Childhood Obesity Campaign: Issues in Health

UPDATE: 4 August, Sugar Cut in Cereals

Remember that most of the big name cereals have been loaded with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) for years.  And also consider that it is the organic brands of cold, boxed cereal that is also loaded with sugar, only they use the organic kind.  Either way you look at it the sugar has to go, the HFCS has to go, and all of the cereals with any GMO grain or other ingredient - like beet sugar that now is about 100% of the market -) nneds to come out of these and any other product containing them.

15% cut in sugar coming in 2011 to Coco Pops

3 February, 2010  Michelle Obama Kicks Off Childhood Obesity Drive
Mrs. Obama is taking on her first substantive policy role in overseeing the Obama administration programs and partnerships dealing with what is considered a national epidemic of childhood obesity.

http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/02/01/michelle-obama-kicking-off-childhood-obesity-drive-feb-9/

My hope is that Michelle addresses the role of vaccines, fluoride, environment, lack of physical education in schools, the USDA food pyramid that promotes obesity, unhealthy school lunches, artificial sweeteners proven to cause obesity, HFCS, soy formula, microwave cooking, GMO soy and canola oil disguised as " plant sterols" and not healthy saturated fat, TV ads and cold cereals, and some of Tom Vilsack's GMO buddies, and more to be concerned with.  We are just a nation of starving children who are malnourished because of the focus of today's government guidelines.


Some 30+ related articles on obesity can be found here at Natural Health News

Originally posted  3/6/09

Somehow I think the lineal thinking process, or lack of any kind of meaningful thinking, is a very real issue as we address the needs for health care change and reform in the US, and of course in the world.

I also think that as long as we have this mind set those who see themselves as power brokers just might not be hitting the target, so to speak.

Try to put a few puzzle pieces together here as I give you food for thought.

First of all, look at the USDA. This is the place where dietitians get their basic education. Since most of this is funded by Big AG is it no wonder RDs end up on the short end when it comes to how this translates to a role in health care delivery. Remembering too that the ADA (American Dietetics Association) wants to control ALL nutrition education, and they support aspartame, sucralose (both known obesity promoters) and the faulty food pyramid.

Luise Light, PhD, the originator of the first food pyramid with real food, might give you more to think about. Her opinion of grains is certainly not the same as ADA or USDA or for that matter, Big AG.

Today, you can read about a culture of bias in ADA education. If it is found in students of dietetics (dietetics is not nutrition) then you can be sure it is in the faculty and the field as well.

Bias Against Obesity Is Found Among Future DietitiansBy Carolyn Colwell Healthday Reporter
Mar 5, 2009

THURSDAY, March 5 (HealthDay News) -- Just 2 percent of those training to be dietitians have positive or neutral attitudes toward people who are obese, and the rest are moderately biased against their prospective patients, a new study has found.

"Essentially, this shows that future dieticians are not immune to weight bias, and there are negative attitudes toward obese patients that may have a negative impact on the quality of care," said Rebecca Puhl, the study's lead author and the director of research and stigma initiatives at Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

Most of the almost 200 dietetic students who participated in the study had pejorative views about the attractiveness, self-control, overeating, insecurity and self-esteem of people who are obese. They also rated obese patients as being less likely than non-obese patients to comply with treatment recommendations. The findings were published in the March issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

But the students aren't alone in their beliefs and share the biases with other health-care providers, Puhl said, adding that other studies have shown that many health professionals have negative perceptions about very overweight patients. Patients have reported "very many examples of providers who really make very stereotypical comments that suggest that they are making assumptions about a patient's character, intelligence or abilities because of their weight," she said.

Other signs of professional insensitivity, Puhl said, include weighing obese patients on freight scales because scales in a doctor's office don't accommodate their weight and not having blood pressure cuffs big enough for a heavy patient.

She said that the attitudes expressed by the dietetic students in the study show a lack of appreciation for how difficult it is to lose weight and for the biological factors involved. Also, the message that obesity results from a lack of self control ignores mounting scientific evidence that it's difficult to lose weight and keep it off for a sustained period of time, she said.

"Most people, when they walk into an office, have already tried to lose weight and, more likely, they've lost weight and regained the weight," Puhl said. "I think a better understanding and appreciation of the complexities and difficulties of weight loss are needed to reduce the stigma."

The 182 students who completed the study were from 14 universities and had been enrolled in an undergraduate dietetics program for about two years. With an average age of 23, 92 percent were women, and 85 percent were white.

