Though it is still important to make sure the fat is from good quality animals and cooked at lower temperatures for shorter cooking times.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The age-old maxim “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper” may in fact be the best advice to follow to prevent metabolic syndrome, according to a new University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) study.
Metabolic syndrome is characterized by abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, insulin resistance and other cardiovascular disease-risk factors.

The study, published online March 30 in the International Journal of Obesity, examined the influence exerted by the type of foods and specific timing of intake on the development of metabolic syndrome characteristics in mice. The UAB research revealed that mice fed a meal higher in fat after waking had normal metabolic profiles. In contrast, mice that ate a more carbohydrate-rich diet in the morning and consumed a high-fat meal at the end of the day saw increased weight gain, adiposity, glucose intolerance and other markers of the metabolic syndrome.

“Studies have looked at the type and quantity of food intake, but nobody has undertaken the question of whether the timing of what you eat and when you eat it influences body weight, even though we know sleep and altered circadian rhythms influence body weight,” said the study’s lead author Molly Bray, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology in the UAB School of Public Health.

Bray said the research team found that fat intake at the time of waking seems to turn on fat metabolism very efficiently and also turns on the animal’s ability to respond to different types of food later in the day. When the animals were fed carbohydrates upon waking, carbohydrate metabolism was turned on and seemed to stay on even when the animal was eating different kinds of food later in the day.

“The first meal you have appears to program your metabolism for the rest of the day,” said study senior author Martin Young, Ph.D., associate professor of medicine in the UAB Division of Cardiovascular Disease. “This study suggests that if you ate a carbohydrate-rich breakfast it would promote carbohydrate utilization throughout the rest of the day, whereas, if you have a fat-rich breakfast, you have metabolic plasticity to transfer your energy utilization between carbohydrate and fat.”

Bray and Young said the implications of this research are important for human dietary recommendations. Humans rarely eat a uniform diet throughout the day and need the ability to respond to alterations in diet quality. Adjusting dietary composition of a given meal is an important component in energy balance, and they said their findings suggest that recommendations for weight reduction and/or maintenance should include information about the timing of dietary intake plus the quality and quantity of intake.

“Humans eat a mixed diet, and our study, which we have repeated four times in animals, seems to show that if you really want to be able to efficiently respond to mixed meals across a day then a meal in higher fat content in the morning is a good thing,” Bray said. “Another important component of our study is that, at the end of the day, the mice ate a low-caloric density meal, and we think that combination is key to the health benefits we’ve seen.”

Bray and Young said further research needs to test whether similar observations are made with different types of dietary fats and carbohydrates, and it needs to be tested in humans to see if the findings are similar between rodents and humans.
“We’re also working on a study right now to determine if these feeding regimens adversely affect heart function,” Young said.

###

About the UAB School of Public Health
The UAB School of Public Health is a community of scholars and professionals working and teaching in varied arenas of public health with the goal of fostering research and best practices crucial to the health of the United States and its peoples. The school offers more than 20 areas of study and manages dozens of research and community-service centers.

About the UAB Division of Cardiovascular Disease
The UAB Division of Cardiovascular Disease emphasizes excellence in patient care, teaching plus basic and clinical research. Clinical research is closely associated with individual clinical cardiology services and encompasses a variety of opportunities and interactions with faculty associated with numerous large federal- and industry-supported clinical trials.

One of the natural treatments that is often advocated for PMS is the mineral magnesium. In a study published recently in the journal Clinical Drug Investigation women with PMS were treated with 250 mg of magnesium a day over a 3-month period [1]. The treatment led a reduction in PMS symptoms of about a third. However, this study was seriously hampered by not having a ‘control’ group (a group taking a placebo to compare results with), which makes drawing conclusions about the real effectiveness of magnesium impossible.

In clinical practice, I have found magnesium of some benefit in treating PMS, but I have not found it any where as effective as the herbal remedy Agnus castus. Below, I have pasted in an article originally by Dr John Briffa published in 2001 which focuses on the use of this herb in the treatment of PMS. Agnus castus is believed to help combat the hormonal imbalance known as ‘oestrogen dominance’ that in natural medicine is believed to be at the root of many cases of PMS. There is some research which supports this herb’s use in PMS. In practice, I find that it significantly reduces PMS symptoms in the vast majority of women within 2-3 menstrual cycles.

