A Teaspoon of Sugar!

Do you know sugar also depletes your immune system? Added sugar causes a myriad of problems. Get your sweet from fresh fruits. Artificial sweetners come with their own set of controversy - stay away from them.

Here are some comments regarding sugar usage from Dr. Stephen Chaney.

To Your Health,
Lisa


Who can forget that Mary Poppins song "A teaspoon of sugar makes the medicine go down".

Well that teaspoon has become a tablespoon - and then some!

A recent study has shown that 84% of our teens are consuming a extra 356 calories a day from sweetened beverages such as sodas, fruit punches & sports drinks compared to teens just 16 years ago (Pediatrics, 121:
1604-1614, 2008).

And it isn't just teens. Children ages six to 11 consumed 20 percent more calories from sugar-sweetened beverages in 1999-2004 compared with the 1988 to 1994 period.

A 2006 Pediatrics study published by the same authors indicates that the obesity epidemic in children is caused by an energy gap of just 110-165 excess calories per day.

The causes of the obesity epidemic in our children are multifactorial - but it is clear that sugar-laden drinks are part of the problem.

Now you may have heard that the soft drink manufacturers are coming to our rescue.

They have pledged to replace all of the sugar-laden sodas, fruit punches & sports drinks in our children's schools with the sugar-free versions.

Problem solved you might say...but it's not so simple.

As I told you in an earlier "Health Tips From The Professor" a recent study has shown that sugar free sodas are just as likely to lead to weight gain as the sugar-containing varieties.

We don't fully understand why, but the sugar-free sodas appear too increase our appetite for all of the other junk foods that are out there.

The best drink is - as it always was - water!


To Your Health!
Dr. Stephen G Chaney