SUGAR SHOCK! Blog

Stop the Soda This Summer! California Experts Challenge You on Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio Show

Challenges are so much fun -- both issuing them and taking them. Which is why today's Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio Show will be a lot of fun.

Today, I'm presenting two representatives of The Nutrition Services and Public Health Department in Alameda County (in northern California), who challenge you to give up soft drinks this summer. 

Tune in to my Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio show (either today, July 31, at 4 p.m. EST. or afterwards) to hear Anthony Iton, M.D., J.D., MPH, the Alameda County Public Health Department Director and Health Officer, and Diane Woloshin, Nutrition Services Director.

They'll share info about their innovative Soda-Free Summer Campaign, which the folks at Kaiser Permanente were smart enough to help support.

You'll learn how this exciting program got underway in the first place -- it's a great story. You'll also find out how this campaign is really taking off and achieving acclaim and acceptance from Alameda Counry residents.

Again, remember that if you cannot listen live to my Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio show, you can listen afterwards, in the convenience of your own home.

By the way, you may recall that I blogged here previously about this Soda Free Summer program and then again here., which is intended to educate Alameda County families about the value of reducing or eliminating products full of sugar and high fructose corn syrup, beginning with sodas.

Join us today or afterwards.

Remember, tomorrow, Wednesday, Aug. 1, also at 4 p.m. EST, I am presenting a special show to interview leading weight loss expert Brian Wasink, Ph.D., director of the Cornell University Food and Brand Lab and author of the much-acclaimed book, Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think.

Low-Carb Diets Can Help Reverse Metabolic Syndrome; Study Explores Why

Researchers know that low-carb diets could help people with metabolic syndrome, which is a collection of risk factors that put you at risk for heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Now, scientists are getting insights as to why cutting back on carbs works.

Thanks to HealthDay News and Medline, we learned about a new study (albeit small) in the The Journal of Nutrition, which showed that low-carb diets can help reverse metabolic syndrome by improving the hormone signaling involved in obesity and creating a sense of fullness.

University of Pennsylvania researchers, led by postdoctoral fellow Dr. Matthew R. Hayes, Ph.D., are encouraged by their results to improve metabolic syndrome, which is marked by risk factors such as excessive abdominal fat; low levels of HDL (the "good" cholesterol); and insulin resistance or glucose intolerance.

Interestingly, although the 20 participants in the study didn't strictly follow recommendations to consume 10 percent of their calories from carbohydrates during the first two weeks (they took in 25 percent instead) and 27 percent from carbs during the 10-week remainder (they consumed 35 percent), they still reaped benefits.

Big Food Funds Study Letting High Fructose Corn Syrup Off the Hook for Obesity

Note from Connie: One of the most disputed sugar-related theories out there is whether or not high fructose corn syrup is linked to obesity. As I pointed out in SUGAR SHOCK!, a number of studies from respected scientists have concluded that HFCS is processed differently in our bodies and that it can lead to weight gain and even type 2 diabetes or heart disease. But now a new study -- this one funded by the sugar industry -- claims the theory is hogwash. Read Jennifer Moore's take on the subject.

A new study concludes there's not enough proof to support the notion that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is more responsible for obesity than other foods with the same number of calories, like sugar.

So should you stop fretting over food labels trying to weed out stuff with HFCS from your diet? Not so fast.

Surprise, surprise -- Tate & Lyle, a UK food corporation that makes a ton of money selling high fructose corn syrup and a host of other damaging sweeteners, funded this research.

Low-Glycemic-Load Diets Make for Faster Weight Loss

Note from Connie: Sure enough, another new study arrives at the same conclusion as numerous other studies -- that low-glycemic-load foods are better for weight loss. Karen James gives you the details.

Diets rich in low-glycemic-load foods such as beans and whole grains that slowly release glucose into the blood stream may be more effective for weight loss than diets containing high-glycemic-load foods like refined sugars and grains which cause blood sugar levels to quickly spike, according to a new review of scientific literature by Australian researchers and reported on by MedPage Today senior writer Judith Groch.