References:

1. Quaranta S, et al. Pilot study of the efficacy and safety of a modified-release magnesium 250 mg tablet (Sincromag) for the treatment of premenstrual syndrome. Clin Drug Investig. 2007;27(1):51-8.

Agnus castus for the treatment of PMS - 30th January 2001

Pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) is thought to affect about 90 % of women at some point in their lives, with a significant proportion of these suffering regularly from severe and debilitating symptoms. While conventional treatment for PMS is based on the Pill and antidepressants, there is evidence that increasing numbers of women are seeking a more natural approach to this problem. One of the most established natural treatments for PMS is an extract of an exotic fruit known as Agnus castus. Just this month, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) published a study which proved the effectiveness of this natural remedy in the treatment of PMS. Over half the women in this study had significant improvement in their symptoms, and the treatment was found to be safe and generally free of side-effects – unlike the contraceptive pill. A favourite folk remedy for hundreds of years, Agnus castus appears to be making its way into mainstream medicine. Now would seem to be an ideal time to examine the effects of this herb on the body, and explore its potential in the treatment of PMS and other hormone-related problems.

Pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) is a term used to describe a combination of various physical and mental symptoms that usually occur in the week or two prior to menstruation. Typical features of PMS include irritability, depression, tearfulness, fatigue, food cravings, abdominal bloating, breast fullness and tenderness, fluid retention and weight gain. The condition is highly individual, with the exact blend of symptoms and their duration varying considerably between women.

PMS is related to hormonal fluctuations in the second half of the menstrual cycle. One common feature of women with PMS is higher-than-normal levels of a hormone known as prolactin which is secreted by the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. Excess prolactin in the system can itself upset the balance of other hormones, and in particular is thought to result in a deficit of the hormone progesterone. Progesterone balances the effects of another hormone – oestrogen – in the body. A lack of progesterone can therefore give rise to a condition known as oestrogen dominance, which itself often seems to be an underlying factor in PMS.

Research from Germany shows that Agnus castus (also known as Chasteberry, Monk’s pepper and Vitex) can reduce prolactin levels and increase the production of progesterone. These effects help to correct the hormonal imbalances common in PMS, thereby helping to ease its symptoms. The recent BMJ study is not the only evidence which supports the use of Agnus castus in PMS. Last year, the Journal of Women’s Health and Gender Based Medicine published a study which examined the effect of Agnus castus in more than 1600 women. The study lasted three months, after which time 93 %. of the women reported an improvement in or elimination of their PMS symptoms. Four out of five women rated themselves as ‘much better’ or ‘very much better’. In keeping with these very positive findings, 85 % of the doctors assessing the women rated the effectiveness of Agnus castus as ‘good’ or ‘very good’. The results of this study are even more encouraging than those of this month’s BMJ article. Interestingly, the original research used twice the dose of Agnus castus employed in the more recent study (20 mg of herb twice a day compared to only once a day).

While PMS is common, it is not the only consequence of hormonal imbalance in the female body. Many women find that the condition of their skin noticeably worsens before a period. One study dating from 1967 showed that Agnus castus may be effective in the treatment of the ‘acne flare’ common in the pre-menstrual phase. Agnus castus may also help in some cases of infertility. While female infertility may have many different causes, hormone imbalance, including high levels of prolactin and low levels of progesterone, can be a factor. Women with such imbalances may benefit from treatment with Agnus castus, though it may take a year or more for benefit to become apparent. Once pregnancy is confirmed, Agnus castus should be stopped as it may interfere with important hormone changes at this time.

Agnus castus appears to be an extremely safe and well-tolerated herb. In studies, side effect rates are low (typically between 1 – 5 %), and tend to be mild in nature. The normal recommended dose of Agnus castus is 40 mg of dried herb or 40 drops of concentrated liquid extract once a day, or 20 mg of dried herb, twice a day. Agnus castus preparations are readily available in health food stores.

By Leigh Erin Connealy, M.D.

