A recent 60 Minutes segment with Sanjay Gupta will hopefully open the eyes of many people who might not otherwise be exposed to such important information on the toxic effects of sugar. They emphasized that sugar—in the way people consume it today—is a toxin and could be a driving force behind such diseases and heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even cancer.

I have been talking about the consequences of sugar for a long time now, including the link between sugar and cancer (in my last book The Road to Perfect Health), and of course the link to diabetes and heart disease. I have also been recommending the removal of sugar, including refined carbohydrates, in the diets of people with gut imbalances because sugar only serves to worsen or maintain this imbalance.

My stance on sugar has continued as I’ve watched not only my own health, but the health of family members, friends, and many people with which I’ve worked over the years, improve after removing sugar from the diet. In fact, my next book and PBS show tie it all together by recommending a healthy eating plan that limits sugar (including the sugar that comes from certain carbohydrates like bread and pasta) and increases fat—you heard me, the healthy fats including omega-3s. In addition, I talk about the importance of a balanced gut, which can be the underlying source of silent inflammation, the main component of most, if not all, chronic disease. The 60 Minutes segment talks about some of the same topics I cover in my book. It was refreshing to see mainstream media finally coming around.

As the Diva of Digestion, I have always recognized the importance of a healthy diet as a main contributor to digestive health, and to total-body health. One of the best ways to improve your diet is to remove sugar. As the 60 Minutes segment illustrates, sugar has the same addictive qualities as cocaine. In fact, they mentioned that people build a tolerance to sugar, always wanting more and more. The result has only been more and more heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Please, pass this on. Everyone needs to know the harms of sugar.