Diana Thomas, Ph.D., scientific director of the Centre for Evidence Based Paeditric Gastroenterology and Nutrition of the University of Sydney, and her colleagues published their findings in the Cochrane Review after reviewing six trials that looked at the effects of low-glycemic-load diets on weight loss compared to high-glycemic-load and conventional diets on overweight and obese participants. The trials lasted between five weeks and six months and contained a total of 202 participants.

Research Shows Quality Carbs Reduce Acne

Note from Connie: Goodness grief. There is so much sugar news! Thank goodness I have two wonderful part-time blog researchers/writers. This entry comes from Karen James. Incidentally, as Karen explains further, I wrote about this study in my book SUGAR SHOCK!, but the study didn't come out until this month.

Foods low on the glycemic index such as beans and whole grains, which slowly release glucose into the blood stream after consumption and improve insulin sensitivity, may also help clear up acne, according to a newly published study, which Reuters Health discussed.

Robyn N. Smith, Ph.D., a researcher at the RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, was the lead author of the study in which researchers assessed the impact of low-glycemic-load carbohydrates on 43 male acne patients between the ages of 15 and 25.

SUGAR SHOCK! Gets Thumbs Up On Mark Sisson's Daily Apple Blog

I just received a hearwarming e-mail from health-and-fitness expert Mark Sisson, alerting me to the fact that his review of SUGAR SHOCK! just went up on his blog, Daily Apple.

Like millions of sugar addicts out there, Mark has his own sugar-induced horror stories, too.

In fact, he's a former professional tri-athlete, and while training, he used to down half a gallon of ice cream every day.

But he's learned the error of his ways, and Mark now recommends -- as I do -- that people eat a simple diet of low-sugar, unprocessed food, including lean protein, essential fats and, as he puts it, "reckless amounts of vegetables."

Like me, Mark is a regular contributor to Low Carb Newsline. It's good to have yet another smart expert help spread the word about how harmful sugar can be to your health and well-being.

Obesity Could Be Contagious, Researchers Find

Note from Connie: Wow! You've got to read this item! You'll get one more reason to choose your friends very wisely: obesity may be catching!  You see, when people pack on pounds, chances are that their friends, siblings and spouse will gain weight, too. So says a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine. Karen James gives you the scoop.

Researchers studying a densely interconnected social network of over 12,000 people who were part of the Framingham Heart Study found that a person's chance of becoming obese increased by 57 percent if he or she had a friend who became obese and 37 percent if a spouse became obese.

Soda-Free Summer? Can You Do It? Two Alameda County Experts Challenge You on Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio Show July 31

Can you go without soda for the summer? Of course you can!

The Nutrition Services and Public Health Department in Alameda County (in northern California) challenges you!

Learn more about this Soda-Free Summer Campaign on my Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio show on Tuesday, July 31 at 4 p.m. EST.

That's when I'll interview two folks from Alameda County's Public Health Department about their exciting program, which is made possible by a grant from Kaiser Permanente.

Remember: If you can't make the show live, you can listen afterwards, in the convenience of your own home.

By the way, you may recall that I blogged previously about this exciting Soda Free Summer program, which is designed to educate Alameda County families about the importance of reducing or eliminating products full of sugar and high fructose corn syrup, beginning with sodas.

My guests on the July 31 Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio Show -- which you can listen to after the fact -- will be Anthony Iton, M.D., J.D., MPH, the Alameda County Public Health Department Director and Health Officer, and Nutrition Services Director Diane Woloshin.

As I mentioned previously, I became quite entertained when I learned through Google Alerts that the theme of this Soda Free Summer campaign is sugar shock because, as Diane explained, "this information is really shocking to people." How's that for a wild coincidence?

Especially since, at the time fo the Soda Free Summer announcement, Alameda County's Public Health Department had not yet heard of my book SUGAR SHOCK! But they knew a catchy title!