Aspartame, more commonly known as NutraSweet or Equal, is one of the most toxic substances being consumed today. The artificial sweetener, currently used in over 4,000 products worldwide, entertains a sordid past and has been one of the most tested and debated food additives in the history of the FDA.

While the manufacturer maintains that aspartame is not a danger to your health, the scientific studies don’t necessarily agree. The FDA has approved the product for mass consumption, in spite of overwhelming evidence that aspartame can have neurotoxic, metabolic, allergenic, fetal and carcinogenic effects.

When you question how such a substance has not been banned, one simply needs to look at the billions of dollars generated by the sale of aspartame each year. In light of the staggering number of dollar signs involved, it’s easy to see that the artificial sweetener industry has reached Big Tobacco status. With so much money at stake, the truth suffers almost as much as the health of the consumers, while the shareholders’ wealth continues to grow exponentially.

The Ingredients

In 1965, James Schlatter, a chemist for G.D. Searle, was developing an anti-ulcer drug when he accidentally stumbled upon aspartame. Made up of aspartic acid (40%), phenylalanine (50%) and methanol (10%), aspartame is 200 times sweeter than natural sugar.

• Aspartic Acid

Aspartate is a neurotransmitter in the brain, facilitating information from one neuron to another. Too much aspartate allows an influx of calcium into the brain cells, triggering an excessive amount of free radicals which kill the cells. Aspartate is referred to as an “excitotoxin” because of the nerve cell damage that it causes. Many chronic illnesses have been attributed to long term excitotoxin exposure, including multiple sclerosis, ALS, memory loss, hormonal problems, hearing loss, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, hypoglycemia, dementia, brain lesions and neuroendocrine disorders.

In 1971, Dr. John Olney, neuroscientist and one of the world’s foremost experts on excitotoxins, informed G.D. Searle that his research had revealed that aspartic acid caused holes in the brains of mice. Searle did not inform the FDA of these findings until after aspartame’s approval in 1981. This would prove to be one event in a startling pattern of lies and deception.

• Phenylalanine

Phenylalanine is an amino acid normally found in the brain. Human testing has shown phenylalanine levels in the blood are increased significantly in those who chronically use aspartame. Excessive levels of phenylalanine in the brain can cause the levels of serotonin to decrease, which can lead to depression, schizophrenia and make one more susceptible to seizures.

Studies conducted on rats by G.D. Searle found phenylalanine to be safe for humans. However, Louis J. Elsas, II, M.D., Director of Medical Genetics and Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine told the U.S. Senate in 1987 that, “Normal humans do not metabolize phenylalanine as efficiently as do lower species such as rodents and thus most of the previous studies on aspartame effects on rodents are irrelevant.” Unfortunately, this fell on deaf ears and failed to garner additional testing.

• Methanol

By far, the most controversial ingredient in aspartame is methanol (aka wood alcohol). An EPA assessment of methanol states that it is “considered a cumulative poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed. In the body, methanol is oxidated to formaldehyde and formic acid; both of these metabolites are toxic.” This oxidation occurs when methanol reaches 86 degrees F (30 degrees C).

• Formaldehyde

A product broken down from aspartate is a known carcinogen and causes retinal damage, birth defects and interferes with DNA replications.

The EPA recommends a consumption limit of 7.8 mg/day. A 1 Liter aspartame sweetened beverage contains about 56 mg of methanol, seven times the EPA limit.

The most common maladies related to methanol poisoning are vision problems including misty vision, progressive contraction of visual fields, blurring of vision, obscuration of vision, retinal damage and blindness.

Interesting Aspartame Statistics

• In 1984, 6,900,000 lbs of aspartame were consumed in the U.S.
• In 1985, G.D. Searle (NutraSweet) was bought out by Monsanto, 14,400,000 lbs. of aspartame were consumed in the U.S. that same year.
• 15,700,000 lbs of aspartame were consumed in the U.S. in 1986.
  
• 17,100,000 lbs were consumed in 1987.
  
• NutraSweet stopped providing consumption data to the USDA after 1987!!! (Can you imagine what it is today!)
  
