Critical Reviews of Gary Taubes’ “The Case Against Sugar”

Gary Taubes, an American investigative journalist, released his latest book “The Case Against Sugar” on December 27, 2016. In it, Taubes uses storytelling techniques to present his case that sugar is the principal cause of chronic diseases.

Here are two reviews written in the US that examine the scientific basis of the book’s content:

Stephan Guyenet: ‘Bad sugar or bad journalism? An expert review of “The Case Against Sugar”’

• “The Case Against Sugar is a journey through sugar history and science that argues the point that sugar is the principal cause of obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and many other common noncommunicable diseases. This differs from the prevailing view in the research and public health communities that obesity and noncommunicable disease are multi-factorial, with refined sugar playing a role among other things like excess calorie intake, physical inactivity, cigarette smoking, alcohol and illegal drug use, and various other diet and lifestyle factors.”
• “Scientifically, The Case Against Sugar suffers from a condition...called the “Igon Value Problem”. This term describes the tendency of certain science journalists to arrive at obtuse conclusions due to a superficial understanding of their subject matter.”

Matt Raymond, International Food Information Council Foundation: ‘"The Case Against Sugar" Is a Weak One’

• “Taubes is a respected journalist and an expert in physics, but he’s not a registered dietitian, nutritionist or health professional. Nevertheless, he is one of the most prominent crusaders against sugar. That’s in spite of—or maybe because of—you guessed it: bad science, alarmism, and quick fixes.”
• “If there is one thing experience has taught us, it’s that demonizing or fixating on avoiding a single nutrient, ingredient or source of calories, isn’t as helpful as some would have you believe.”