Scientific team sounds the alarm on sugar as a source of disease

This article is from Barbara Sadick, of the Chicago Tribune, posted on MedicalXpress.com and is pretty convincing about how bad sugar is for us. If you don't believe that then why does PET Scans use a sugary mix ingested by the patient to detect cancers? Because the sugar feed cancers and the scan shows where the sugar goes...well that's my explanation of it anyway. And it is likely that sugar also enhances the onset of cardiovascular disease, diabetes (which is a no brainer), and even liver disease. As always let the consumer beware. If eating all that sugar is working for you, well then you probably ought to continue.

Is sugar making us sick? A team of scientists at the University of California in San Francisco believes so, and they're doing something about it. They launched an initiative to bring information on food and drink and added sugar to the public by reviewing more than 8,000 scientific papers that show a strong link between the consumption of added sugar and chronic diseases.

The common belief until now was that sugar just makes us fat, but it's become clear through research that it's making us sick. For example, there's the rise in fatty-liver disease, the emergence of Type 2 diabetes as an epidemic in children and the dramatic increase in metabolic disorders.

Laura Schmidt, a UCSF professor at the School of Medicine and the lead investigator on the project, SugarScience, said the idea is to make the findings comprehensible and clear to everyone. The results will be available to all on a website (SugarScience.org) and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Added sugars, Schmidt said, are sugars that don't occur naturally in foods. They are found in 74 percent of all packaged foods, have 61 names and often are difficult to decipher on food labels. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires food companies to list ingredients on packaging, the suggested daily values of natural and added sugars can't be found.

The FDA is considering a proposal to require food manufacturers to list information on sugars in the same way they do for fats, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates and protein. But because so much added sugar is dumped into so many products, one average American breakfast of cereal would likely exceed a reasonable daily limit.

"SugarScience shows that a calorie is not a calorie but rather that the source of a calorie determines how it's metabolized," said pediatric endocrinologist Robert Lustig, a member of the SugarScience team and the author of "Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease." Lustig said that more than half of the U.S. population is sick with metabolic syndrome, a group of risk factors for chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes and liver disease that are directly related to the excessive consumption of added sugars in the Western diet.

Figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the category of heart attack/stroke as the leading cause of death in the United States. Every day, 2,200 Americans die of cardiovascular disease. That's about 800,000 a year, or one in three deaths.

The latest statistics from the American Diabetes Association show that 29.1 million Americans, or 9.3 percent, have diabetes. Of that number, 21 million have been diagnosed and 8.1 million have not, and the numbers continue to grow, according to the association.

It doesn't stop there. The American Liver Foundation says at least 30 million Americans, or 1 in 10, has one of 100 kinds of liver disease.

Clinicians widely believe that obesity is the cause of metabolic disease. Although it is a marker for these diseases, Lustig said, it's not the cause. "Too much sugar causes chronic metabolic disease in both fat and thin people," he said, "and instead of focusing on obesity as the problem, we should be focusing on our processed-food supply."

The average American consumes 19.5 teaspoons (78 grams) of sugar a day, substantially more than the amount recommended by the American Heart Association. The association sets these limits: 6 teaspoons (24 grams) for women, 9 teaspoons (36 grams) for men, and 3-6 teaspoons (12-24 grams) for children, depending on age. Just one 12-ounce soda contains 8 to 9 teaspoons (32-36 grams) of sugar.

Liquid sugar in sodas, energy drinks and sports drinks is the leading source of added sugar in the American diet. That represents 36 percent of all added sugars consumed, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. And because liquid does not include fiber, the body processes it quickly. That causes more sugar to be sent to the pancreas and liver than either can process properly, and the resulting buildup of sugar leads to heart disease, diabetes and liver disease.

Consuming too much sugar causes the level of glucose sugar in the bloodstream to increase. That, in turn, causes the pancreas to release high levels of insulin that cause the body to store extra calories as fat.

Too much insulin also affects the hormone leptin, a natural appetite suppressant that signals the brain to stop eating when full. But the imbalance of insulin levels caused by the intake of too much sugar causes lipid resistance, and the brain no longer gets that signal.

Another member of the SugarScience team, Dean Schillinger, is a professor of medicine at UCSF and a practicing primary care doctor at San Francisco General Hospital. He believes the overconsumption of added sugars is a social problem, not a problem of individual choice and freedom.

"People are becoming literate about the toxic effects of sugar," Schillinger said, "and have more understanding of the idea that high doses are bad for one's health." He sees evidence that those in a higher socioeconomic bracket are taking steps to limit intake of sugar when compared with poorer, less literate people.

