Can I just ask a clarifying question, is the United Kingdom the same thing as England?

Is that the same thing as Britain, or are we talking about three different things?

I believe the United Kingdom encompasses Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England,

but I will fact check myself on that.

That's my producer, Julie Canfer, and she was right about the United Kingdom, by the way.

You might be wondering why we're talking about this at all, and the answer has to do with

the clever natural experiment.

We know Americans consume a lot of added sugar, on average around 57 pounds every year.

What it's doing to our bodies is a little less clear, but a new paper gets us closer

to solving the mystery.

It was published in December 2022 by the National Bureau of Economic Research, and is

appropriately titled The Sweet Life.

The co-authors explore a relationship that's difficult to measure, but one that's vitally

important given how much sugar we all consume.

I'm Bob Ujena, and this is Frekenomics MD.

Today on the show, what are the long-term health effects of eating sugar?

And back to the United Kingdom.

How can a food rationing program that took place there more than 70 years ago help us figure

it out?

So Julie, before we jump into our conversation, let me give you some quick background.

Here's how the UK Food Rationing program worked during World War II.

People were issued coupons that entitled them to buy specific quantities of restricted

...