HealthBeat News

Category: Weight Loss

  • The Deadly Poison in Soda Pop

    The Deadly Poison in Soda Pop

     

    By Dr. Dana Myatt

     

    Soda pop is slop. Regular and diet – both are poisonous. File this under “more good reasons to avoid soda pop.”

     

    Tooth decay, overweight, diabetes and osteoporosis are the lesser problems associated with soda pop consumption. But there is an even more sinister side to America’s favorite beverage. Benzene, a highly toxic compound that can cause liver cirrhosis, Parkinson’s disease and accelerated aging — is found in many sodas. In my opinion, soda pop is one of the most harmful beverages a person can drink. Let’s review the evidence.

    Each 12-ounce can of soda pop contains between 10 and 12 teaspoons of sugar. The increase in soda pop consumption parallels our current epidemic of obesity, overweight and diabetes.

    Soda pop rots teeth, but it is not the sugar alone that causes this. The acidity of soda pop combined with high sugar levels form a tooth-destroying combination.

    Phosphates in soda pop, combined with the fact that soda often replaces calcium-containing drinks like milk, are associated with an increased risk of bone loss. Further, a recent study suggests that these high levels of phosphates may accelerate the aging process and even shorten lifespan.

    “Diet” pop comes with it’s own dangers – all of the above, plus the synthetic sweeteners that the drinks are filled with.

    • Cyclamates were popular sweeteners for a time but have been banned in the U.S. for their ability to cause cancer.
    • Aspartame, perhaps the most popular artificial sweetener in use today, has a long list of reported ill effects – not the least of which are neurological. In addition to headaches, various neuropsychiatric disorders including panic attacks, mood changes, visual hallucinations, manic episodes, and dizziness have been ascribed to it’s consumption.
    • Saccharine is less frequently used these days, and is suspected to be a carcinogen by some authorities.
    • Splenda (aka sucralose), a chlorocarbon or “chlorinated sugar” is becoming popular in diet soda formulations. The FDA insists that it is safe, but a number of experts disagree claiming that it has been found to shrink thymus glands (important for immunity) and produce liver inflammation in rats and mice. One researcher even likens this molecule to it’s chemical cousin DDT for it’s ability to damage cells.
    • Acesulfame potassium or Ace K is another new kid on the artificial sweetener block, and again the makers and the FDA insist that it is perfectly safe. Some critics are not so sure though, citing concerns over possible increased rates of cancer. A study by The National Toxicology Program showed no increased cancer risks in rats fed very large amounts of the sweetener. There is also concern that Ace K causes increased insulin secretion which could lead to blood sugar dysregulations.

    There is even research that suggests that diet sodas can actually cause an increase in obesity and overweight.

    There are a very few diet sodas sweetened with safer xylitol (a sugar alcohol) or stevia (an herb with a long history of safe use) but these are relatively rare and even though their sweeteners are thought to be safe, they may still contain phosphates and sodium benzoate.

    Most soda contains the chemical preservative sodium benzoate. Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is another common additive. When sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid interact, the highly toxic chemical benzene is formed. Benzene is an aggressive carcinogen, even in minute amounts. And drink which contains both sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid can contain benzene.

    But now there is more evidence which suggests that sodium benzoate by itself can cause DNA damage. Research from Sheffield University in Britain shows that sodium benzoate, a common preservative in soda pop, pickles, sauces, and many other “food stuffs,” has the ability to shut off vital parts of DNA known as the “mitochondria.”

    Mitochondria are the “power stations” inside the cell. According to lead researcher Piper, “These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: They knock it out altogether.”

    When the mitochondria are damaged, the cell begins to malfunction in a serious way. Conditions such as Parkinson’s, cirrhosis of the liver, and accelerated aging, can be linked to this type of cellular damage.

    Here’s the bottom line. We have no idea how many of these “harmless” artificial ingredients and chemical preservatives in our food can cause disease. Short-term effects are studied in the lab but long-term effects are unknown until the public acts as “guinea pigs” by consuming these chemicals for many years.

    To protect yourself, avoid soda pop, period. Eat more “real” (unprocessed) food. Look for “sodium benzoate” on food labels and when you see it (as they say on the TV “Cop Shows”), set the product down and back away slowly, and no one gets hurt.

    Soda Pop destroys teeth with it’s high acid content:

    Product Acid (Low=BAD) Sugar per 12 oz
    Pure Water 7.00 (neutral) 0.0
    Barq’s 4.61 10.7 tsp.
    Diet Coke 3.39 0.0
    Mountain Dew 3.22 11.0 tsp.
    Gatorade 2.95 3.3 tsp
    Coke Classic 2.63 9.3 tsp.
    Pepsi 2.49 9.8 tsp.
    Sprite 3.42 9.0
    Diet 7-Up 3.67 0.0
    Diet Dr. Pepper 3.41 0.0
    Surge 3.02 10.0
    Gatorade 2.95 3.3
    Hawaiian Fruit Punch 2.82 10.2
    Orange Minute Maid 2.80 11.2
    Dr. Pepper 2.92 9.5
    BATTERY ACID 1.00 0.0
    Source: Minnesota
    Dental Association*    		    

    The threshold pH for tooth enamel dissolution is 5.5.