The researchers asked the students to respond to questions about a normal-weight male and female and an obese male and female. The people they were asked about shared the same health characteristics except for weight.

Dr. Nicholas H.E. Mezitis, an assistant professor of clinical medicine and nutrition at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, said that the findings might be misleading because of the small number of minority students and the predominance of white females among the participants. "If you get into ethnic communities, such as a black population, they all have different views," he said. In some groups, he explained, being thin might not be seen as desirable.

"We also have to bear in mind that a lot of what these students are reading in magazines and such are taking them to the other extreme," Mezitis said. "What's desirable is very thin, and … these [obese] patients are way on the other extreme."

Lona Sandon, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, added that students' mentors need to provide positive role modeling. "If mentors reflect weight bias, then students are likely to do the same," she said. "In addition, one's own attitudes about body image may influence attitudes towards other's weight."

The study recommends adding stigma reduction to the standard curriculum for dietetics programs. The Obesity Society has more on weight-related bias.

Then we have to give some attention to this announcement of the joint venture between the heart association (AHA), Nickelodeon and Bill Clinton's organization to allegedly fight childhood obesity.

Then consider the Healthy School Lunch Program and what actually took place over a decade ago in Wisconsin, and you have to wonder about why all of this has been taking so long.

Then remember when the push started for the Hepatitis B vaccine? It was pretty clearly established that no long term studies had been done with this vaccine, and it contributed to the development of diabetes and some other scary for parents kinds of issues.

Then, if you recall history, Mr. Bill awarded the developers of the Hepatitis B vaccine the National Technology Award.

Is it guilt, is it greed, or is it that there is a real interest in change this issue for our children.

One has to ask because we haven't seen a response on aspartame even though the FDA knows it causes diabetes and obesity.

And certainly there has to be consideration of cultural concerns because in the American Indian and other ethnic and forgotten communities, nuttrition, diabetes and weight issues are major public health problems.

Now you have some real food for thought.

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Posted in: Appleton WI,aspartame,Bill Clinton,children's health,food pyramid,healthy school lunches,independent health news,natural health news,natural news,obesity,sucralose,vaccines and obesity

E-GADS! Danone Makes This and People Eat It...

I live in a very small, rural community that sponsors a food program each month through our local Grange. Everyone in the community gets a box of food, and our Grange Master delivered my May box today.

I was happy to get rhubarb, mangoes, pears, apples, tomatoes, lettuce, and the organic green beans.

I'll also use some of the canned goods included and then pass on to a family I know, that is in great need, what I won't use.

With the food box was a yogurt six-pack. I enjoy yoghurt and usually make my own or get plain, organic, whole milk or 2% at the health section in my favorite market.

The shock to me was that the six-pack was Dannon.

I started eating Dannon yoghurt about 1954 or thereabouts. At that time this was real yoghurt and it came in flavors like lemon, banana, coffee, prune (which I loved), vanilla, and plain.

Now it is every artificial flavor you could ever think of and it is made with non fat milk so you can't absorb the calcium.

What was so shocking to me in this product, Light & Fit, were the sweetening additives. These included - from the label - Fructose, Sucralose, Aspartame, and Acesulfame potassium (K).

I don't know how anyone could stand that level of artificially produced sweetness. And I don't know how any one in their right mind would ingest such a chemical blend that is made up of very harmful chemicals.

If you read Natural Health News regularly you are aware that we have covered the problems with these artificial sweeteners, the new recombinant stevia/erythritol blends, and fructose.

I'm adding a comment here from a keen resource for the facts on the problematic sweeteners Danone is happy for you to consume -

Yes I will pass it along. That seems to be the new thing, instead of one sweetener they blend several together, like they do now with gum. Isn't one poison enough? At least it was on the label because you remember Mr. Pape from the National Yogurt Assn has petitioned the FDA to allow aspartame in yogurt unlabeled and dairy products. I don't believe a decision has been made. Even Jerome Bressler said that was illegal, but you never put anything pass the FDA. Also, consider the interaction, Maybe they figure it would be hard to tell which one poisoned you. Sucralose is a chlorocarbon poison, and Acesulfame potassium caused cancer and leukemia in original studies. Aspartame, of course, is an addictive excitoneurotoxic carcinogenic, genetically engineered drug and adjuvant.

There was a study in Liverpool some years ago on combing additives. The Liverpool team reported that when mouse nerve cells were exposed to MSG and brilliant blue or aspartame and quinoline yellow in laboratory conditions, combined in concentrations that theoretically reflect the compound that enters the bloodstream after a typical children's snack and drink, the additives stopped the nerve cells growing and interfered with proper signalling systems.http://www.organicconsumers.org/toxic/msg010306.cfm

Unfortunately government agencies ignore the studies done so have full knowledge of what is going on, and do nothing.

