Recently, whilst holidaying in Daylesford, I came across a copy of David Gillespie’s book - Sweet Poison. It was lying on the library’s coffee table. Its subtitle: “Why sugar makes us fat” promised to answer a question I was particularly interested in. I picked up the book and began reading, after completing the first chapter I was unable to rest Sweet Poison down. I have now read it a couple of times, an undertaking I would strongly recommend to primary practitioners, medical students, and anyone interested in the pathophysiology and history of obesity. This is a great book and has no claim to have been written by either a dietician or medical specialist. David Gillespie is a lawyer whose specialty skill set is in researching evidence. Perhaps the absence of a medical science background has led him to delve more deeply into the subject of obesity and metabolic syndrome. David questioned the influence of fat and sugar consumption on this growing pandemic, without medical bias and free from preformed assumptions, that may otherwise have distracted enquiry. I found his analysis of the compelling causal association between increased sugar consumption with the corollary of type 2 diabetes and heart disease to be highly insightful—particularly the fructose component of table sugar, and the catastrophic emergence of obesity and the metabolic syndrome. Sweet poison was first published in 2008 and is probably more relevant now than when David first wrote it. The book contains a great deal of well-researched information and would be a good recommendation to patients eager to learn how a relatively simple dietary choice may turn around emerging health issues. David has a significant opus of other books including on diet, seed oils, and managing relationships. In this podcast, however, we invite him to discuss his book Sweet Poison and its core subject in more detail.  Please welcome David Gillespie to Everyday medicine. References: Sweet Poison; David Gillespie, Penguin Books 2008 www.sweetpoison.com.au Metabolism and health Impacts of Dietary Sugars: Alam et al, Journal of Lipid and Atherosclerosis 2022 jan,11(1)20-38 Biochemistry, Fructose Metabolism StatPearls, Dholariya 2021 The Case Against Sugar; Gary Taubes, Portobello Books 2016 To be a guest on the show or provide some feedback, I’d love to hear from you: [email protected]. Dr Luke Crantock MBBS, FRACP, is a gastroenterologist in practice for over 25 years. He is the founder of The Centre for GI Health, based in Melbourne, Australia, and is passionate about educating General Practitioners and patients on disease prevention and how to manage and improve their digestive health.