    Nurse Mark Adds: You may be interested to know that our mighty, ever-vigilant, and ever-protective FDA (which we think really stands for “Fleece and Dope Americans”) sets no limits to benzene in any beverages sold in America except bottled water – this according to the FDA’s own website! Unbelievable, but true – the FDA is happy to let the soda pop industry “develop guidance” that it claims will “minimize” (not eliminate, just “minimize“) benzene in it’s products.

    References:

    1.) Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity: a prospective, observational analysis. Lancet 2001;357:505–8.
    2.) Soft drink consumption among US children and adolescents: nutritional consequences. J Am Diet Assoc 1999;99:436–41.
    3.) Carbonated beverages, dietary calcium, the dietary calcium/phosphorus ratio, and bone fractures in girls and boys. J Adolescent Health 1994;15:210–5.
    4.) Consumption of soft drinks with phosphoric acid as a risk factor for the development of hypocalcemia in children: a case-control study. J Pediatr 1995;126:940–2.
    5.) Phosphates and caries. Lancet 1968;i:1431.[letter]
    6.) Beverage ingredients can form carcinogen. Consum Rep. 2006 Oct;71(10):7.
    7.) Benzene in beverages. FDA Consum. 2006 Sep-Oct;40(5):9-10.
    8.) Caution: Some soft drinks may seriously harm your health: Expert links additive to cell damage. The Independent, Sunday, 27 May 2007
    9.)  James Bowen, M.D. The Lethal Science of Splenda
    10.) Olney, J. (1994). “Excitotoxins in Foods”. Neurotoxicology 15 (3): 535–544.
    11.) Olney JW, Ho OL (August 1970). “Brain damage in infant mice following oral intake of glutamate, aspartate or cysteine”. Nature 227 (5258): 609–11.
    12.) Ferland A, Brassard P, Poirier P. (2007). “Is aspartame really safer in reducing the risk of hypoglycemia during exercise in patients with type 2 diabetes?”. Diabetes Care. 30 (7): e59
    13.) Mutsuko Ohnishi, M Shawkat Razzaque. “Dietary and genetic evidence for phosphate toxicity accelerating mammalian aging”. FASEB J. 2010 Apr 23. [Epub ahead of print]
    14.) DeNoon, Daniel J. Reviewed by Charlotte Grayson Mathis MD. “Drink More Diet Soda, Gain More Weight? Overweight Risk Soars 41% With Each Daily Can of Diet Soft Drink”, WebMD Medical News (2005).
    15.) Swithers SE, Davidson TL (2008). “A role for sweet taste: calorie predictive relations in energy regulation by rats”. Behav Neurosci 122 (1): 161–73.
    16.) Public Health Service. “Toxicity Studies of Acesulfame Potassium”. Retrieved 30 March 2008.     

  • Please, Doctor, Tell Me The Pill That Will Make Me Slim!

    Please, Doctor, Tell Me The Pill That Will Make Me Slim!

    By Dr. Myatt

     

    Nurse Mark Forward: We get many, many inquiries about “magic formulas” that folks read and hear about. These come-on’s are most especially targeted at the overweight and almost universally promise “effortless” weight loss – all one needs to do is drink the magic tea or swallow the magic supplement and then sit back and relax while “a new, slim, healthy you” emerges as “the pounds drop away” at a satisfying rate. Ha! For those who really believe such stuff, I just happen to have a nice piece of ocean-front property in Arizona that I could make a great deal on!

    For the rest of you, here is Dr. Myatt’s recent reply to one of our patients who had the good sense to question the hyped-up claims for weight loss products that she’d been recently bombarded with.

     

    Hi Jo:

    Miracle cures for overweight don’t exist, although I know hope springs eternal in the mind of most dieters. Ads are filled right now with products that promise “two pounds a week weight loss without diet changes or exercise.” Yeah, right. In your dreams. And mine.

    Ever notice how all these “miracles” come in waves, one promise following another? Hoodia, irvingia, fucoxanthin, starch blockers, cha de burge tea and on and on the recent list goes. In my twenty-one years of medical practice (yup, 21 as of 2010!) I have never once had a patient who lost weight simply by taking a pill of anything. Even thyroid replacement in a patient who is truly thyroid deficient doesn’t magically make fat go away. Diet and exercise are still the mainstays of weight loss.

    In the midst of all this disappointing hype, however, there really are several supplements that can improve weight loss / dieting success when used correctly. Here’s the scoop.

    Chromium, an essential trace mineral, has been found to be indispensable when a person is chromium deficient, but it has little effect when someone isn’t deficient. People who are diabetic, hypoglycemic or insulin insensitive (syndrome X) fall into the category of those most likely to benefit from additional chromium. Instead of expensive testing, I recommend 1,000mcg of chromium per day for a two-month trial. Chromium at this dose is safe and effective. Find Chromium here.