All my best,
Betty
www.mpwhi.com, www.dorway.com and www.wnho.net
Aspartame Toxicity Center, www.holisticmed.com/aspartame

At 08:00 PM 5/27/2010, Dr. Gayle wrote:

Hi Betty,

I just received a food delivery and they sent me a six pack of yogurt by Dannon (Danone) made with no fat which means you can't absorb the calcium, and sweetened with a combination of - from the label - "Fructose, Sucralose, Aspartame, and Acesulfame potassium".

Obviously it is a candidate for the trash bin but can you imagine needing that much sweet taste?

Hope you'll pass this along.

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Posted in: acesulfame K,acesulfame potassium,aspartame,Dannon,Danone,fructose,Light and Fit,sucralose

Splenda, Sucralose: What it Does

Just to remind everyone that thinks using this product is good.  And if you are watching A1C you might want to avoid it all together.


Studies have shown that sucralose can:

* Cause the thymus to shrink by as much as 40% (the thymus is your immune powerhouse - it produces T cells)
* Cause enlargement of the liver and kidneys
* Reduce growth rate as much as 20%
* Cause enlargement of the large bowel area
* Reduce the amount of good bacteria in the intestines by 50%
* Increase the pH level in the intestines (a risk factor for colon cancer)
* Contribute to weight gain
* Cause aborted pregnancy low fetal body weight
* Reduce red blood cell count

Particular warning to diabetics:  Researchers found that diabetic patients using sucralose showed a statistically significant increase in glycosylated hemoglobin, a marker that is used to assess glycemic control in diabetic patients. According to the FDA, "increases in glycosolation in hemoglobin imply lessening of control of diabetes."

The Lethal Science of Splenda

Safe Sweetening: natural stevia herb with no additives, Just Like Sugar (see info in right hand column)

Read more »

Posted in: A1C,splenda,splenda danger,Splenda increases A1C,sucralose

ALERT: Splenda to be Senomyx-ed

UPDATE: August 2010 - Now you can have something new to fool your tastebuds, and alter theri ability to properly sense tatse.  Its a product called 'Nevella' that aims to clean up on the probiotic band wagon.  This packet contains dextrose, maltodextrin, sucralose, and baccillus coagulans.  It's also labelled gluten-free to grab profits from unsupecting consumers, and "suitable for people with diabetes".

While high quality probiotics help everyone, sucralose (Splenda) does not.

"Nevella is a brand name for the artificial sweetener sucralose, which is also sold under the name Splenda. Sucralose is produced by treating sugar with chlorine chemicals, resulting in a substance 600 times sweeter than sugar. The official Nevella website states there are no known side effects. Alternative health care providers as well as consumers have expressed concern about possible risks associated with consuming chlorinated sugar, and people have made anecdotal reports of side effects.

"Animal Studies - Many side effects were reported in rats that were fed sucralose during clinical trials.

Much is already known about sucralose.  You can more about it here

Feb 2010 - Senomyx is a flavor enhancer used for salt, sweet and other tastes.  Campbell Soup uses Senomyx.  Often you do not have to be told it is in food you are buying.

S2383 is intended to enhance the taste of sucralose

If you haven't heard about Senomyx think of a flavor enhancer like MSG.  The bad news doesn't stop there, but the FDA says they don't have to label it.  It comes under artificial flavors.  Of course, we've told all consumers never use processed foods, and especially anything that says artificial and/or natural flavors which is where they hid aspartame and MSG.  What is Senomyx made of?  http://www.mpwhi.com/senomyx_sweeter_than_sweet.htm  This is so disturbing I would say to boycott all companies that use it like Nestles and Coke.

We are familiar with sucralose, a chlorocarbon poison.  Here is Dr. James Bowen's paper, The Lethal Science of Splenda:  http://www.wnho.net/splenda_chlorocarbon.htm http://www.wnho.net/splenda_chlorocarbon.htm

So now they are adding Senomyx to Sucralose.  Remember that Dr. Bowen also said when he wrote the above paper that if you go from aspartame to Splenda you will maintain the reactions to aspartame and pick up those from Splenda.  With regard to reports on reactions from Splenda that is just what is happening.  Poison plus poison equal poison and now this disgusting Senomyx is being added which according to the above report starts out with aborted fetus cells.  Be warned.

