Tag: obesity

High Fructose Consumption Linked to High Blood Pressure

The evidence keeps pouring in pointing to the dangers of fructose, which are found in soft drinks and most processed foods, from breads to cookies to crackers.
The latest study, which finds that people who consume the amount of fructose found in two-and-a-half soft drinks a day appear to have a higher risk of hypertension, appears in the current issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology
People who took in at least 74 grams (about 18.5 tsp.) per day had 26% to 77% greater odds of crossing various thresholds of elevated blood pressure (P<0.05 for all), compared with lower levels of consumption, according to Diana Jalal, MD, of the University of Colorado Denver, and colleagues. "Limiting fructose intake is readily feasible, and, in light of our results, prospective studies are needed to assess whether decreased intake of fructose from added sugars will reduce the incidence of hypertension and the burden of cardiovascular disease in the U.S. adult population," they wrote online in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. One of the best ways to reduce your consumption of high fructose corn syrup is to just eliminate soft drinks. There is no human requirement for soda! To get a flavor for how soft drinks can pack on the pounds -- one that will make your stomach turn -- watch this "Pouring on the Pounds" ad from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Obesity & Sex: New Study Finds Surprising Results

People who are obese are less likely to have been sexually active in the past year, but even though they had fewer intimate encounters, single obese women reported unplanned pregnancies four times more than thinner, unmarried women, according to a new study in the British Medical Journal.
In addition, obese people were more likely than people of average weight to have sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies, the researchers from France found upon surveying more than 12,000 men and women between age 18 and 69.
While weight didn’t appear to affect women’s ability to climax, erectile dysfunction was two and a half times as common in obese men as in men with healthy BMIs.
As iVillage so aptly points out, this research underscores “how important it is to always put your health first.”
From my perspective as a former sugar addict and author of the book Sugar Shock!, it seems that people who are obese or overweight often feel are more interested in sweets, refined carbs and other junk foods than in getting in the sack with a partner.
But from time to time, though, they realize that those nutrient-deprived foods they’re so reliant on don’t give them what they really want — which is to become emotionally and physically intimate with a significant other.
For those of you who are struggling with weight, I invite you to ask yourself: Do you want to seek “comfort” in food or in the arms of loved ones?
FYI, I realize that it can be tough to break free of your addiction to sugar and refined carbs, which is why I’m dedicated to helping people do just that.

ABC’s to Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction & Other Bad Habits

If you’re like most people, you’re often tempted by good-looking, mouth-watering, nutrient-poor “treats” such as dazzling donuts, colorful cereals or sugary soda.
As if that wasn’t enough, many of you succumb to other enticements. For instance, you may skimp on sleep; excessively drink coffee, alcohol or soda; think negatively; smoke cigarettes; procrastinate; and obsessively text or send emails.
As I mentioned on my companion YouTube video, it’s certainly understandable if you feel the urge to overindulge or engage in counter-productive pursuits. Wherever you go and wherever you live, you’re relentlessly bombarded and seduced by unhealthy foods, substances and activities.
But I invite you to look inside and decide: Do you feel trapped by your sugar habit, late bedtimes or another bad habit (what I call a babit™)? And are you plagued by baffling health issues such as annoying weight gain, ferocious headaches or even type two diabetes? (As you’ll soon learn, there’s a connection between your bad habits and those health issues.)
You may feel weak and low on self control when it comes to your horrible habits. But I’m here to reassure you. You can escape from the prison of a bad habit. In fact, I respectfully challenge you now: Get out from under your bad habits (babits™) so that you can have a life that rocks!
Of course, you may wonder “What’s In It For You” (WIFY) if you overcome your sugar addiction and other bad habits. As millions can attest, you will benefit in many ways.
For instance, when you give up unhealthy tendencies such as overdoing it on sugar, not getting enough sleep or consuming too much coffee, you can expect to get more energy, concentrate better, lose weight, become more productive and have better relationships.
What’s more, as many of my clients have delightedly shared with me, if you just cut out sugar and refined carbs, you even may be able to boost your libido. Likewise, once you get enough zzz’s, you may have more energy and interest in bedroom action with your honey.
Now, let me share my ABC’s to Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction, Sleep Skimping and Other Bad Habits (Babits™). See my companion YouTube video in which I share some of these tips.
Here’s the complete rundown:
A is for Assume & Accept.
Just assume and accept that just about wherever you go, you’ll be tempted, no matter what your bad habit.
For instance, your favorite aunt will nudge you to eat her favorite chocolate cake. You have to pass that vending machine at work. Inevitably, you’ll be taunted by candies galore while purchasing sundries at the local drug store.
In addition, your computer, television set or video games may “call out” to you late at night so you end up sitting in front of them instead of getting at least seven hours of sleep.
But if you assume that you’ll inevitably be teased by unhealthy “treats,” you can prepare by always having healthy, delicious snacks on hand to munch instead — such as edamame (soy nuts), pumpkin seeds, hard-boiled eggs and sugar-free crackers or an apple (preferably organic) with sugar-free almond butter.
And if you assume that late every night, you’ll be tempted to catch up on emails, watch your favorite TV shows via DVR or try to beat your previous record on your favorite video games, you can start to turn off your appliances earlier every night (say 6, 7 or 8 pm) so that you’ll get into bed at a reasonable time.