Too Many Simple Carbs May Raise Risk of Blindness

Note from Connie: Treasure your eyes by scaling back bigtime on those culprit carbs. That's right! SUGAR SHOCK! Blog researcher/writer Jennifer Moore will bring you up to date on one more study, which points to one harmful result we don't hear about much -- your eyesight.

Here's yet another reason to cut back or completely avoid sugary foods and quickie carbs: Too many of them may increase a person's risk of losing his or her sight, according to a new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Researchers, led by Allen Taylor, Ph.D., of Tufts University, found that people whose diets were highest in simple carbs with high glycemic indexes -- that is, foods that cause dramatic spikes in blood sugar levels -- were a startling 40% more likely to develop the condition macular degeneration than their counterparts that don't eat a lot of high GI foods.

It's important to note that this study group was large -- the researchers looked at the diet habits of 4,099 people aged 55 to 80. They also took into account such factors as age, education and BMI.

In case you don't know, macular degeneration is a disease in which cells in the retina break down, and it's the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in people over 65.

Thanks to Nicholas Bakalar of the New York Times for alerting us to this important research.

By Jennifer Moore for the SUGAR SHOCK! Blog

Can We Trust the American Medical Association?

Note from Connie: I'm often intrigued by articles from Mike Adams of NewsTarget.com. This provocative piece about the American Medical Association will certainly get you to think! (FYI, I'm not total agreement with everything Mike says. For instance, it's a big stretch, in my opinion, to call the AMA "evil." But it's definitely worth reading this eye-opening article. See first what SUGAR SHOCK! Blog researcher/writer Jennifer Moore thinks about the article.

Can we trust the American Medical Association? Mike Adams of NewsTarget.com thinks not, and spells out why in a provocative and revealing piece entitled "Doctors, American Medical Association Hawked Cigarettes as Healthy For Consumers."

This fascinating article details the many ways the AMA was compromised by its very cozy relationship with the tobacco industry, including running tobacco ads in the venerated Journal of the American Medical Association as far back as 1933. 

Adams also documents how doctors became members of the Tobacco Industry Research Committee, wich wa sponsored by Big Tobacco, ostensibly for the purpose of further researching the link between smoking and cancer. In reality, Adams writes, the TIRC was created to promote the idea that the link wasn't clear, despite significant evidence that it was.

The AMA, finally, did unequivocally state that smoking is dangerous in 1964.

So why is Adams on the warpath against the AMA today?

SUGAR SHOCK! is Topic of Radio Interview With WICH's Stu Bryer

I just got off the phone with Stu Bryer, who interviewed me for his popular "Potpourri" talk show, which airs from 10 am to 2 pm on WICH 1310 AM in Norwich, Connecticut. (This is the second time I've chatted with Stu. Last year, around Valentine's Day, I also had the pleasure of being interviewed by him.)

Anyhow, it was a blast chatting with Stu, who's a Connecticut icon. For 30 years, he's been entertaining listeners and hosts the "Potpourri" talk show which airs during the mid-day. (You can see Stu here, with Atty. General Richard Blumenthal.)

Of course, on Stu's show, I talked all about sugar's dangers and my book SUGAR SHOCK!

I also had fun challenging listeners to go one day without sugar.

By the way, I love Norwich. In fact, a couple of years ago, I once vacationed there at beautiful, restful Spa at Norwich Inn for a couple of days.

Gee, I'm now in the mood to go back to Norwich soon to visit! Just look at all these fun events you can find in that part of Connecticut.

Less Insulin Leads to A Longer Life, Study Says, Citing Value of Exercise, Diet & Lower Weight

Diet and exercise might be just what you need to keep young, because they reduce the action of insulin in the brain, researchers reported recently, a study I learned about, thanks to the American Diabetes Association.

Perhaps the strongest take-away point is this comment: "This study provides a new explanation of why it's good to exercise and not eat too much," Dr. Morris White, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at Children's Hospital in Boston.

