Nearly 30 percent of the global population is overweight or obese, and more than one billion people, worldwide, are expected to fall into the obese category by 2030.

Concomitant to rising obesity rates among all age groups, there's also been a rapid rise in chronic health problems such as type 2 diabetes, liver disease, heart disease, and cancer.

In one recent study,¹ which analyzed data from more than five million people, every 11-pound increase in body weight was associated with an in increased risk for 10 types of cancer, including leukemia, uterine, gallbladder, kidney, cervix, and thyroid cancer.

According to a study published in 2013, nearly one in five US deaths is now associated with obesity. That's nearly three times higher than previous estimates. Obesity is basically a marker for chronic disease.  The underlying problem, linking obesity with all of these health issues, is metabolic dysfunction.

The obvious question then becomes: What is causing this rampant metabolic dysfunction in the first place? Compelling evidence shows that processed fructose is a primary driver for both obesity and type 2 diabetes.

The average American consumes one-third of a pound of sugar per day, half of which is processed fructose, which is the most damaging of all. The majority of all this sugar is hidden in processed foods and beverages, so to address obesity and/or diabetes, ridding your diet of processed fare is key for success.

Fructose Is #1 Driver of Obesity and Diabetes, Analysis Confirms

Dr. Robert Lustig, Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, has been a pioneer in decoding sugar metabolism. He was one of the first to bring attention to the fact that processed fructose is far worse, from a metabolic standpoint, than other sugars, including refined sugar.

Fructose is actually broken down very much like alcohol, damaging your liver and causing mitochondrial and metabolic dysfunction in the same way as ethanol and other toxins. It also causes more severe metabolic dysfunction because it's more readily metabolized into fat than any other sugar.

Other researchers are now backing up these claims. Most recently, a meta-review published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings² confirms that all calories are not equal, which is precisely what Dr. Lustig has been telling us.

The dogmatic belief that "a calorie is a calorie" has significantly contributed to the ever-worsening health of the Western world. It's one of the first things dieticians learn in school, and it's completely false. In reality, the source of the calories makes all the difference in the world when it comes to health.