Read on below:

Dr. Betty Martini, D.Hum, Founder
Mission Possible International
9270 River Club Parkway
Duluth, Georgia 30097
770 242-2599
www.mpwhi.com, www.dorway.com, www.wnho.net
Aspartame Toxicity Center, www.holisticmed.com/aspartame

Senomyx Receives GRAS Determination For S2383 Sucralose Enhancer

Senomyx, Inc., a leading company focused on using proprietary technologies to discover and develop novel flavor ingredients for the food, beverage and ingredient supply industries, announced today that it has been notified by the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) that its sucralose enhancer, S2383, has been determined to be Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) under the provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, administered by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). S2383, which was discovered and developed by Senomyx, is an extremely effective enhancer of the high-intensity sweetener sucralose. The GRAS determination by FEMA allows S2383 to be incorporated into products in the U.S. and in numerous other countries.

"Receiving GRAS determination for our S2383 sucralose enhancer is an important milestone for Senomyx," stated Kent Snyder, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. "Senomyx previously received GRAS status for our savory flavor ingredients, which are currently incorporated into products being marketed by Nestle. In addition to enabling commercialization of our flavor ingredients, these regulatory determinations substantiate Senomyx's discovery, development, and regulatory expertise."

S2383 is intended to enhance the taste of sucralose, a high-intensity sweetener used in a wide variety of beverages and foods such as confectionaries, baked goods, desserts, and dairy products, as well as over-the-counter (OTC) healthcare products and dietary supplements. In taste tests, S2383 allowed the amount of sucralose in product prototypes to be reduced by up to 75% while maintaining the desired sweet taste. By enabling the reduction of sucralose, S2383 may allow manufacturers to decrease their costs of goods and potentially improve the taste characteristics of certain products.

 "The rapid progress made with S2383 is indicative of Senomyx's leadership in the science of taste," noted Mark Zoller, Ph.D., Senomyx's Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President of Discovery and Development. Senomyx scientists have made several key discoveries relating to the human sweet taste receptor and developed patented methods for utilizing the receptor in assays designed to identify new sweet taste enhancers. "S2383 was identified in 2007, and the same methodology resulted in the 2008 discovery of S6973, an exceptionally effective enhancer of sucrose (table sugar). S6973 enables up to 50% reduction of table sugar in numerous food and beverage product prototypes without compromising taste. We are currently conducting development activities needed to support regulatory filings for S6973, and we believe that our experience with S2383 will be helpful as we move forward," Dr. Zoller added.

About Senomyx, Inc. (http://www.senomyx.com>http://www.senomyx.com/) Senomyx is a leading company using proprietary taste receptor technologies to discover and develop novel flavor ingredients in the savory, sweet, salt, bitter, and cooling areas. Senomyx has entered into product discovery and development collaborations with seven of the world's leading food, beverage, and ingredient supply companies: Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Cadbury plc, Campbell Soup Company, The Coca-Cola Company, Firmenich SA, Nestle SA, and Solae. Nestle is currently marketing products that contain one of Senomyx's flavor ingredients. For more information, please visit <http://www.senomyx.com/>http://www.senomyx.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements - Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the capabilities and potential for Senomyx's new flavor ingredients, including S2383 and S6973; Senomyx's plans and ability to commercialize S2383 and to complete the development of S6973; the ability of S2383 and S6973 to reduce the amount of sucralose and sucrose, respectively, in food and beverage products; and the extent to which the company's collaborators or other packaged food and beverage manufacturers will incorporate the company's new flavor ingredients into packaged food and beverage products. Risks that contribute to the uncertain nature of the forward-looking statements include: Senomyx is dependent on its product discovery and development collaborators for all of Senomyx's revenue; Senomyx is dependent on its current and any future product discovery and development collaborators to develop and commercialize any flavor ingredients Senomyx may discover; Senomyx may be unable to develop flavor ingredients useful for formulation into products; new flavor ingredients must undergo safety review and not all new flavor ingredients may be safe for their intended uses; Senomyx or its collaborators may be unable to obtain and maintain the regulatory approval required for flavor ingredients to be incorporated into products that are sold; even if Senomyx or its collaborators receive a regulatory approval and incorporate Senomyx flavor ingredients into products, those products may never be commercially successful; and Senomyx's ability to compete in the flavor ingredients market may decline if Senomyx does not adequately protect its proprietary technologies. These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully in Senomyx's most recently filed SEC documents, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, under the headings "Risks Related to Our Business" and "Risks Related to Our Industry." All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Senomyx undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.