• In 1996, the FDA removed all restrictions on aspartame and authorized its use in all products, including heated and baked goods. This was done in spite of the fact that aspartame breaks down into formaldehyde above 86 degrees F.
• Today, aspartame accounts for over 75% of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. How sweet it is?A few of the 90 different documented symptoms include: headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss and joint pain. Which one are you ready for?

Source: www.naturalnews.com

Have you or anybody you know experienced any adverse reactions to Aspartame? Please share your comments on this dangerous substance in the comments box.

Good health starts with good food, and good food starts with good soil. Weather we like it or not, it is a fact that our existence is inexplicably linked to the health of our planet and inparticular the health of the soil.

This documentary is a fantastic account of one man’s efforts to help educate Indian farmers on the benefits of returning to traditional agricultural methods and save them from the horrors of multi-national agri-chemical companies.

5 Reasons Why You Should See This Film:

• To learn about the importance of biodynamic and organic agriculture
• To realize that your food choices make a real impact on the health of the planet
• To be introduced to a very special farmer with a special mission
• To learn that agri-chemical companies might not have your health at heart
  
• How returning farmers to natural methods holds great promise for the world

You might not be aware of the fact that many Indian farmers are committing suicide at an alarming rate. Why you might ask? Because agri-chemical companies are convincing them to buy GMO seeds and then up-sell them on the chemicals designed specifically for that crop.

This creates a large financial commitment and if the crop fails, which is often the case, the farmers are left in debt and see no other way out. This is never the case when seeds are collected free of charge from nature from the previous crop.

This film is a fantastic account of how even against the odds of the agri-business giants one man and a collection of committed individuals have helped change the face of farming in India for good.

This film will show you a new and positive reason why to choose organic and biodynamic foods. For the health of yourself and the planet share this film and this message with those you love.

Own the DVD Today                               Click Here To Purchase

Insightful, and cost effective!

It has been known in the fitness industry by savvy trainers for some time that doing hundreds of crunches does not ‘spot reduce fat’ around the mid section, lunges, squats and running, whilst great forms of exercise do not specifically reduce fat on the legs etc, you did know that didn’t you?  The good news is cutting edge scientific research has found in the last decade or so that knowing a persons specific hormone balance, we can possibly optimize their body composition, following site-characteristic protocols. Here are four example indicators:

1. Fat around thighs indicates high estrogen levels, very common in today’s world full of plastics and xeno-estrogens (biological estrogen mimickers).

2. Fat on the front of the tummy or umbilicus represents high or imbalanced Cortisol or stress hormone problems, again modern day stressful lifestyles!

3. High levels of Insulin are shown in Fat storage areas around the ‘love handles’ this is a reflection of blood sugar problems and poor diet.

4. A poor Thyroid function and high goitrogen levels can commonly lead to high levels of Fat storage around the neck, mid back and low shoulder blade area.

5. The fifth clinical pearl is that high Androgen levels, promote Fat storage around the upper arms and mid-section area.

If all this sounds complex, the real solutions are healthy, regular levels of exercise and following a good balanced diet and stress management, you can’t beat your body into submission, it just doesn’t work. Work smart, not simply hard. The truth is you can get better results with the same time spent working out, sounds good doesn’t it? If in doubt speak to someone about your nutritional intake!

Excess levels of hormones found in the body are not being processed correctly by the liver, usually due to stress and poor diet, genetics does play its part but normally the former two are more influential. Laboratory testing is usually the best way to find out your hormones levels, and ‘If you’re not assessing, you’re guessing’ as a teacher of mine likes to say. Speak to your GP or a qualified Nutritionist if you need clarification. Again I’ll stress the importance of balancing stress, nutrition and exercise, they are key in getting the body you deserve.

1. High lower body (upper thigh skin fold and gluteal fold) fat measurements; indicate high amounts of so-called Alpha-2-receptors, (more common in women) plus high levels of estrogens. The recommended treatment for this would be clearing the liver from high circulating levels of estrogen. Also by locally blocking alpha-2 receptors we maximize fat loss, and minimize fat accumulation.  I also suggest the supplement indole-3-carbinol, (found in Broccoli type vegetables) as an estrogen detoxifier, as well as some isoflavones . A healthy liver naturally cleanses the body of unwanted hormones so keeping it healthy is paramount.

