Today's New York Times Magazine "Freakonomics" article from Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt spotlights a potentially very dangerous, health-destroying "accidental diet" that includes drinking a few spoonfuls of sugar water a day using granulated fructose.
Taking fructose-water beverage breaks while trying to lose weight is foolhardy, to say the least — that is, if you want to be healthy and live as long as you can.
In fact, considerable recent research shows that fructose — which is not made from fruit but rather from corn — is the most dangerous of all sugars, as I've reported here previously.
Unfortunately, Dubner and Levitt — two talented, imaginative, prolific authors, who've penned the fascinating Freakonomics: A Rogue-Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything — have been duped in a monstrous way into promoting an unscientific diet — from an unqualified psychology professor, no less — that could cause irreparable harm and even early death.
The last thing I want to do is disparage Dubner and Levitt. In fact, I have considerable respect for the duo, whose Freakonomics has been the #1 bestselling business book on the Wall Street Journal list for 20 consecutive weeks and is #3 today on the the New York Times list.
Rather, I want to give New York Times readers and other folks the real scoop about Roberts's foolhardy, fructose-laden diet.
Basically, obese University of California at Berkeley psychology professor Seth Roberts, Ph.D, 52, reportedly used his own body as a science laboratory for 12 years, all the while diligently recording data along the way.
Finally, after much self-experimentation, Roberts — who embraced the theory that our bodies are regulated by a "set point" — allegedly "discovered two agents capable of tricking the set-point system," Dubner and Levitt explain in their article.
In order to peel off the pounds, Roberts ultimately devised a dubious regime — he started drinking several ounces of sugar water using granulated fructose (instead of table sugar) and consuming a few tablespoonfuls of unflavored canola or extra light olive oil, doing both a few times a day.
He attributes these fructose and oil concoctions as helping him to lose 40 pounds and keep it off. "He could eat pretty much whenever and whatever he wanted, but he was far less hungry than he had ever been," the Freakonomics duo note.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Temple Stark
You can't really base a valid scientific opinion on one man's reaction and self-experimentation, can you?
2 - Phillip Winn
The NYTimes column doesn't endorse or even directly address the diet claims of Roberts, so you can hardly say that they've been "duped." They were talking about Roberts' approach of self-experimentation, and nothing else. Their own site gives both a good and bad view of Roberts, response to "is he a serious scientist" with both yes and no.
In your rush to proclaim the news that fructose and canola oil are bad, you've chosen the wrong springboard!
3 - Cerulean
I haven't heard about this diet anywhere else but here but I think it's a supremely bad idea. I would hope that people would realize the consuming sugar water for weight loss is idiotic. Corn syrup is the worst sweetener you can use and it made by going unnatural things to corn. Fructose is similar and is not a good idea.
Canola oil I think is a good product. I use it. Cold pressed canola oil by Spectrum Naturals is fine, in my experience. I didn't notice any anti-canola oil sentiments here but maybe I missed it or it was elsewhere.
What is the worst oil is partially hydrogenated oil.
4 - Cerulean
Here's a site that touches on these things by Consumer Avenger
5 - sigmund
I agree that one test case/subject is certainly not enough to draw any conclusions, but I can't help but be fascinated by this. How different would this be than sipping some soda a few times a day? I realize that most folks don't normally drink soda this way. I also realize that most folks consume way too much sugar. Just making a point. IMO, "highly dangerous" activities include biking w/o a helmet, smoking, etc., but not moderate consumption sugar. Then again, nothing like scare tactics to sell a few books/newspapers, etc.
6 - Max
I think that you misunderstood the article-- here it is quoted: "After a great deal of experimenting, he discovered two agents capable of tricking the set-point system. A few tablespoons of unflavored oil (he used canola or extra light olive oil), swallowed a few times a day between mealtimes, gave his body some calories but didn't trip the signal to stock up on more. Several ounces of sugar water (he used granulated fructose, which has a lower glycemic index than table sugar) produced the same effect." ( http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/11/magazine/11FREAK.html?pagewanted=2 )
So basically, the point was to ingest some calories that were essentially "unflavored"-- and extra light olive oil, which is not sugar, works just fine. And a little more research ( http://www.freakonomics.com/pdf/whatmakesfoodfattening.pdf ) into the original article reveals that the correct amount is about 140 kcals worth, which, as the bottle of olive oil in my cabinet reveals, is about 1 1/6 tablespoons of the stuff. Hardly a huge amount.
7 - Karen
I'm not saying that this actually works -- I have no idea. But you're not responding to it with data, but rather with dogma - it CAN'T work, you say, because it contradicts everything that you believe in. If his triglycerides and LDL are high, then obviously that's a huge problem with his diet - but you don't know that. You're assuming it, because if they're not, and he's healthy, then your ideas must be flawed -- and that's not possible, is it?
8 - Philosophydoc
Ms. Bennett, I have no doubt you mean well, but your post is so riddled with logical errors I am tempted to use it in my philosophy classes as a model of poor argumentation.
First off, it's clear that when you wrote your post you had not read any of Roberts' material that Levitt and Dubner link to, for if you had, you’d see how most of your criticisms are either baseless or just wrong.
(1) You call this a "fructose-laden diet." Roberts published results show that the fructose concentration he finally settled on was 90ml per day (later dropping to a maintenance dose of 45ml per day), which amounts to 6 tablespoons per day of fructose, about 360 calories total. Now if this is ALL Roberts encouraged people to eat, this would indeed be a "fructose-laden diet," but what he says is this: "The fructose-water results suggest that ingestion of a small fraction of one’s daily calorie intake this way may substantially reduce the set point." By what logic does consuming a “a small fraction of one’s daily calorie intake” via fructose entail that the resulting diet is “fructose-laden”? (Roberts’ quote can be found at http://www.freakonomics.com/pdf/whatmakesfoodfattening.pdf. It appears on page 48).
(2) You cite the testimony of three experts, two of whose credentials are hard to trace. No matter " I’ll focus wholly they say (or at least, what you attribute to them).
Jonny Bowden: “...Bowden cautions that looking at weight loss as a measure of a person's health is deceptive and misleading.” -- Bravo to Mr. Bowden " he’s absolutely right. Alas, this comment is totally irrelevant, since nowhere does Roberts say that weight loss = health. (Again, taking the time to read his work would have helped everyone here...)
Jonny Bowden: (a direct quote) "Every person who has ever tried to lose weight -- not to mention every clinician in the world -- know that sweetness triggers the desire for more food," he says. "After all, ever try to eat just one chocolate chip cookie?" -- Roberts clearly would agree that it’s very hard to eat just one chocolate chip cookie; but he’d disagree that what makes it hard is the cookie's sweetness. Rather, he suggests it is because of the flavor-calorie association that is made (intense flavor coupled with fast digestion). As to Mr. Bowden’s claim that “every clinician in the world " knows that sweetness triggers the desire for more food,” here are a few of the studies (all cited by Roberts, all in refereed journals) that question the sugar-obesity linkage.
-- Ramirez, I. (1987c). When does sucrose increase appetite and adiposity? Appetite, 9, 1-19.
-- Gibson, S. A. (1996). Are high-fat, high-sugar foods and diets conducive to obesity? International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition, 47, 405-415.
-- Kratz, C. M., & Levitsky, D. A. (1979). Dietary obesity: Differential effects with self-selection and composite diet feeding techniques. Physiology & Behavior, 22, 245-249.
-- Sclafani, A. (1987). Carbohydrate-induced hyperphagia and obesity in the rat: Effects of saccharide type, form, and taste. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 11, 155-162.
Russ Bianchi, however, gets the prize for making the most outlandish comments of all. I actually have a colleague who participated in the Bataan Death march, and aside from being both a needlessly inflammatory and tasteless reference, it likewise tells us nothing about Roberts’ views. Mr. Bianchi adds “I predict that, like runner Jim Fixx, who ate lots of fructose-containing sports bars, Roberts will drop dead of an unexplained heart attack.” -- Now Mr. Fixx also had been a two pack a day smoker, had a family history of heart disease, ate poorly, and may have over-exercised. And fructose killed him?
Finally, you quote Russ again, saying: “Rather, Bianchi recommends that people trying to lose weight eat a calorie-reduced diet that includes dark green leafy vegetables, fresh fruit, healthy oils such as olive oil, fish, poultry, eggs, and limited whole grains, as well as exercising, not smoking, limiting or restricting alcohol, and eating no processed junk food and drinks, particularly those containing fructose or high fructose corn syrup.” Based on my reading of his published and unpublished research on weight loss, there is NOTHING here that Roberts would disagree with. He goes to great lengths to explain how processed, junk food stimulates the flavor-calorie connection, and is likely a significant cause of weight gain. He does NOT recommend eating food with fructose or high fructose corn syrup, but only a small amount of fructose (or sucrose) in a tasteless form. It is again clear that your “research” into Roberts’ work consisted of reading Dubner and Levitt’s column, period. Do you think that’s fair?
Dr. Havel (a UC Davis researcher) is quoted as saying that “...long-term consumption of diets high in fructose could lead to an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease." Does consuming 6 tablespoons of fructose a day count as a diet “high in fructose”? Perhaps, but unless we know, the value of this judgment is at best unclear. More to the point, most of Dr. Havel’s work appears to be irrelevant to assessing Roberts’ claims. Roberts emphasizes that unless the fructose is given in a tasteless form, between (never during) meals, the weight loss effect he cites won’t occur. In none of Dr. Havel’s research that I have found was the fructose given in this way.
There is no doubt that Roberts’s views are controversial " but so have numerous other significant, paradigm-shifting advances in science. (Being controversial doesn’t mean he’s right " lots of controversial claims end up being dead wrong. But merely being controversial isn’t enough to reject his view). As John Stuart Mill observed, great ideas often go through three phases: ridicule, discussion, and acceptance. Your post has a fair amount of ridicule: invoking the Batann Death march, suggesting he has a fructose-drinking “habit,” even describing Dr. Roberts as an “obese” professor (in fact, at 5’ 11” and 200 lbs., his BMI at the time he was 27.9, making him overweight rather than obese. I make this point to suggest that your use of “obese” wasn’t intended to be clinical, just incendiary. )
Let me be clear " nothing I have said constitutes an endorsement of Dr. Roberts’ research. My goal is merely to show how the arguments advanced by Ms. Bennett show us absolutely nothing about Dr. Roberts’ viws. If this is indicative of what to expect in your upcoming book, I’ll pass.
9 - caro
But the point is he's not saying to consume a diet high in fructose. Hello? The average american drinks 2 cans of pop a day. Put down the pop, and instead take in 2 similar doses of sucrose, but at particular times and without any flavor, and you might lose weight. I don't see the devil in that, particularly when you have people who are profoundly overweight.
I am a nurse, and a clinical researcher, and am working on my master's in public health. I'm no idiot. I read both of his full articles, and I'm interested enough to try 2 tablespoons a day of light olive oil just out of curiosity. If nothing else, it'll improve my lipid profile. I'll tell you in 2 or 3 weeks if it works.
10 - MJW
I find Philosophydoc's commentary a sane and sober discussion on Robert's ideas. Ms. Bennett's knee-jerk reactions are almost comical in their predictability. What I am really curious to find is more constructive discussion on Robert's ideas and conclusions. For example:
1. Clarification of amounts between meals, timing, etc. Chug down a glass or sip over a period of time.
2. How about a framework for others to self-experiment following Robert's lead?
3. Anyone else experimenting with Robert's approach? Any results?
11 - carol
I've lost a half pound in 4 days. Hard to say if that means anything. This is my approach...
Eat a decent breakfast, wolf down 2 or 3 cups of coffee by 9am. Around 10:30 I take 2/3 of a tablespoon of light olive oil. Then I don't consume anything but water until at least noon when I eat lunch. And no chewing gum! Repeat the same process between lunch and dinner. You are supposed to wait at least an hour between food/flavor and oil.
I expected some stomach upset with the oil, but I haven't had a problem. I've also gotten over the gag factor of swallowing it. I think for me, just making myself stop snacking between meals would make me lose weight. The 100 calories of oil probably stave off the serious munchies between meals so I'm not feeling deprived at all. So far so good, I'll weigh in again later this week.
12 - gx3
Connie - you are selling a book that directly disputes Seth Roberts research. Therefor, everything you say above is extremely suspect. Your whole argument is biased. I'm going to try Roberts' diet - using canola oil. How much harm can four tablespoons of canola oil per day do? I doubt very much at all. If it does me harm, I'll be the first to say 'you told me so.'
13 - laleh
Bravo to the Philosophydoc for so clearly and succintly identifying the logic problems and outlandish comments in Ms. Bennett's article. I couldn't say it any better and I won't try.
I would have been interested to read a well-reasoned, fact-based response to the regime that Mr. Roberts developed. Unfortunately, vitriolic rants such as the above do not inform; they serve only to turn off readers and dash the writer's credibility.
14 - Tom
I am so glad that the ridiculous scathing of the Freakonomics article examined above was not left unchecked by the reasonable and intelligent folks who've commented. The agenda of this blog is quite shamefully political and moronic in its criticisms.
15 - David Zemanek
While I commend you on adding your own research, your comments throw in quite a bit of carelessness that makes your comments look like emotional arguments and less than cooly delivered, tight research commentary.
There's a distinct difference between High Fructose Corn Syrup and Fructose. HFCS should be called high glucose corn syrup because that's the largest ingredient. You add above, "We found that consuming fructose-sweetened beverages with meals resulted in decreased secretion of insulin and reduced production of leptin, and both of these hormones help regulate food intake and body weight," Dr. Havel told me." Sounds exactly like what glucose would do. It's 100 on the Glycemic index, causes an onslaught of insulin to be produced, which, afer storing the excess as fat, then crashes sugar levels increases hunger, increases fat. You're mixing and matching which is what people do to make a point when making the point is more important than delivering just the facts.
I've lost 30 lbs already on the Shangi-La and am having my LDL's checked as we speak. You also say nothing about whether or not exercising helps mitigate the cholesterol increase.
I would want my test results to do the talking for me.
Look, if you think Seth is leaving out some facts and that you're right, just rely on facts and don't add the garbage that confuses the issue.
Coca Cola has 39 grams of sugar. That's 39 grams of HFCS, meaning at least 19 grams of glucose. Why not mention how that compares not to what Seth took his first day, but what he stabalized at. Also, if Seth is only eating whole foods outside of that, how does that compare to the average american diet for fructose intake. How about adding info on how many transfats the average american eats because those also raise LDL's horribly. Paint a broader picture and that might really motivate people to adjust their entire diet. After all, isn't that what you're trying to do, get people to eat in a manner that would be more healthy?
16 - Mary Klinger
So don't use Fructose - USE XYLOTOL - a "sugar" made from birch trees & corn cobs. It has a very low glycemic index to the point of being able to be used by diabetics. It is actually healthy for you by reducing mouth bacteria and is being used in toothpaste & gum.
17 - Sally Garneski
Does any one know about Estee sweetener or similar fructose products that are supposed to be natural? These products are supposed to be a "natural" fructose, but are also recommended for diabetics. I think that finding a non-flavored fructose that is deemed "healthful" would be key to making sure the fructose element of the Shangri-La plan is not dangerous to a user's health? I myself cannot consume 6 TBLSP of sugar a day, even if it;s in water. that just sounds unhealthy.
18 - Rhonda Young
Apparently the general concept may help people lose weight. Supposedly it would be safer to use grade B pure maple syrup (because it causes you to be more alkaline) for the fructose and extra virgin olive oil for the canola oil. I would like to hear some expert opinions on the safeness/dangers of this.
19 - david zemanek
Addition to blog entry #15
Just received my lipid panel results back. Want to know just how incorrect you are. I was doing close to 8 tablespoons a day in about 2 liters of water. Here you go:
Cholesterol 191 (less than 200 is healthy)
Triglycerides 46 (less than 150 is healthy!)
VLDL Cholestersol 9 (between 5-35 healthy)
LDL Cholesterol 113 (less than 130 is healthy)
HDL Cholesterol 69 (greater than 40 is healthy)
Cholesterol/HDL Ratio 2.8 (less than 4.4 is healthy)
Any comments?
20 - SarahA
I lost 10 lbs. on the fructose water diet. Sugar water works almost as well. Have checked it with a nutritionist, have had my blood work checked (my triglycerides are fine) and find that the fructose water, having no flavor, has a different (perceived) effect on my appetite and blood sugar than eating "real food" with sugar and flavor. I am a person who never eats sugar and was highly skeptical that this diet would work... but it does. It's pretyt obvious that the amount of fructose I eat each day isn't enough to cause the dire "hell on earth" promised here. (20 tsps or 300 calories' worth) I am highly skeptical of Ms. Bennett, or anyone whose opinions alternate with "As I say in my book..." and whose writing is so vitriolic and emotional. Why not try it, talk to those who have, look at what data there is? or don't... the rest of us will lose weight and get on with our lives.
21 - Stephen M (Ethesis)
I've had similar positive effects in my life, I've lost 47 pounds in five months. It was well worth experimenting.
One thing I'd note is that this diet is extremely easy and cheap.
You can use either sugar (which you probably have around the house) or olive oil (extra light) -- or you can buy five dollars worth of it at SAMS or COSTCO, which will last you five or six months.
In five months I've lost 47 pounds (as of this morning) on the method (it is more of a method than a diet).
Try one disciplined week of the diet. Drink three tablespoons of sugar in a cup of water every morning at ten o'clock (with no other food or flavors, including mints, diet drinks or chewing tobacco) from 9:00 to 11:00 and two tablespoons of olive oil at 2:30 (with the same no food or flavors from 1:00 to 4:00) and see what has happened after a week.
If it works, keep it up for another week.
It isn't as if it costs much money, takes much time or is that difficult to try.
Simple enough to try it and see what happens.
22 - Chris
I just find the whole article funny, considering that there are four mentions of Atkins in ads on the page. How ironic is it that Atkins has been called "crazy", "bad nutrition" and downright "deadly". Now, someone making money from the Atkins lifestyle is using the same arguments against a new idea!
23 - LynnAnn McRay
"Rather, Bianchi recommends that people trying to lose weight eat a calorie-reduced diet that includes dark green leafy vegetables, fresh fruit, healthy oils such as olive oil, fish, poultry, eggs, and limited whole grains . . . BLAH BLAH BLAH . . ."
WHY didn't I think of that??? Perhaps Mr. Bianchi would recommend the way for cocaine addicts to cure their addiction is to stop using cocaine? 100% effective, but here's my response: No. Can. Do.
These platitudes by weight loss "experts" (i.e., people who've never had a weight problem in their lives) are so tiresome. I have no idea whether the Shangri La diet works. But when are the diet experts going to figure out that people are either physiologically, chemically, emotionally, or for some other reason or perceived "character flaw" fundamentally unable to follow their simplistic "just eat healthy" advice. In fact their advice is counter-productive, because it leads to nothing but guilt and feelings of inadequacy -- both emotions likely to trigger binge eating.
24 - rsheridan6
Since you didn't attack the tablespoon of extra-light olive oil option, are we to assume that it's harmless?
25 - Jason
This article misses the point, and totally fixates on the sugar angle, and how fructose is bad. First off, you don't need to use fructose - it can be table sugar. But, the original idea was to use Olive Oil. The sugar was simply an optional substitute. The diet is all about consuming "tasteless" calories in the form of olive oil twice a day (with an optional replacement of sugar water), in the middle of a two hour period where otherwise you drink only water. This tricks your body into not making a connection to the calorie intake with the taste of food. Which fuels the rest of the diet's theory.
This article has a quote about "sweetness triggers the desire for more food". Hmm, they must have missed the part how it was found that the sweetness of sugar in water alone doesn't do that. It's the complex flavor in sweetened foods that does. Don't tell me that drinking a tablespoon of sugar water quickly rinsed down is going to cause cravings like the taste of a cookie would (along with the intense aftertaste, etc.)
Regardless, stop fixating on the sugar thing for a second. Let's talk Olive Oil. It is a well known fact that Olive Oil is good for you. It's mono-saturated fat is easy for the body to break down. And other goodies in the green stuff have been shown to increase elasticity in arteries, which can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. It's a staple of the "Mediterranean Diet". In the Mediterranean food pyramid, it recommends 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil daily (normally used in food). People should replace as much butter (saturated fat), and even worse, margarine (trans fat) with Olive Oil as you can.
Note that "Extra Virgin Olive Oil" is the only "good for you" Olive Oil. The ones labeled "Extra Light" as suggested to use by the diet is actually processed and refined 'left-overs' zapped of their extra healthy qualities. The reason it is suggested for the diet is simply because it is nearly tasteless. Extra Virgin Olive Oil on the other hand is what they call "first pressed" (the oils from the first pressing of the olive.) However it's fully flavored, which kinda messes up this diet concept.
But wait! Just hold your nose when you take Extra Virgin Olive Oil, chase it with water, and you'll never taste a thing.
Sugar water? Sure. Granulated Fructose? Why not... if you just can't handle the Olive Oil. Hey, just skip that fructose corn-syrup enriched Cola you were already gonna drink!