Edouard Pélissier is a surgeon and oncologist and a member of the French National Academy of Surgery, the New York Academy of Sciences, the American College of Surgeons and of many other scientific societies. He has contributed more than one hundred articles to French and international medical publications. In addition, he is the author of La Brioche tue plus que le cholestérol.

Sugar tastes good — and it can have such a soothing effect! So it’s hard to believe that we should stop consuming it, or even reduce our consumption.
Is it really necessary to deprive ourselves of a pleasure that seems so banal (particularly when compared to smoking and drinking) and which is probably one of the last ones left when all other pleasures have gradually fallen by the wayside? Is sugar really so harmful? Should we listen to the health ayatollahs that want to deprive us of every pleasure?
For the author, what matters is knowing how much sugar we can safely consume and how much is harmful.
Basing his arguments on the latest, most trustworthy medical publications, he reviews and summarises what is now known about sugar and artificial sweeteners: aspartame, sucralose, etc. He tells us which products contain the largest quantities of these sweeteners and answers such questions as: What are the dangers? Do artificial sweeteners assist in weight control? Can aspartame be linked to cancer? What do we know about agave nectar and stevia?

• Sugar: pleasure or health risk?
• Well-argued answers based on the latest scientific studies.
• Practical tips to help you decipher and understand food labelling.