Sugar & Its Dangers Hit the News, Thanks to Dr. Robert Lustig’s YouTube Video & Nightline

Sugar and its dangers are in the news again, thanks to ABC’s popular show, Nightline, which, last night, aired a compelling story spotlighting sugar’s role in the obesity crisis.
In his “Sugar Wars” piece, correspondent John Donovan offers a fascinating look at the views of esteemed pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Robert Lustig, whose YouTube video, “Sugar: The Bitter Truth,” has garnered more than a quarter of a million hits to date.
In this Nightline segment — which you can watch below — Donovan calls Dr. Lustig “a man at war with sugar,” because he argues that too much fructose and not enough fiber are to blame for our obesity crisis.
“Fructose is the cause of the current epidemic,” says Dr. Lustig, director of UCSF’s Weight Assessment for Teen and Child Health (WATCH) Clinic and UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology.
Nightline correspondent Donovan also includes quotes from the the pediatric endocrinologist about leptin’s role in obesity; fructose’s role in metabolic syndrome; and the fact that low-fat foods such as SnackWells cookies and fruit-flavored yogurt are filled with sugar.
In the Nightline piece, Donovan made an effort to make his piece unbiased by allowing Dr. Lustig’s ideas to be criticized by three pro-sugar advocates — one from the American Beverage Association (formerly called the National Soft Drink Association) and two from the Corn Refiners Association, including a cardiologist, who has done studies funded by PepsiCo, the manufacturer of sugar-filled soft drinks.
Understandably, correspondent John Donovan seems to be like millions of Americans, who have a sweet tooth. In fact, the reporter readily admits that strolling with Dr. Lustig at San Francisco’s Pier 30 (a hot spot filled with sugary foods) can be “at times, well, a bit of of a downer. Because we love sugar, don’t we, most of us?”
Donovan is absolutely correct in his assessment. Most Americans — and people around the world — are so keen on sugar that they imbibe it to their detriment. Unfortunately, the Nightline reporter did not mention that obesity is only part of the sugar story.
The average American’s sugar consumption — about 170 pounds per year per person — also has been linked with heart disease, cancer, severe PMS, memory loss, depression, fatigue, headaches, infertility, low libido, polycystic ovary syndrome and many other ailments.
In addition, regretfully, the Nightline piece did not point out that Dr. Lustig is in very good company. His views are shared by many of us concerned health advocates. For instance, esteemed pediatric endocrinologist Dr. David Ludwig — who was previously interviewed along with me for a “CBS News Sunday Morning” segment, “Is America Too Sweet on Sugar” — is among those frightened by the massive consumption of sugar, particularly high fructose corn syrup, in this country and around the world.
Others sounding the sugar alarm include:
* Dr. Walter Willett of Harvard;
* Dr. Nancy Appleton, author of Suicide by Sugar: A Startling Look at Our #1 National Addiction;
* Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, who appears on my Gab with the Gurus Radio Show on March 31 to discuss his new book, Beat Sugar Addiction Now! ;
* Dr. Richard Johnson, author of The Sugar Fix: The High-Fructose Fallout That is Making You Fat and Sick.); and
* Myself, author of SUGAR SHOCK! How Sweet and Simple Carbs Can Derail Your Life–And How You Can Get Back on Track.
Now, I invite you to watch the eye-opening Nightline segment below.

Heart-Unhealthy Fare! Huh?

Every so often, you hear unhealthy horror stories that make you go, "You've absolutely got to be kidding!" Why would any restaurants […]

Wolfing Down Your Food Can Trigger Weight Gain

Are you someone who’s a fast eater? Well, it’s time to slow down, savor your food and take lots of bites. That’s advice you can glean from this intriguing new study from the Journal of Clinical Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Essentially, eating quickly may trigger weight gain, because it curtails the release of hormones (you need) that help regulate your appetite, which could cause you to overeat, according to the researchers, headed up by Alexander Kokkinos, MD, PhD, of Laiko General Hospital in Athens, Greece.
As MedPage reveals, patients who ate a meal in 30 minutes had higher levels of two peptides that signal satiety — peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) — than those who wolfed down their food in five minutes.
In nother words, this study suggests that there’s truth to the “old wives’ tale” that eating quickly leads to weight gain.
“Our findings give some insight into an aspect of modern-day food overconsumption, namely the fact that many people, pressed by demanding working and living conditions, eat faster and in greater amounts than in the past,” Kokkinos says in the news release.
“The warning we were given as children that ‘wolfing down your food will make you fat’ may in fact have a physiological explanation.”

Doctors Group Gets Intimate With Coke

Have you heard yet that the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) — which is dedicated to helping everyone attain "optimal health" […]