“Perhaps the obese get that way not because they eat too much or exercise too little, but because they have elevated levels of insulin or their fat tissue is excessively sensitive to the insulin they secrete. Perhaps the relationship between obesity and Type 2 diabetes is not one of cause and effect, as doctors have said for years.” Let that sink in for a second. In his latest book, Gary Taubes is essentially arguing that we’ve been looking at the obesity epidemic all wrong. And maybe consuming more calories than we burn is not the key problem. Maybe something else is to blame. Here’s a taste of Taubes’ take on a potent toxin that alters hormones and metabolism and sets the stage for epidemic levels of obesity and diabetes: The Case Against Sugar. (You might want to hold off and read this one after the holiday weekend…)

+ And for further reading, here’s The Atlantic’s Daniel Engber on The Sugar Wars. “I mean if it was a criminal case, you would have enough to indict but not to convict because all the research has holes in it.” I’m no scientist, but I can predict one thing. The impact of sugar on our health will be one of the top stories of 2017.