2. High umbilical (abdominal) skin fold measurements alarmed health care professionals because one study consisting of 30,000 women over a period of 12 years discovered that women with higher umbilical fat measurements, (abdominal fat accumulation) were more likely to develop heart disease than other ordinary overweight women. As I mentioned before, this group had to deal with high stress and chronically elevated cortisol. Stress reduction and regular sleep patterns are key. Also the supplement phosphatydylserine has shown a dramatic reduction of circulating cortisol, (as well as improved mood, memory, and motivation  to fight stress and depression). Fish oils rich in essential omega-3 oils and Liquorice Root, which helps the regulation of cortisol production. Glycyrrhizin is a component of liquorice, which is capable of inactivating cortisol. Another good idea for any person belonging to this particular group is to limit (reduce) their caffeine and simple sugars consumption. These are factors that could impact (increase) their levels of cortisol in the body.

3. People with a high, mid-axillary (upper outer lat region) fat measurement, usually have some form of thyroid problem. This can measured in blood test by your GP. The supplements that I recommend to treat this particular problem are: the Ayurvedic herb Guggul, which stimulates synthesis of T3, the active form of thyroid hormone. Also a good choice would be a Bladderwrack a natural source of Iodine, Zinc and Selenium, all responsible for thyroid hormone production. Finally, Ashwaganda and Coleus root(a member of the mint family) both used frequently to stimulate the thyroid gland.

4. If a supra iliac (love handles) skin fold is high, then the person could have a circulating insulin problem, so a glycemically balanced diet is recommended here. Take frequent smaller meals, consisting of essential fats and high fibre. Supplements such as chromium, fenugreek and flax seeds will control levels of blood sugar and insulin. So, to remind you once again of the importance of good nutrition as it makes your life in the gym much easier or the body you have much stronger and healthier!

Speak to Guy about creating a balanced nutrition plan to suit your personal needs with the possible inclusion of testing, and the recommendation of certain herbal supplements. www.successfulhealth.co.uk

Call on 07980 865 892

References:

Your guide to Healthy Hormones 2003 – Dr D Kalish,

The Body Typing Diet 1999 Dr Sandra Cabot

Biosignatures Information 2005 – Poliquin Performance Institute

Dr. Johnson is one of the physicians on the cutting edge of sugar metabolism research today, his focus being on how the overabundance of sugar in the American diet — particularly fructose — is causing obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and a number of other health problems in staggering numbers.

In this lecture, Dr. Johnson takes a more historical approach to obesity and cardiovascular disease, reviewing the important uric acid connection and some interesting evolutionary findings related to the way humans metabolize sugar.

Cardiology is a Relatively NEW Field

Obesity rates have paralleled sugar consumption trends in Western civilization. Although the obesity epidemic is relatively recent, obesity is not a new phenomenon.

In 1860, the prevalence of a BMI (body mass index) of 30 or higher (which defines obesity) was 1.6 percent among 50 year-old men. By 1900, it had tripled, and it has sharply increased over the past century.

Like obesity, hypertension was also rare prior to the twentieth century:

• In 1900, only 5 percent of the population had a blood pressure of 140/90 or higher.
• By 1939, 10 percent of adults had blood pressures above 140/90.
• Today, 31 percent of adults are hypertensive.

Prior to 1940, there was no such thing as a cardiologist because there was no need for them. That was only 70 years ago!

The first reported angina was in 1929. In 1950, there were 500 cardiologists in the United States. Now there are 35,000 — and they perform more than one million heart surgeries annually.

What is driving this eruption of cardiovascular disease?

One key factor: the explosion of sugar in the Western diet.

Sugar used to be quite expensive. It was a nonessential food item reserved mostly for the wealthy. Prior to 1800, Americans were consuming only about 4 pounds of sugar per person, per year. By 1800, that number had increased to 18 pounds as sugar plantations began to emerge. And by 1900, it was 90 pounds.

And sugar consumption has literally exploded since then — our entire society is dependent on a substance that offers no nutritional value at all.

Diabetes Was Linked to Sugar Back in the 1800s

Diabetes has shown similar historical trends.