NPICenter.com
http://www.npicenter.com/

Senomyx

Type	Public (NASDAQ: SNMX)
Genre	Biotechnology
Founded	1999
Founder(s)	Lubert Stryer
Headquarters	San Diego, California, USA
Website	http://www.senomyx.com/

Senomyx (Ticker symbol: SNMX) is an American biotechnology company working towards developing additives to make foods taste and smell better. Their website claims that it has essentially reverse engineered the receptors in humans that react for taste and aroma, and they are capitalizing on how these work to make chemicals that will make food appear to taste better.
Senomyx was founded by prominent biochemist Lubert Stryer in 1999. In May 2001 Stryer returned to his professorship at Stanford University and resigned from Senomyx, but continues to be the Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board.
The company developed Substance 951, a "potentiator" used to amplify the sweetness of sugar in food products, thereby allowing the consumer to reduce the amount of sugar used.
The chemistry of Senomyx has drawn criticism from certain people even after it passed FDA regulations. It's ratio in testing was low enough to fall through a certain FDA loophole. Any items containing Senomyx are not required to mention it. They can merely throw it in under active ingredients as "natural flavors".
Using information from the human genome sequence, Senomyx has identified hundreds of taste receptors and currently owns 113 patents on their discoveries. Senomyx collaborates with seven of the world’s largest food companies to further their research and to fund development of their technology. Ajinomoto Co., Inc., Kraft Foods, Cadbury Schweppes, Campbell Soup Company, The Coca-Cola Company, Firmenich SA, Nestlé SA, and Solae all collaborate with Senomyx, but decline to specify where its additives may be found in their many food categories.
Senomyx’s products work by amplifying the intensity of other flavors, such as the salt in Campbell’s soups. The soup maker can reduce the amount of sodium in each can by about one third with the addition of Senomyx’s chemical, and then proudly label the soup “low sodium.” Because very small amounts of the additive are used (reportedly less than 1 part per million) Senomyx’s chemical compounds will not appear on labels, but will fall under the broad category of “artificial flavors.” For the same reason, the company’s chemicals have sped past the FDA’s safety approval process usually required for food additives. Senomyx’s MSG-enhancer earned the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status from the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association, an industry-funded organization, in less than 18 months, which included three months of tests on rats. With public health officials calling for consumers to limit salt and sugar in foods, food manufacturers are scrambling to find ways to reformulate their concoctions with less of the two ingredients they depend upon most for mass taste appeal. Collaboration with Senomyx seems to be the magic bullet: a sodium- and sugar-reduced product with no taste change, and a politically correct “cleaned up” label.
With questions of future safety of the additives now left largely up to chance, Senomyx’s concoctions are quietly finding their way into the global packaged food stream. In fact, according to Senomyx’s website, it “received a positive review by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, which determined that there were no safety concerns with the use of the Company’s savory flavor ingredients in foods. The positive assessment by JECFA is expected to expedite regulatory approvals in a number of countries, particularly those that do not have independent regulatory approval systems.”
Two of Senomyx’s newest innovations include a Cool Flavor Program, which enhances cooling, menthol sensations, and a Bitter Blocker Program. According to Senomyx’s website, the company is collaborating with Solae, the international soy ingredients supplier, “to develop new bitter blockers that better modulate and control bitterness in certain soy-based products.” Senomyx has identified the receptors in the mouth responsible for sensing bitter taste (nature’s way of warning us against ingesting poison) and developed a chemical additive to knock out these receptors when eaten with hydrolyzed soy protein and other soy derivatives. Senomyx’s revenues for the last quarter of 2007 were up 87 percent from the same period in 2006, stock prices are rising and the corporate outlook for 2008 is glowing. CEO Kent Snyder reports that corporate goals include “continuing to achieve significant progress in all of our discovery and development programs such as regulatory approval for our S2383 sucralose enhancer and selection of a sucrose enhancer for regulatory development. We also expect expanded commercialization of food products containing our savory flavor ingredients and additional new business development accomplishments.”^[1]

1. ^ Jack Samuels, Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts, the quarterly magazine of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Spring 2008.

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Posted in: S2383,Senomyx,splenda,sucralose

Soft Drinks and Pancreatic Cancer

Most soda today is made with HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and it seems as if this, along with the very toxic artificial sweeteners used in soda, causes many health problems often not discussed in the media.  It comes as no surprise that soda consumption can lead to this serious disease.  However, don't overlook the use of green tea and risk of pancreatic cancer.

Most HFCS is made from GMO corn and this genetic modification may also be a contributing factor.

The better news is that there are things you can do for pancreatic health, and also for pancreatic cancer naturally.

See also: www.leaflady.org/sweet_but_not_so_innocent.htm
www.leaflady.org/fructose.htm
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/12/dangers-of-hfcs.html

Monday Feb 8,2010 WASHINGTON (Reuters) – People who drink two or more sweetened soft drinks a week have a much higher risk of pancreatic cancer, an unusual but deadly cancer, researchers reported on Monday.
People who drank mostly fruit juice instead of sodas did not have the same risk, the study of 60,000 people in Singapore found.
Sugar may be to blame but people who drink sweetened sodas regularly often have other poor health habits, said Mark Pereira of the University of Minnesota, who led the study.
"The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth," Pereira said in a statement.
Insulin, which helps the body metabolize sugar, is made in the pancreas.
Writing in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, Pereira and colleagues said they followed 60,524 men and women in the Singapore Chinese Health Study for 14 years.
Over that time, 140 of the volunteers developed pancreatic cancer. Those who drank two or more soft drinks a week had an 87 percent higher risk of being among those who got pancreatic cancer.
Pereira said he believed the findings would apply elsewhere.
"Singapore is a wealthy country with excellent healthcare. Favorite pastimes are eating and shopping, so the findings should apply to other western countries," he said.
But Susan Mayne of the Yale Cancer Center at Yale University in Connecticut was cautious.
"Although this study found a risk, the finding was based on a relatively small number of cases and it remains unclear whether it is a causal association or not," said Mayne, who serves on the board of the journal, which is published by the American Association for Cancer Research.
"Soft drink consumption in Singapore was associated with several other adverse health behaviors such as smoking and red meat intake, which we can't accurately control for."
Other studies have linked pancreatic cancer to red meat, especially burned or charred meat.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer, with 230,000 cases globally. In the United States, 37,680 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in a year and 34,290 die of it.
The American Cancer Society says the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer patients is about 5 percent.
Some researchers believe high sugar intake may fuel some forms of cancer, although the evidence has been contradictory. Tumor cells use more glucose than other cells.
One 12-ounce (355 ml) can of non-diet soda contains about 130 calories, almost all of them from sugar.
(Editing by John O'Callaghan)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100208/hl_nm/us_cancer_pancreas_sodas/print

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Posted in: aspartame,diet soda,pancreatic cancer,soda,soft drinks,splenda,sucralose,sugar

The Lethal Science of Splenda

UPDATE: 1/20/10  Truvia complaints  

UPDATE: 1/13/10
Not only is Splenda a risk to the health of people who use it, it seems as if it is a health risk to everyone because it is not cleared by water treatment systems. Note, however, that *the science proves that sucralose is broken down in the human body* and this is not reported by the writer in the article that follows.

That Splenda you're drinking will be in our water supply for awhile
By Laura Vanderkam

WASHINGTON, D.C.—People like sucralose—the artificial sweetener marketed as Splenda—because the human body *can’t break it down* and use it. That means the substance has almost no calories and makes it a popular ingredient in everything from cookies to diet sodas. Unfortunately, it turns out that modern wastewater treatment methods don’t break down Splenda either.

That, according to Smitha Ramakrishna, 17, one of 40 finalists in the 2009 Intel Science Talent Search who’ve gathered in Washington, DC, for the final judging rounds this week, means that the sweetener can accumulate in the water supply after people excrete it, potentially harming fish and other living things.

Ramakrishna, a senior at Corona del Sol High School in Chandler, Arizona, first became interested in water issues on a trip to India when she was 12. Her parents took her to an orphanage. She was appalled by the poverty—the lack of tables and chairs for eating, for instance—but what struck her most is that these children didn’t even have access to clean water. In Arizona, despite an ongoing drought, “you turn on the tap and it’s there,” she says. “You take it for granted.”

She came home and, despite her tender years, started an organization called AWAKE, dedicated to water conservation and education. Over the years, AWAKE has helped 3,000 kids in India gain access to clean water through reverse osmosis projects and rainwater harvesting systems.

By high school, however, Ramakrishna decided she wanted to focus more on the science of clean water, and less on the policy. She tried to start doing research at Arizona State University, though since she was the first high schooler her lab had ever had—and she was under age 16—this caused much controversy. “It’s almost child labor,” she says, laughing, explaining the problem. The case went all the way up to the university president’s office. But eventually she was allowed to subject sucralose to various treatments, like bacterial digestion, typically used in wastewater treatment plants. She found that sucralose resisted most of these treatments, and was only broken down into biodegradable molecules with extensive time and concentration of titanium oxide and ultraviolet light. Since few plants use these methods, that means almost all the sucralose people eat or drink winds up in the ecosystem.

It’s too soon yet to say what that will cause. Preliminary studies, Ramakrishna says, suggests that sucralose might poison fish in large enough concentrations. She plans to study this question more in college, potentially at A.S.U., where she continues to work—as do more than 10 high school students, now that she’s broken the barrier. “It’s opened a whole new door,” she says.

Originally posted 12/16/09 (2/52,000 in AOL search): Studies have shown that sucralose can:

* Cause the thymus to shrink by as much as 40% (the thymus is your immune powerhouse - it produces T cells)

* Cause enlargement of the liver and kidneys

* Reduce growth rate as much as 20%

* Cause enlargement of the large bowel area

* Reduce the amount of good bacteria in the intestines by 50%

* Increase the pH level in the intestines (a risk factor for colon cancer)

* Contribute to weight gain

* Cause aborted pregnancy low fetal body weight

* Reduce red blood cell count

Particular warning to diabetics: Researchers found that diabetic patients using sucralose showed a statistically significant increase in glycosylated hemoglobin, a marker that is used to assess glycemic control in diabetic patients. According to the FDA, sucralose "increases in glycosolation in hemoglobin imply lessening of control of diabetes."

Here's a quote from another article - Among the results in the study by Drs. Mohamed B. Abou-Donia, Eman M. El-Masry, Ali A. Abdel-Rahman, Roger E. McLendon and Susan S. Schiffman is evidence that, in the animals studied, Splenda reduces the amount of good bacteria in the intestines by 50%, increases the pH level in the intestines, contributes to increases in body weight and affects the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in the body in such a way that crucial health-related drugs could be rejected. Turner noted that the P-gp effect "could result in crucial medications used in chemotherapy for cancer patients, AIDS treatment and drugs for heart conditions being shunted back into the intestines rather than being absorbed by the body as intended."

Even limited use of diet soda is known to damage kidney function

"Two or more servings per day of artificially sweetened soda and faster kidney function decline; no relation between sugar-sweetened beverages and kidney function decline was noted.” Moreover, this association persisted even when the researchers accounted for age, obesity, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, physical activity, calorie intake, diabetes and cigarette smoking. Clearly, artificially sweetened sodas are detrimental to kidney health."

Other studies have shown it is linked to cancer and has led to kidney calcification.

There are 35 articles with important information about sucralose and aspartame as well as toxicity of new so-called "natural" sweeteners you can read in Natural Health News.

We suggest using safe sweeteners like "Just Like Sugar".  For more information look for their logo in the right hand column of our BLOG.  Pure extract of stevia is also safe, and can be ordered from us.  You must make sure that any stevia product you purchase is pure, not combined with other harmful ingredients.

And from 2006 -

KOMO TV - Seattle, Herb Weisbaum, Published April 9, 2006

SEATTLE - An investigation by the Environmental Working Group, a well-respected consumer organization, finds high levels of benzene contamination in diet soda.

Benzene is a known cancer causer, something you do not want in your food.

The EWG based its report on data collected by the Food and Drug Administration from 1995 through 2001. It showed that 79 percent of the diet soda samples tested during this six-year period "were contaminated with benzene at levels above the federal limit for benzene in tap water."

The average benzene level found in the diet soda was 19 parts per billion, nearly 4 times higher than the tap water standard which is 5 parts per billion. No brands were identified by the FDA, so I can't tell you which pop they tested.

The Environmental Working Group is not suggesting people stop drinking soft drinks. It does want the FDA to make its test reports public and to take action when manufacturers violate the established safety standards.

The EWG did criticize the FDA for making statements that the benzene levels it found were "insignificant" and "do not suggest a safety concern."

The consumer group says benzene is more likely to be formed when soda pop is stored at warm temperatures for long periods of time.

Read more...

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Posted in: diabetes,splenda,sucralose

Diabetes and Pollution

A recent study published in Diabetes Care found a strong relationship between Type II diabetes and six pollutants:

• a PCB: hexachlorobiphenyl

• 2 dioxins: heptadioxin and OCDdioxin

• 2 pesticides: oxychlordane and trans-nonachlor, and

• a pesticide metabolite: DDE, a metabolite of DDT*

The contaminants were detectable in more than 80 percent of the study participants. The study found that participants who were in the highest-exposure category were almost 38 times more likely to have diabetes than those in the lowest-exposure category.

