UCTV Prime series focuses on obesity

2012-04-12 · By Editor

Is sugar a toxin that’s fueling the global obesity
epidemic? That’s the argument UCSF’s Dr. Robert Lustig makes in “Sugar: The
Bitter Truth,” a video that appeared on University of California Television’s
(UCTV) YouTube channel in 2009 and has since gone viral with over 2.2 million
views, sparking a national dialogue and warranting coverage in The New York Times and most recently on “60
Minutes.”

On UCTV Prime’s new series, “The Skinny on Obesity,” Dr. Lustig and two
of his UCSF colleagues tease out the science behind this alarming claim and the
dire threat it poses to global public health. The seven-part documentary series
premieres April 13 on UCTV Prime, a YouTube original
channel, with new episodes every Friday. Video and bonus content are available
at www.uctv.tv/skinny-on-obesity

Throughout the series, Dr. Lustig, a
pediatric endocrinologist at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, and his
colleagues Elissa Epel and Barbara Laraia, co-directors of the UCSF Center for
Obesity Assessment, Study and Treatment (COAST), unpack the scientific and
sociological factors that have contributed to the startling rise in obesity rates
over the last 30 years. Featuring interviews, charts and graphic
visualizations, the 6 to 10-minute episodes provide a comprehensive perspective
on an issue that affects everyone, of any weight.

‘The
Skinny on Obesity,’ an original YouTube series from UCTV Prime

April 13 An Epidemic for Every Body

How did we get so fat, so fast? The debut episode debunks the theory that obesity
only affects the “gluttons and sloths” among us and is, in fact, a public
health problem that impacts everyone.

April 20 Sickeningly Sweet

Dr. Lustig illustrates the overabundance of sugar in today’s processed
convenience foods and explains how our bodies metabolize these sugars in the
same way as alcohol or other toxins, causing damage to the liver and other
organs.

April 27 Hunger and
Hormones: A Vicious Cycle

Sugar impacts the brain just as much as the waistline. In this episode, Dr.
Lustig explains the biochemical shifts that sugar causes, making us store fat
and feel hungry at the same time.

May 4 Sugar: A Sweet
Addiction

Sugar isn’t just sweet, it’s addictive. This episode explores the cycle of
addiction that sugar causes in the brain, much in the same way as drugs and
alcohol.

May 11 Generation XL

An unnerving trend of obese infants is just one indication that obesity can be
passed on from mother to fetus. This installment looks towards the next
generation, with an emphasis on preventive care and pre-natal health.

May 18 A Fast-Paced, Fast Food Life

The pace of modern life is a key contributor to today’s obesity epidemic.
Elissa Epel and Barbara Laraia explain the connection and offer practical and
effective solutions that don’t involve dieting and exercise.

May 25 Drugs,
Cigarettes, Alcohol…and Sugar?

Our experts offer a frank indictment of the country’s agricultural policy and
food industry, which have made it nearly impossible to avoid sugar in our daily
diet, and suggestions for possible remedies.

UCTV
Prime launched
March 1 as the first university-run channel to be included among YouTube’s new
production partnerships with recognizable brands like The Wall Street Journal,
Madonna and TED. With documentary
mini-series, interviews, commentaries and video shorts each week, UCTV Prime
brings to light the innovations, trends, issues and personalities that shape
our world, drawing on the tremendous knowledge resources of the University of
California’s ten campuses, five medical schools, three national labs and other
affiliated institutions.

Based on the UC San Diego campus, UCTV presents
educational and enrichment programming from the campuses, national
laboratories, and affiliated institutions of the University of California. UCTV
delivers science, health and medicine, public affairs, humanities and the arts
to a general audience, as well as specialized programming for health care
professionals, teachers and researchers. UCTV is available worldwide via live
stream, video archives and podcasting at www.uctv.tv,
on YouTube at www.youtube.com/uctv
and www.youtube.com/uctvprime,
on iTunesU in the Beyond Campus section, and on cable in select cities
throughout California. For a complete list of UCTV’s outlets, visit www.uctv.tv/wheretowatch.