-“Fructose is a poison,” he said repeatedly. “You gotta’ stop eating fruit.”

-“I don’t understand what you mean,” I replied. “In what way is fructose a poison?”

-“Well, it causes disease and … it’s a poison!”

It quickly became clear that he could not articulate what he meant by “poison” or, indeed, how fructose supposedly caused disease. Like many others, my colleague had been deceived by powerful fear-based marketing rhetoric designed to demonize carbohydrates, even naturally occurring fruit sugars, in favor of a high-fat diet. Competing with such an emotive and ideological proposition is complex and fraught with difficulty.

• The Skeptic's Guide to Sports Science book: https://www.nbtiller.com
• Skeptical Inquirer magazine: https://www.skepticalinquirer.org
• Original article & references: https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/using-fear-to-sell-fitness-the-health-trends-that-are-preying-on-our-insecurities/

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