Healthy food is expensive and less readily accessible in poorer neighborhoods, and because corn is so abundant and cheap, it is added to many food products. "Dumping high fructose corn syrup into cheap foods, sodas, sports drinks and energy drinks is toxic to the body, causing epidemic metabolic diseases and a serious health crisis," Schillinger said.

To underscore the scope of the problem, he pointed out that during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, 1,500 American soldiers lost a limb in combat. In that same period, 1.5 million people in the U.S. lost limbs to amputations from Type 2 diabetes, a preventable disease. "We have yet to mobilize for a public health war," he said, "but the time has come to do so."

Such a war would have to take on the root causes of the problem. As a nation, Schillinger added, we would need to look at our food policies, food pricing, availability of healthy foods, and the marketing being carried out by food and beverage industries to hook the public on unhealthy choices loaded with added sugar.

Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, is not a SugarScience researcher, but he agreed that the amount of sugar consumed by the American public is too high. SugarScience, he said, is being helpful by bringing the information about added sugar to public attention.

"It's just about impossible," Hu said, "to know from food labels what kinds and amounts of sugars are in a product." That's why he thinks the FDA should require food companies to list those amounts on all food labels so people know what they're eating, in what amounts they're eating it, and what amounts are safe.

Food labels are important, Schillinger said, and they need to be revised, but the most important change needed is to make the healthier choice the easier choice.

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Eating to Lower Your Cholesterol

While it is old news that certain foods help us control high cholesterol, I am posting this article for the shock value as it states that 33.5 percent of the American population suffers from high LDL cholesterol,.....enroute to heart attacks and diabetes, whichever comes first.

This article from Natural News is short, sweet and accurate.

Four foods proven to lower cholesterol and protect the heart

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 71 million Americans, or 33.5 percent of the total population, suffer from high LDL cholesterol. Only one in three of these individuals has their condition under control, while less than half of them choose to treat it at all. Moreover, the average total cholesterol for adult Americans is around 200 mg/dL, which is borderline high risk. We are, in short, at greater risk of heart disease than ever before. Though doctors love to throw statins and other drugs at people with high cholesterol, an improvement in diet is a far safer and more effective long-term solution to the problem. Most whole foods are likely to reduce LDL and total cholesterol to some degree, but the foods listed below are especially effective in this regard.

Oatmeal

Few foods can beat oatmeal at reducing cholesterol. This traditional breakfast food is packed with soluble fiber which, according to an extensive 19-year study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, can lower cholesterol and the risk of coronary heart disease. Moreover, oatmeal is rich in a specific kind of soluble fiber called beta-glucan that is particularly good at blocking our bodies' ability to absorb cholesterol.

Organic, unsweetened oatmeal is easy to purchase online or in health food stores and is best consumed in the morning with milk. Adding some fruit to the oats, such as bananas or strawberries, will boost its fiber content further.

Avocados

Avocados are one of the best fruits to consume for treating high cholesterol. Firstly, they're packed with oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat which, as a study in the Journal of Lipid Research proved, can inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol and lipids in human cells. Secondly, they're also rich in a plant chemical called beta-sitosterol, which suppresses cholesterol absorption in the intestine.

Though avocados are usually eaten on their own, they're known to increase the absorption of disease-fighting antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables. Therefore, adding them to salads and other meals is a great way to boost nutrient intake.

Fish

Fish has always been regarded as good for the heart, and we now understand why: Its high levels of omega-3 fatty acids are proven to lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of blood clots and decrease total and LDL cholesterol. Fish is so beneficial for the cardiovascular system, in fact, that the American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings of it per week.

The fish richest in omega-3 acids (including EPA and DHA) are salmon, mackerel, tuna, trout, sardines and herring. For obvious reasons, it's best to avoid fish from the Pacific Ocean these days.

Walnuts

Though they are best-known for improving brain function, walnuts also excel at lowering cholesterol. A review published in The Journal of Nutrition in April 2014, for instance, showed that these hard-shelled nuts could "decrease low density lipoprotein cholesterol (by ~9-16%) and blood pressure (diastolic blood pressure by ~2-3 mm Hg), 2 major risk factors for [cardiovascular disease]."

The cholesterol-lowering properties of walnuts are mostly attributed to their high concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as alpha-linolenic acid, which can lower cholesterol and triglycerides in the bloodstream.

Other nuts rich in beneficial, cholesterol-lowering fats include almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, pine nuts and pecans. Like all fruits, nuts are best eaten raw for maximum benefits.

MyAchingKnees comment: I have no doubt that lowering your cholesterol can be done by changing how you eat and/or by ensuring your get your daily nutrients through supplementation.  Nine years ago, when I was much more physically active, my cholesterol level was 210.   Today it is routinely 150 to 160.  I would think that before people consent to taking prescription drugs to lower their cholesterol, and take a chance on incurring all those side effects, that these people would try a less invasive way to more naturally lower their cholesterol.       

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Too Much Salt Can Kill You

I was brought up to know that using too much salt is bad for you but often found myself using quite a bit of it. I think I'm going re-think my habitable after reading this article titled "Salt Can Be Fatal, says Study", by Elise Solé, on the Shine Staff, posted on Healthy Living on Yahoo!

A pinch of salt can perk up your morning omelet—but that innocent shaker is responsible for 2.3 million deaths around the world and 85,000 deaths per year in the United States, says a study released Thursday from Harvard's School of Public Health.

One in ten people die from heart attack, stroke, or other type of cardiovascular disease as a result of eating too much sodium, according to lead study author Dariush Mozaffarian, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard University.

Despite the fact that the World Health Organization recommends limiting sodium to less than 2,000 milligrams a day and the American Heart Association recommends 1,500 mg per day, the global national average for the U.S. is 4,000 mg of sodium," Mozaffarian told Shine. For perspective: One teaspoon of salt has 2,325 mg of sodium.

Researchers analyzed 247 national surveys of sodium intake in 66 countries between 1990 and 2010, then looked at studies that measured how high amounts of sodium affect blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke. They also obtained the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease from the Global Burden of Disease study.

"Out of all the countries, the United States ranked 19th out of 30 of the largest countries for the most salt consumption relating to cardiovascular death," says Mozaffarian. "When people think of limiting salt, foods like potatoes chips and French fries come to mind but those mainly contain salt on the surface," he says. "Salt isn't just used for taste; it's also used as a preservative in packaged foods like bread and canned foods such as soup which Americans eat a lot of."

Salt is a hard habit to shake, for a few reasons: For starters, along with sweet, sour, bitter, and savory, salt is one of the five basic tastes. Just like some people have a sweet tooth, others crave salt often. Second, a salty tooth may be biologically-determined. Some studies suggest that babies whose mothers suffer from morning sickness have above-average salt appetites because vomiting decreases sodium levels in her body and in the fetus. And other research suggests that stress or anxiety can make us reach for the salt and eventually, just like anything else, adding salt to our meals becomes habitual.

Unsurprisingly, the Salt Institute's vice president of science and research Morton Satin says: "This misleading study did not measure any actual cardiovascular deaths related to salt intake, since, by the authors' own admission, no country anywhere in the world consumes the low levels of salt they recommend...The Salt Institute does not consider this misleading modeling exercise helpful in furthering our knowledge of the role of salt on our health. On the contrary, it is disingenuous and disrespectful of consumers."

If you do want to cut down on your sodium intake, try these tips:

Avoid balsamic vinegar: On salad choose red-wine vinegar instead of its more popular counterpart balsamic, Carly Feigan, a New York City based Clinical Nutritionist told Shine. "Red wine vinegar already contains salt so it will quell your cravings," she says. "Balsamic has a high sugar content and triggers sugar cravings which may have you reaching for more high-sodium packaged foods."

Spice up your meals: The capsaicin in hot sauce will give your eggs or pizza a fiery kick causing skin tingles, flushed skin, and the release of feel-good hormones (called endorphins) and could possibly extinguish the need for extra salt. Feigan's pick: Frank's hot sauces which have the lowest sodium per teaspoon.

Eat a clean diet: Whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and beans contain natural sodium which should satisfy your bodies' natural cravings so you won't reach for the shaker as often.



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Simple Tests for Health Issues

Good short article on the Yahoo Health Net regarding a couple Simple Tests that you can do which may lead to a conversation between you and your Doctor for further testing.

Have you ever wondered why your doctor asks you to do odd things like touch your nose during an office visit, then scribbles notes in your chart? It's because there are many physical tests that can tell whether your body is functioning as it should. While we tend to leave it to doctors and medical tests to figure out if something's wrong, we can actually use many of these checks ourselves to determine whether all systems are go.

Here, five odd medical tests you can do at home.

What it tests for: Cardiovascular, lung, or other diseases

How to do it: Hold up (or down) both index fingers and turn them so the nails are facing each other. Press the nails together and you should be able to see a tiny, narrow, diamond-shaped space between your nails where the nails come flat together but the nail beds don't touch each other.