"Diet, exercise and lower weight keep your peripheral tissues sensitive to insulin," said Dr. White, who led the study. "That means the body needs to make less insulin."

Learn more here about this study, which involved creating mutant mice that over-ate, became obese and even developed symptoms of diabetes, but lived 18 percent longer than normal lab mice, becausethey lacked a certain gene that affects insulin. (Insulin, as you probably know is the hormone that regulates glucose.)

Schools Need Better Food! Special Teleconference On Aug. 2

I just got wind of a very special free teleconference sponsored by Better School Food next Thursday, Aug. 2 at 1 pm EST.

The telephone program, as children's health advocate Susan Rubin, DMD, HHC informs members of her mailing list, is designed for parents and anyone else who's concerned with healthy food.

Parents in particular, you should participate if you want your kids to eat better food this year.

This will be a wonderful opportunity to connect with other parents, who care about the foods that their kids put into their bodies when they're in school.

During the call, you'll also receive pointers on how to make better school food happen in your community.

To join the call, email Susan at info@betterschoolfood.org.

Can Gratitude and Saying Thanks Make Us Happier?

Do you regularly say thanks? Do you express gratitude for all the wonderful things you have in your life? If so -- or if not -- you'll enjoy this interesting essay, which Alternet.com posted.

It's a link to an intriguing, self-reflective piece from writer Catherine Price, which she wrote for the publication with the fabulous name, Greater Good.

She was responding to new research, which suggests that gratitude is the key to health and happiness.

This is a very powerful practice that I contend could help you kick the sugar habit. (And accomplish a lot of other things, too.)

Thank about it: When you're grateful that you have food to eat, you'll be more inclined to curb your sugar intake.

And when you're saying thanks for the wonderful people in your life, the nice things you have and the joyous events of your day, you'll be less inclined to focus so much on sugar.

I do hope you'll experiment and do this gratitude exercise suggested.

Doctors' Advice on Healthy Living Ignored

Note from Connie: Why are so many people so resistant to waking up to the dangers of obesity? SUGAR SHOCK Blog researcher/writer Karen James will inform you about yet another study, which shows that unconcerned kids and their parents just aren't doing enough to peel off those unhealthy extra pounds.

Attempts to counsel obese children and their parents about losing weight and living healthier lifestyles are failing, according to interviews with pediatricians in the St. Louis area, Science Daily reported recently.

The small study, which appeared in the journal Child: Care, Health, Development, was led by Sarah Barlow, M.D., MPH, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and pediatric obesity specialist.

Dr. Barlow discovered that the eight doctors interviewed felt that families either lacked motivation to lose weight and lead healthier lifestyles, or felt too overwhelmed by daily life stressors to try.

850 KOA's Rick Barber Asked Me Some Fun Questions: A Caller Talked About How He Feels Better With Less Sugar

Just got off with Rick Barber of 850 KOA, which reaches 1.25 million listeners nationwide.

The show was a lot of fun and Rick asked some very compelling questions, including "Why should we listen to you, Connie, about sugar's dangers? You're not a nutritionist." (I love answering that question -- actually, I invite radio hosts to ask me it! Go ahead, put me on the spot.)

Anyhow, one of the high points of the KOA interview was when Dave, a listener, called in. You see, Dave, who's a truck driver, has been trying to cut back on his sugar consumption in recent years. His chiropractor recommended it, as did a nutritionist, who's a family friend.

Of course, I was curious to see how Dave feels now that he's taking in less sugar. And guess what?

Dave told KOA's listeners that he now has a lot more energy, is "more vivacious," has less brain fog and just feels better all around. He's even able to drive for longer stretches because he's more alert. Pretty cool, eh?

News Radio 850 KOA's Rick Barber Interviews Me

It's an early morning for me today.

850 KOA's Rick Barber interviews me between 6 and 7 am this morning EST.

By the way, the 50,000-watt Denver-based station has a huge listenership around the country.

In fact, the station has a whopping 1.25 million listeners in 38 states.

