.

Everyone in the area, please join me at UCSF on Sept. 25 for a truly unique symposium on mitochondria and its relation to overall wellness. We'll focus on 3 subtopics: biogenesis, hormesis, and salugenesis. Something for everyone -- it's free! Just register. www.blueoaknx.com/symposium/

Did you know that fructose and alcohol both lead to Alzheimer's disease? www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTyx...

If you're familiar with PCOS, be aware that the only way to consistently treat it is to fix the liver mitochondria... and be aware of how: