Pure, white and deadly
the problem of sugar.
by John Yudkin · first published 1972
59% recommend41% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Early, widely read argument that sugar, refined flour and processed fat drive modern disease; cited for its research backing and clear case against white sugar. Suits readers curious about diet history.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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My mother (1973, Edinburgh) bought "Pure, White, and Deadly," and we all read it. I was ten or so. Yudkin attacked white flour, white (processed) fat, and above all white sugar. It made perfect sense to us all, and cutting back on sugar became a slow, yet consistent…
on “How the Sugar Industry Shifted Blame to Fat” ↗I read a book a few years ago called "Pure, white and deadly" by John Yudkin (first published in 1972) that still has an incredible amount of relevant information in it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Yudkin The main issue tends to come down to the mass production…
on “'Corn Sugar' Makers Hope You'll Buy The New Name” ↗Recommend 'Pure, White and Deadly' by John Yudkin https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009CTYTCA The sugar industry conspired to discredit and bury him and his research, they succeeded and passed the blame to saturated fats instead! Fortunately…
on “Is Sugar Killing Us?” ↗…doctor so take the above with the appropriate level of skepticism on your behalf. I am only summarising what I have learned from books and have omitted A LOT of detail. Recommended further reading - Pure, White and Deadly (John Yudkin) - Fat Chance (Robert Lustig) - Outlive (Peter Attia) contains an excellent and concise synopsis of the mechanisms behind metabolic disease
on “FDA clears first over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor” ↗There is a very interesting book on sugar. Pure, white and deadly by John Yudkin. Is backed by research. Also of interest it might be this talk by Robert Lustig: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kOCPyheVesM
on “Study reveals blood sugar control is a key factor in slowing brain aging” ↗…lifestyles ought to have been enough evidence alone to bring the Sugar Industry edifice down. No doubt the playing field wasn't level. Re the Guardian article in your link, why for example was the author of Pure, White, and Deadly, John Yudkin so ostracized by his professional colleagues? If they had his or similar training and had checked the evidence then they would have known that he was correct and come to his defense. Given…
on “Type 2 Diabetes and cardiovascular disease attributable to sugar beverages” ↗I thought we already figured out at least part of the problem or the main problem Sugar Yutkin Lufkin Etc Book: Pure, White, and Deadly
on “A Chemical Hunger: Mysteries” ↗Yes, and this is obvious when you think about it. Sugar causes both inflammation (actually any carbohydrate will eventually) and sugar is why you brush your teeth. Fascinating books on this include "pure, white and deadly" and "cancer: disease of civilization" (this one is hard to find, written in 1962 I think). The former was written before sugar fully took over, the latter was written back when some cultures didn't get…
on “Brain inflammation sows the seeds of Alzheimer’s” ↗Worth reading on this is 'Pure, White, and Deadly: How Sugar Is Killing Us and What We Can Do to Stop It' https://b-ok.cc/book/3383661/e3e6b4
on “Sugar not so nice for your child’s brain development” ↗complimentary link to the book that's got a not so PC title also irate members of the Oxford comma brigade, still worth a read. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure,_White_and_Deadly
on “Britain's postwar sugar craze confirms harms of sweet diets in early life” ↗I blame this book's incendiary title, was a fun read for sure https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure,_White_and_Deadly
on “Sugar industry influenced researchers and blamed fat for CVD” ↗…teeth very late in age. my brushing pattern wasn't sufficient. moreover, i was addicted to oatmeal power drink and didn't brush after. those sugary flakes seem to linger on my back jaws. yudkin book, "pure, white and deadly" discusses this. children who drink sugary vs eating candies. same sugar; however, those eating candies get more cavities simply because candies stick between teeth ... think twinkies on interesting…
on “Israel Proves the Desalination Era Is Here” ↗Yudkin mentioned about dental hygiene in his book Pure, White and Deadly: The Problem of Sugar (1972) it's the form of sugar that matters. the sticky (think twinkie) sugar does more damage because it sticks to cavities, fueling bacteria producing acid. the stickiest, the…
on “People who eat 10 portions of fruit and vegetables a day” ↗…that gave us Martin Shkreli, Aids tainted medicine knowing sold in 3rd world countries, and $600 epipens. The suppression of science that is going to upset the apple cart is a thing. See John Yudkin and pure white and deadly, see suppression of tobacco research, see Barry Marshall and the fact that even after getting a Nobel prize some Dr doubt his results. There are plenty of people out there that are mindlessly "pro vaxx"…
on “Breakthrough in Synthetic Vaccine Technology Requires No Refrigeration” ↗…Geoffrey Hinton: was considered a quack and an outsider for YEARS because of his ideas on AI... the breakthrough he spawned was done on a shoestring of a budget (read: home pc). Edit: I forgot John Yudkin: Pure White and Deadly, talking about how bad sugar is for you in 1972... Rejected by the mainstream academics, and in a brutal way, happens a LOT more than we think.
on “False claims in a widely-cited paper. No corrections. No consequences” ↗