An obvious way to reduce the amount of pollutants ingested (some estimates have the average American taking in nearly a gallon of the chemicals each year) is to eat organically grown foods* instead of those grown conventionally with pesticides and herbicides.

*DDT is to be noted because sucralose (Splenda) is a chlorinated hydrocarbon, with some similarities to DDT in chemical structure.

* To reduce contaminants in conventional foods, order “FOOD SAFETY: CLEANSING OPTIONS”.
The second and expanded edition of this Healthy Handout© is full of tried and true, helpful information based on our more than 50 years of “natural healing through natural health”.
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With all orders placed through 31 December, 2009 ‘TOC’ will include a complimentary copy of our Healthy Food Guide. Once payment is received you’ll receive your electronic copy by email.
© 2009 TOC. All Rights Reserved.

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Posted in: diabetes,pollution,splenda,sucralose

SOFT drinks with artificial sweeteners and kidney damage

As we have said for decades on aspartame, and in the past several years on Splenda (sucralose, which has already shown it calcifies the kidneys) - artificial sweeteners  have a serious health impact on the kidneys.   Time will tell about Truvia and similar erythritol based products.

SOFT drinks with artificial sweeteners could cause kidney damage, according to new research.

By Lucy Johnston

Just two colas or sodas a day were found to double the risk of a faster-than-average decline in kidney function, ­scientists said. However, this problem was not linked to drinks that had been sweetened with sugar.

The researchers in the United States looked at the effect of fizzy drinks on more than 3,000 women, comparing those who consumed artificially sweetened drinks with those whose drinks were sweetened with sugar. They took into account factors such as age, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, and heart disease.

But the survey looked only at older white women. The scientists admitted that it was not clear whether their findings also applied to men or people of different ethnic backgrounds.

Dr Julie Lin, who co-led the survey, with a team from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, said: “While more study is needed, our research suggests that higher sodium and artificially sweetened soda intake is associated with greater rate of decline in kidney function.”

The research, presented last week at the American Society of Nephrology’s annual conference in San Diego, California, was carried out as part of a major health and lifestyle investigation in the US.

A spokesman for the Beverage Association, which represents soft drink manufacturers, said it was too soon to comment on the research as it had not yet been properly evaluated by other scientists.

However, he did point out that the two main causes of chronic kidney disease were diabetes and high blood pressure “not consumption of diet soda”.

Here in Britain, the artificial sweetener aspartame is coming under more scrutiny. The government watchdog, the Food Standards Agency, is calling for volunteers to help test claims that aspartame, used in more than 4,000 products, causes illnesses.

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Posted in: aspartame,diet soda,kidney damage,splenda danger,sucralose

Splenda Lawsuit Agreement Not to be Disclosed

Yes sucralose, or Splenda, is a chlorinated hydrocarbon first developed as an insecticide. We certainly wonder why the terms of the settlement are confidential as the data may impact consumer health and should be public.

I does have some untoward effects on health which may have been concealed from the FDA at the time the manufacturer was seeking approval.

Splenda is known to cause seizures, shrinkage of the thymus gland, effects endocrine function, may lead to liver swelling and calcification of the kidneys. The chemical structure is 1,6chloro-1,6-dideoxy-beta-D-fructofuranosyl-4-chloro-4-deoxy-alpha-D-galactopyranoside. More information on sucralose can be found here: Holistic Med.

Safeer and natural sweeteners are agave, Just Like Sugar or stevia.

McNeil Nutritionals and the Sugar Association Inc. jointly announced Monday that they have reached a settlement of a lawsuit regarding the sugar substitute Splenda marketed by McNeil.

Terms of the settlement are being kept confidential.

The association sued McNeil in 2004 claiming McNeil falsely promoted Splenda as a natural product “made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar.” The association argued in its lawsuit that Splenda is actually a chlorinated, artificial sweetener.

McNeil filed its own lawsuit against the Sugar Association in 2005 accusing the association of conducting a “smear campaign” against Splenda and creating a Web site, truthaboutsplenda.com, that contained allegedly false statements about the product.

The details of the settlement agreement have been filed at U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

The Sugar Association, a Washington, D.C., trade group that represents the sugar industry, and McNeil said they have agreed to make no additional comments on the terms of the settlement.

McNeil Nutritionals, of Fort Washington, Pa., is a division of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) of New Jersey.

Philadelphia Business Journal - November 17, 2008
http://philadelphia.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/stories/2008/11/17/daily13.html
© American City Business Journals Inc.

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Posted in: health news,natural health news,natural news,settlement,splenda,splenda danger,sucralose