To catch me on the air, listen live here.

Missed the show? No problem. Catch it here later.

Hypoglycemia Support Foundation's Roberta Ruggiero Was An Awesome Guest on Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio

It was such a thrill today to interview Roberta Ruggiero, founder and president of the Hypoglycemia Support Foundation, for my Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio Show.

Roberta -- author of the Do's and Don'ts of Hypoglycemia -- is absolutely one of my favorite people on this earth, as you can probably surmise by listening now to our radio interview.

You see, Roberta and I go back nearly 10 years to spring of 1998. At that time, my new doctor grilled me about my sugar habit, told me I had low blood sugar and instructed me to quit sweets and refined carbs.

He insisted that kicking those culprit carbs, plus snacking every three or four hours on high-quality foods, would make all my strange symptoms such as headaches, fatigue and heart palpitations go away. (He was right -- I got a new lease on life by stomping out my sugar habit.)

But I needed some help go through that trying time in my life. Enter Roberta. She was my sole support network, and she and her wonderful non-profit organization were my life savers.

So, to this day, I'm greatly indebted to Roberta -- in fact, she's one of three people to whom I dedicated my book SUGAR SHOCK! (I also dediated it to the millions of people unknowingly trapped in SUGAR SHOCK!)

Listen now to the interview I had with Roberta on Stop SUGAR SHOCK! Radio today.

Dr. Thornton's Natural Health Report Spotlights Sugar's Dangers -- Interview With Me

Today, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by the friendly, cutting edge chiropractor William Thornton, D.C., who interviewed me for "Dr. Thornton's Natural Health Report."

We had a really nice chat for his show, which airs Tuesdays at 9 am PST on KTYM Radio in Los Angeles.

The show is being described like this: "What do acne, cancer, and PMS have in common? Interview with special guest: Connie Bennett, author of the new book SUGAR SHOCK!" (July 24, 2007)

No problem if you missed the show. You can listen here now.

I posted this a couple of days ago, but I wanted to update this entry, because Dr. Bill just sent me this fabulous testimonial:

"Connie has the scoop on sugar. My radio audience got a new perspective on sugar's deleterious effects on their health. Not only is sugar implicated in obesity and diabetes, but also in cancer and other degenerative diseases."

"The unique thing about Connie's presentation is that the listeners have access to her for follow up via her blog and website, featuring lots of support and resources. Connie's journalism background makes her book an easy and enjoyable read, while still being authoritative and informative. She speaks from experience, in a straight-forward, engaging manner. We had fun! Laughing and learning."

- William Thornton, DC - The Natural Health Report, KTYM 1460AM, Los Angeles

Wow, thank you!

One Or More Soft Drinks Linked to Metabolic Syndrome, Study Finds

The evidence against soda -- both high-fructose corn-syrup filled and artifically sweetened -- keeps mounting.

Today, yet another study, which appeared appeared online in this month's Circulation, revealed that middle-aged people adults one or more soft drinks -- whether sugar-filled or "diet" drinks -- have a higher prevalence and incidence of multiple metabolic risk factors, AP and CBS reported.

The biggest surprise to researchers was that drinking diet sodas could have that kind of health-harming effect, too.

The study's senior author, Vasan Ramachandran, M.D., D.M., told CBS that the findings don't show diet sodas are a cause of increased heart disease risks, but he said they show a surprising link that must be studied.

Although the president of the soda industry's trade organization, the American Beverage Association, pooh-poohed the fact that diet soda could be linked to weight gain, this concept actually is nothing new, and I've written several times previously, including here and here, about this "paradoxical weight gain" effect.

For the study, researchers looked at 9,000 middle-aged men and women, who are part of the massive, multi-generational heart study following residents of Framingham, Mass., a town about 25 miles west of Boston.

Watch the CBS news video with Dr. Jon LaPook.

Speaking of CBS, are you aware of the fabulous CBS News Sunday Morning story, "Americans May Be Too Sweet on Sugar," for which I was interviewed a month ago?