Australian paradox

The Australian paradox is an observation of diverging trends in sugar consumption and obesity rates in Australia. The term was first used in a 2011 study published in Nutrients by Professor Jennie Brand-Miller, in which she and co-author Dr. Alan Barclay reported that, in Australia, "a substantial decline in refined sugars intake occurred over the same timeframe that obesity has increased."^[1]

The "paradox" in its name refers to the fact that sugar consumption is often considered (for example by Robert Lustig) to be a significant contributor to rising obesity rates,^[2] and because ecological studies in the United States have found a positive relationship over certain time periods between sugar consumption and obesity prevalence,^[1] although added sugar consumption is also now declining in the United States.