June 20, 2018

Liver Recovers Faster On Low-Sugar

Liver damage caused by diet high in fat, sugar and cholesterol may be difficult to reverse even if the diet is generally improved, a new study shows. The damage can also lead to more serious health problems, such as cirrhosis or even cancer, the study says. For more significant liver recovery, the intake of sugar has to come down, probably along with other improvements in diet and exercise, said Donald Jump, a professor at Oregon State University in US. Researchers found that diets low in fat and cholesterol could, in fact, help with weight loss, improved metabolism and health. But, […]
February 6, 2018

Is Sugar Responsible For Obesity and Diabetes Epidemics?

Gary Taubes, journalist and author, argues that sugar could be a fundamental cause of the global obesity and diabetic epidemics, with detrimental effects on the human body. Bringing the matter to forefront, Taubes emphasises that “we must do more to discourage consumption while we improve our understanding of sugar’s role” which according to him goes beyond just empty calories. Taubes further writes that it has long been suspected by the doctors that sugar is a fundamental cause of obesity and type 2 diabetes. But until recently, the ideas of fat consumption and total energy balance have taken over the debate […]
December 29, 2017

The Sugar Industry’s Deceptive Practices

Readers of What’s Hot may recall an article published in 2016 which revealed the inclusion of publications provided by the Sugar Research Foundation (SRF) in the composition of a 1967 review that blamed fat for the coronary heart disease epidemic. In an article that appeared on November 21, 2017 in PLOS, Christin E. Kearns and colleagues examined SRF-funded Project 259. As part of Project 259, researchers at the University of Birmingham evaluated the relationship between dietary carbohydrates and blood lipids in bacteria-free rats. The study found that there was a significant decrease in serum triglycerides in germ free rats that received a high sugar diet […]
November 20, 2017

The Salt Fix – Did the Experts Get It Wrong?

We’ve all heard the recommendation: eat no more than a teaspoon of salt a day for a healthy heart. But there’s one big problem with this: the vast majority of us don’t need to eat low-salt diets. In fact, for most of us, more salt would be better for our health, rather than less — not to mention, much tastier. Now, Dr. James DiNicolantonio’s new book, The Salt Fix: Why the Experts Got It All Wrong—and How Eating More Might Save Your Life, reveals the incredible, often baffling story of how salt became unfairly demonized—a never-before-told, century-spanning drama of competing […]
July 18, 2017

Poor Diet May Fuel Alzheimer’s Disease

The University of Southern California issued the following news release: A diet high in cholesterol, fat and sugar may influence the development of Alzheimer’s disease in people who carry the ApoE4 gene, a leading risk factor for the memory-erasing disease, indicates a new USC study. The study on mice, published June 12 in the journal eNeuro, is the latest to explore the association between obesity and Alzheimer’s disease, both of which are associated with inflammation and both of which affect millions of people. For the study, researchers at the USC Davis School of Gerontology compared the effects of a poor […]
May 2, 2017

Guilty as Charged: A Case Against Sugar

In recent years, we have learned that warnings about some dietary fats like butter and coconut oil were misinformed, while the dangers of sugar were underplayed. Among the leading advocates for this reappraisal is Gary Taubes, an investigative journalist who has been reporting on nutrition since the late 1990s. His third book on the topic of diet and health, The Case Against Sugar, is fleshed out with four decades’ worth of research. There is a growing consensus in the medical community that a condition known as “metabolic syndrome” is perhaps the greatest predictor of heart disease and diabetes. Signs of the […]
March 7, 2017

Drinking Soda: Do Things Really Go Better?

Pop, soda, or soda pop, whichever name you prefer, let’s face it, is an American icon. I, like many of my patients, grew up with it and couldn’t get enough of that ice cold blast of sugary delight hitting the back of my dry throat after playing outside on a hot summer day. Who can forget all those rainbow colored, knee-high glass bottles of soda with the delicious fruity names and flavors? Years ago, soda was considered a once in a while treat. Today, it’s become a staple in our refrigerators. Americans consume an incredible 160 gallons of soda a […]
October 24, 2016

Sugar Pumpkins Make a Great Sidekick

Even living in sunny California during fall and winter when the days are shorter and a little bit chilly, I like to prepare hearty, cool-weather produce that also happens to fall into the “superfoods” category. On the top of my list is pumpkin. Their many disease fighting and anti-aging properties make them a perfect go-to food during the cold, dark winter months. You may only associate pumpkins with Halloween, but fresh pumpkins are available from October through February. Pumpkins contain cucurbitacin, a steroid-like anti-inflammatory compound that may inhibit cancer cells. They are also loaded with carotenoids, which enhance the appearance […]
October 10, 2016

How The Sugar Industry Shifted Blame To Fat

An article appearing on September 12, 2016 in JAMA Internal Medicine brings to light new information on an old topic—the role of diet in coronary heart disease (CHD). By investigating archival documents at the University of Illinois, researchers at the University of California San Francisco discovered that a review published in 1967 in the New England Journal of Medicine that pointed a finger at fat and cholesterol was funded by the Sugar Research Foundation, although this fact was not disclosed. (Full disclosure of all conflicts of interest concerning an article has been required by the New England Journal of Medicine […]