In 1892, there were just two cases of diabetes per 100,000 people, according to a famous medical textbook by Sir William Osler, The Principles and Practice of Medicine. Today, the rate is 9 percent across all age groups, and sadly one of every three children is either diabetic or pre-diabetic.

When you look at the numbers of adults aged 20 and over, the incidence rate is almost 11 percent. And when you look at seniors aged 60 and up, the prevalence is over 23 percent!

The statistics are even more grim when it comes to the prevalence of pre-diabetes (impaired fasting glucose).

Almost 25 percent of U.K. adults over the age of 20 are pre-diabetics, and more than 35 percent of seniors, 60 and older.

All in all, the reality is that one in every four of us is now either diabetic or pre-diabetic. Even in the 1800s, it was recognized that diabetes was related to sugar consumption.

Dr. Haden Emerson, one of the first epidemiologists and a public health commissioner of New York, wrote a brilliant paper about the rise in diabetes in New York City. In it, he commented that people who got diabetes were wealthy, sedentary, white, and he posed that sugar was driving it, according to the information presented by Dr. Johnson.

Today, the average UK citizen is consuming 60 litres of soda and 60 kg  of sugar-based sweeteners annually. Soda consumption has risen by 70 percent since 1977. Ten to 20 percent of children’s calories come from sugar — and the top 20 percent of sugar-addicted children are getting 40 percent of their calories from sugar every single day.

It is no accident that childhood obesity is at a record high and life expectancy for the youngest generation is, for the first time, lower than that of their parents.

The worst type of sugar you can ingest is fructose, which may surprise you because it is derived from fruit.

Fructose Turns You Into a Uric Acid Factory

It’s been known for ages that meats and purine-rich foods can raise uric acid, but it turns out that one of the most profound ways to raise uric acid is by consuming the simple sugar fructose.

The chemical name for regular table sugar is sucrose, which is made up of two simple sugars, fructose and glucose, that are linked together.

Glucose and fructose are different types of simple sugars. After they are separated apart and broken down in your body they are metabolized using completely separate pathways. Glucose is utilized by every cell in your body — in fact, your body was designed to use it for energy.

But fructose breaks down into a variety of waste products that are bad for your body, one of which is uric acid. As it turns out, uric acid drives up your blood pressure.

How does it do this?

Uric acid inhibits the nitric oxide in your blood vessels, and nitric oxide helps your vessels maintain their elasticity. Nitric oxide suppression leads to increases in blood pressure.

In fact, 17 out of 17 studies demonstrate that elevated uric acid levels lead to hypertension.

Thanks to Dr. Johnson’s research, we now know that fructose generates uric acid within minutes of ingestion. High levels of uric acid are normally associated with gout, but it has been long known that people with high blood pressure and kidney disease, and people who are overweight, often have elevated uric acid levels.

It was thought this increased uric acid resulted from the disease, but it appears now that it may have been CAUSING it!

Not surprisingly, uric acid levels have been increasing for the past hundred years.

When your uric acid level exceeds about 5.5 mg per dl, you have an increased risk for a host of diseases, including:

• Hypertension
• Kidney disease
• Insulin resistance, obesity, and diabetes
• Fatty liver
• Elevated triglycerides, elevated LDL, and cardiovascular disease
• For pregnant women, even preeclampsia

This is exactly why I am so passionate about educating you about the dangers of fructose! I am thoroughly convinced it’s one of the leading causes of a great deal of needless suffering from poor health and premature death.

One of the other professionals who truly opened my eyes and educated me on this issue is Dr. Robert Lustig, Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at University of California in San Francisco.

If you still haven’t watched his very popular and excellent lecture on the dangers of fructose and other sugars, I strongly recommend you take the time to do it. (I’ve published it in two parts. Click here for part 1, and here for part 2.)

Glucose Makes Fructose Even More Potent!

Fructose consumption clearly causes insulin resistance, whereas straight glucose does not. Insulin resistance can eventually lead to full blown diabetes.

Interestingly, glucose actually accelerates fructose absorption. So when you mix glucose and fructose together, you absorb more fructose than if you consumed fructose alone. This is an important piece of information if you are struggling to control your weight.

Remember, sucrose, or table sugar, is exactly this blend — fructose plus glucose.

Is Fruit Bad?