What it means: If your nails are rounded over and can't press flat together, it's a sign of "clubbing," a thickening of the fingertips that occurs when not enough oxygen is circulating in the bloodstream. Clubbing can be a sign of cardiovascular disease, such as coronary artery disease or heart failure, or of lung disease, like COPD, lung infection, or lung cancer. In some cases, inflammatory bowel disease and cirrhosis of the liver also cause clubbing.

What to do if you fail: Look closely at your fingers for other signs of clubbing. Measure the thickness of your fingertips all the way around; if they're clubbing, you'll notice that they're noticeably thicker above the top knuckle than below it. Clubbing is important to bring to your doctor's attention to monitor your heart and lung health.


What it tests for: Degenerative diseases (or intoxication)

How to do it: Stand with your feet exactly together, arms by your sides. Now close your eyes and stay that way for a full minute.

How do you feel: perfectly balanced, or as if you're swaying or falling forward? It's best to do this test with someone watching you to detect swaying. A variation of this test is to do it standing heel to toe on a straight line.

What it means: This test measures proprioception or positioning, considered the "sixth sense" that tells us where our bodies are in space. Proprioception requires accurate sensory input from our joints and muscles and healthy functioning of the dorsal columns of the spinal cord, which allow us to perceive the position of our limbs both in relation to other parts of our bodies and to the environment. When you can't balance with your eyes closed, it's considered a sign of sensory ataxia, or loss of motor coordination, which can be a sign of diabetic neuropathy, multiple sclerosis, inner ear problems, lumbar spinal stenosis, or another degenerative disease. Romberg's test is also sometimes used as a test of intoxication or drug use.

What to do if you fail: It is possible to fail this test when nothing is wrong with you, but -- because it can also indicate a serious condition -- it's worth discussing with your doctor. If you're also experiencing other symptoms, such as numbness, tingling in your arms or legs, or balance problems, ask your doctor for a referral to a neurologist.


What it tests for: Osteoarthritis, and other things. . . .

How to do it: Hold your hands flat and look closely at the lengths of your fingers in relation to each other. Is your index finger shorter than your ring finger?

What it means: A recent study at the University of Nottingham in England found that if a woman's index finger is shorter than her ring finger, she's more than twice as likely as others to develop osteoarthritis of the knee or hip. There's no scientific explanation yet for the connection between finger size and arthritis risk. Several other studies have found another use for finger measurement: It can be used to guess at penis size. According to studies done in South Korea, if a man's ring finger is significantly longer than his index finger, he's likely to be well endowed, while a short ring finger indicates average to below-average size. Previous studies have shown that a long index finger is an indication of lower testosterone exposure in the womb.

Boy,..I'm sure glad my wife didn't know about this before we got married.

What to do if you fail: Women: In this case, there's no immediate action to take. Just be on the alert for signs of osteoarthritis such as knee, hip, shoulder, or back pain. If you do develop pain and suspect osteoarthritis, you might mention the finger length research to your doctor. Guys: If you notice her looking at your ring finger, distract her by buying her a drink.


What it tests for: Neurodegenerative disease

How to do it: Hold your arm out, finger extended. Close your eyes and try to touch your nose with your finger. Then do it again with the other hand. You should be able to do this smoothly and accurately. Next, lie down and run the heel of one foot up and down the shin of the opposite extended leg.

What it means: These are two components of basic neurological testing, which evaluates coordination and fine motor movement indicative of the health of the cerebellum, the part of the brain that governs motor movement, coordination, balance, and muscle tone. Failure to do the nose and heel tests accurately can be one sign of a neurodegenerative disease such as multiple sclerosis or a brain tumor or lesion.

What to do if you fail: Try these tests several times before you conclude something's wrong, as many factors -- such as having had a glass of wine -- can affect it. If you regularly fail to get your finger anywhere near your nose, alert your doctor.


What it tests for: Rheumatoid arthritis

How to do it: Hold your hands in the position for traditional prayer, with the fingers and palms flat and touching. See if your pinky finger stands straight, as it's supposed to.

What it means: If you aren't able to place your hands flat against each other, it suggests that either your wrists don't bend flexibly or your fingers and knuckles aren't straight. This is a possible indicator of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which makes joints swell and stiffen and fingers become gnarled or bent. The inability to extend the little finger is another indicator of RA, because the little finger tends to be the first thing to lose function.

What to do if you fail: If you suspect you're developing rheumatoid arthritis, which is an autoimmune disease, schedule a visit with your doctor. Before you go, survey your family to determine if there's a family history of RA, which often has a genetic basis.

One additional test you can do is to stick out your tongue and move it up and down, and side to side. Inability to do so may be an indicator of cardiovascular disease. Warning - don't do this in public, especially if you are an older man, otherwise you may be arrested as a pervert.


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