KPBS Midday Edition

Science Writer Gary Taubes Makes 'The Case Against Sugar'

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Brooke Ruth / Senior Producer of Audio News

Published December 13, 2017 at 8:27 AM PST

This story was published more than 6 years ago.

Science Writer Gary Taubes Makes 'The Case Against Sugar'

San Diego Public Library Highlights Banned Books By Reading Censored Books Aloud GUEST:Gary Taubes, author, "The Case Against Sugar"

Nearly 10 percent of Americans are diabetic.

"The question is: what's causing this disease and that's the question I'm trying to answer in 'The Case Against Sugar,'" science writer Gary Taubes said.

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Taubes said sugar is the cause of an increase in the number of people who suffer from obesity and diabetes.

"If you're obese, or overweight, or diabetic or prediabetic, you are at an increased risk of having heart disease, having cerebral vascular disease, stroke, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, even an increased risk of cancer," Taubes said.

Taubes joins Midday Edition on Wednesday to talk about how Americans began consuming so much sugar.

KPBS Midday Edition

Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Brooke Ruth

Brooke Ruth is the senior producer of Audio News. She previously served as a producer for "KPBS Midday Edition" and a web producer. Before joining KPBS, Brooke was a web editor for four newspapers and a local television station. She began her career in news at the Imperial Valley Press. She has also been part of the web teams at the Napa Valley Register, North County Times, and U-T San Diego. While pursuing her undergraduate degree at UCLA in psychology, she worked on the student newspaper, the Daily Bruin.

See stories by Brooke Ruth