If you are craving something sweet, your best bet is to reach for an apple or a pear. And if you give yourself a sugar holiday for even a couple of weeks, you will be amazed at how much those cravings will decrease. But be sure and count the grams of fructose and keep your total fructose from fruit below 15 grams per day as you are sure to consume plenty of “hidden” fructose in the other foods you will be eating.

You can use the table below to help you count your fructose grams.

My Recommended Fructose Allowance

As a standard recommendation, I strongly advise keeping your TOTAL fructose consumption below 25 grams per day.

However, for most people it would actually be wise to limit your fruit fructose to 15 grams or less, as it is virtually guaranteed you will consume “hidden” sources of fructose from most beverages and just about any processed food.

Fifteen grams of fructose is not much — it represents two bananas, one-third cup of raisins, or just two Medjool dates!

Since the average 33 cl can of soft drink contains 40 grams of sugar, at least half of which is fructose, this can of soda ALONE would exceed your daily allotment of 15 grams — plus it offers you absolutely nothing nutritive, only empty calories.

Reducing sugar in your diet can be tough. After all, sugar is just as addictive as cocaine!

In his book, The Sugar Fix, Dr. Johnson includes detailed tables showing the content of fructose in different foods — an information base that isn’t readily available when you’re trying to find out exactly how much fructose is in various foods. I encourage you to pick up a copy of this excellent resource.

If you feel you must have a sweetener, here are a few guidelines to follow:

• Avoid ALL artificial sweeteners.
• Avoid all conventional agave and high fructose corn syrup
• If you have favorite products that you use PLEASE write the company and tell them to remove the fructose or you will not purchase them in the future. We have been VERY effective as many major companies have already shifted their practice of using HFCS.
• Limit sugar of all types as much as possible. You can buy pure glucose (dextrose) as a sweetener for about £1 per kg, which has none of the adverse effects of fructose if used moderately. It is only 70 percent as sweet as sucrose, so you’ll end up using a bit more of it for the same amount of sweetness, making it slightly more expensive than sucrose — but still well worth it for your health.
• Use high quality agave that has fructose in it’s conjugated from. You can also use raw honey in moderation or avoid it completely as it is 70 percent fructose which is higher than HFCS. However the fructose is not in its free from so that moderates the damage. But each teaspoon of honey has nearly four grams of fructose so you will want to carefully add the total grams of fructose (including fruits) and keep them under 15 grams per day.
• Use regular stevia in moderation, but avoid stevia-based sweeteners like Truvia and PureVia because they have undergone more processing. My favorites are the liquid stevias that are flavored with English Toffee or French Vanilla. Lo Han is another excellent natural herbal sweetener.
• Exercise can be a very powerful tool to help control fructose in a number of ways. If you are going to consume fructose it is BEST to do so immediately before, during or after INTENSE exercise as your body will tend to use it directly as fuel and not convert it to fat Additionally exercise will increase your insulin receptor sensitivity and help modulate the negative effects of fructose. Lastly exercise will also help to blunt your appetite and control your sweet tooth.

If you have fasting insulin levels, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or if you’re overweight, I suggest you avoid all sweeteners, including stevia, since any sweetener can decrease your insulin sensitivity.

A diet high in fructose, a form of sugar found in sweetened soft drinks and junk food, raises blood pressure.

Two recent studies provided the first evidence that fructose helps raise blood pressure. One study further suggested that people who consume junk foods and sweetened soft drinks at night could gain weight faster than those who don’t.

Fructose accounts for about half the sugar molecules in table sugar and in high-fructose corn syrup, the sweetener used in many packaged foods.

Sources:

Reuters September 23, 2009

American Journal of Nephrology August 21, 2009; 30 (5): 399-404

Experimental Physiology June 1, 2009; 94: 648-658

In some circles these days, it’s becoming increasingly fashionable to claim that the many ills attributed to fructose are overblown. After all, you might hear, it’s just sugar, no better or worse than any other sort of sugar, right? It’s a natural substance found in fruit, after all, so how bad could it possibly be?

The delusion that fructose is an acceptable form of sugar is quite prevalent even in many nutritional circles.

You can thank the Corn Refiners Association in the US for that line of thought. The CRA has been pouring millions of dollars into an ad campaign designed to create the notion that fructose, and especially high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), is nothing more than a harmless snack.

This could not be farther from the truth.

Fructose contains no enzymes, vitamins or minerals, and it leeches micronutrients from your body. A mountain of evidence has accumulated demonstrating that it is absolutely terrible for your health.

Fructose and Fruit

It is true that fructose is found in fruit. However, eating small amounts of whole fruit does NOT provide tremendous amounts of fructose and is not be a problem for most people, unless diabetes or obesity is an issue. Berries, especially blueberries, raspberries and cranberries, are some of the healthiest fruits around, as they are loaded with powerful antioxidants — and have relatively small amounts of sugar.

But in fact, you can get too much fructose from fruit sources, especially if you consume your fruit in the form of juice.

When fruit is intact and whole, its fiber will somewhat moderate the release of fructose into your bloodstream, as well as somewhat moderate insulin release. Fruit juice contains little to no fiber — but it does contain about eight full teaspoons of sugar per eight-ounce glass. This fructose is brought rapidly in your body, promoting obesity and other problems. Humans were not meant to drink their calories.

Even Worse Than Table Sugar

Table sugar (sucrose) is far from being a food I recommend; all sugar can cause serious health problems. But the fact is, fructose is the worst of the lot. It is metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar, and, because most fructose is consumed in liquid form, as fruit juice or as soda, its negative metabolic effects are significantly magnified.

Those negative effects include:

• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Metabolic Syndrome
• An increase in triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels
• Liver disease

And now, according to the research described above, it appears that fructose can lead to high blood pressure as well. High blood pressure is a serious health concern that can cause heart disease and increase your risk of having a stroke. It’s especially danger­ous because it often has no warning signs or symptoms.

High Fructose Corn Syrup

Until the 1970’s, most sugar was sucrose derived from sugar beets or sugar cane. But sugar from corn, especially HFCS, is now more popular because it is much less expensive to produce. As a result, the use of HFCS in the U.K. diet increased a staggering 10,673 percent between 1970 and 2005! HFCS also contains nearly twice the fructose of the sugars that came before it.

HFCS is now present in a dizzying array of products, especially processed foods, and it is the sweetener used in most sodas. It is a prime factor behind the current obesity epidemic, which is largely fueled by sugary sweet soft drinks.

Soft drinks are the leading source for calories in many, and the major reason why about 8-9 percent of average dietary energy intake in the United Kingdom now comes from fructose. Think about that — very nearly one in ten calories! Would a meal look healthy to you sitting on your plate if nearly 10 percent of it were pure sugar?

But HFCS isn’t only a problem because it’s a nutrient-free source of endless calories. It also harms organs like your liver and pancreas, leading to bone loss, anemia and heart problems, just to name a few. HFCS has been found to inhibit the action of your immune system’s white blood cells. Unbound fructose, which is found in large quantities in HFCS, can interfere with your heart’s use of minerals such as magnesium, copper and chromium.

Still think fructose is harmless?

Avoiding Fructose

On average we drink an estimated 70 Litres of soda every year, and one extra can of the sweet stuff can add up to 10 kg over the course of a year. Right off the bat, you can greatly reduce your fructose intake by eliminating all soda and sugary drinks from your life.

Since HFCS is present in many processed foods, to avoid it completely you need to focus your diet on whole foods. And if you do purchase any processed foods, make sure you read the label — and put it back on the shelf if it lists high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient.

However, like most areas in life, you want to choose your poisons carefully. Even though fructose is clearly something you want to avoid, except for the small quantities obtained through the moderate consumption of whole fruit, it is not as bad as artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners damage your health even more rapidly than HFCS. So ideally avoid ALL sodas, even diet sodas.

One of the best steps you can take to improve your health is to replace all soda and sweet drinks with pure, clean water. Add regular exercise and stress management habits to your diary.

The song is called Abnormality, something light hearted that you can share with others and hopefully they will have a think about what they are putting in their mouths too.

Especially if it has got to the point where rappers are feeling the need to speak out about this stuff. Ha!

What sort of things that you are eating are ‘effecting your reality’?