    Modifilan, a product made from a specific type of seaweed, helps keep metabolic rate from dropping during dieting. Although it contains fucoxanthin, a substance purportedly helpful in weight loss, I believe the “real magic” is the bio-available iodine which promotes normal thyroid function.

    This product is also a potent detoxifying agent and detox is crucial during weight (fat) loss. Many toxins are stored in fat cells and these will be released as fat is released. Modifilan helps bind up these toxins so they don’t simply “re-intoxicate” and make you feel crummy during weight loss. This double-duty benefit can be a real boon to dieters. Find Modifilan here.

    Chitosan, a fibrous material derived from the outer shell of crustaceans, binds up fat and prevents if from being absorbed. Not only that, but it is also useful for binding many types of toxins. It does this “bind up toxins” so well that newer research shows it to be useful for those with damaged kidneys. I have even used it successfully in kidney patients on dialysis and the result was that they needed less dialysis! It also helps lower cholesterol levels (as all fiber does).

    Back to weight loss. If 6 caps of chitosan are taken with a high-fat meal, some of the fat will be carried out of the body instead of winding up on your hips. This allows for some high-fat “cheats” without consequence.

    I don’t recommend chitosan with every meal, because it can also bind up the good fats and fat-soluble vitamins that we need. But using it once a day or taken with high fat meals can be most helpful.

    One note. Chitosan was promoted several years ago for weight loss (as oh-so-many products are), but this one didn’t sell well. It is becoming increasingly harder to find chitosan for this reason. Don’t let its lack of availability fool you. This really is one product that can serve a dieter well, both for detoxification and fat-binding. Find Chitosan here.

    Myatt bread and Myatt muffins, with their off-the-charts fiber content, no flour or grains, ease and speed of preparation and great flavor and texture, are a dieter’s best friend. I recommend that you eat one or better yet two of these per day. They will help you feel satisfied and make a great bread substitute. In your case, they will also help keep your cholesterol in check.

    Here is the recipe for Myatt Bread

    Here is the recipe for Myatt Muffins

    I pre-mix the dry ingredients to make 20 servings, then keep the pre-mix in the freezer. Doing it this way, I can whip out a muffin or fresh bread in under five minutes including cooking time. Yes, you read that right. (Use your microwave oven. It’s a wonderful kitchen appliance and all the “scare stories” you may have heard are unfounded). Or bake ’em the “hard way” in the oven and waste energy if you prefer. Whatever.

    The recommended ingredients can be found here:

    For bread:

    Recommended ingredients:

    Psyllium

    Flax seed

    For blueberry muffins, also add these ingredients:

    Red Alert

    E-Z- Fiber

    Remember that you need a high-quality, optimal dose multiple vitamin/mineral supplement all the time, but especially when cutting calories or carbs. A deficiency of any single nutrient can slow metabolic processes and delay weight (fat) loss. I’m partial to my own Maxi Multi, one of the most complete daily supplement available. Find Maxi Multi here.

    __________

    Non-supplement stuff.

    Exercise is an important factor in weight loss, not only for its calorie-burning benefit but also because it increases metabolism. A muscular person at rest burns more calories than a fat person at rest. Exercises also decreases appetite and increases “feel good” hormone levels. This serves as a natural appetite suppressant and anti-depressant. Most people who are successful with weight loss and long-term maintenance rely on exercise as an important part of their program. Weight training is especially important for those over 50 in order to re-build muscle mass.

    ____________

    There you have it, my highest recommendations for supplemental nutrition that can aid you in your weight (fat) loss attempts. Please keep me posted about your progress and let me know if you have other questions.

  • GERD: Gone! Hypertension: Gone! Overweight: Gone! A Healthy Success Story.

    By Nurse Mark

    We love a good success story!

    Charles is one of many happy stories we hear – he booked a Brief Telephone Consultation with Dr. Myatt last December and it looks like he really received his "money’s-worth"!

    I remember Charles – he was overweight, and had a bunch of other health problems including GERD and hypertension. After he spoke with Dr. Myatt he got serious about his diet and his digestive health – he ordered a Gastric Acid Self-Test and some supplements.

    He sent in an order today for more Maxi Multi vitamins, and included this happy comment with his order:

    I’m off Prevacid – off Diovan and have now lost 67 lbs total since Christmas!  Taking max-multis to supplement days that I have nutrient deficient meals.

    Woo-Hoo!  High-Five! Way to go Charles!

    Now, here’s a hot tip – every day is "nutrient deficient meals" day. Please check out Dr. Myatt’s article Vitaminless Vegetables to learn more about the sorry state of our modern food supply and why everyone should be taking full doses of an optimal dose multiple vitamin like Maxi Multi every single day.

    Oh, and Charles? Howzabout sending us some before and after pictures?

  • Got Belly Fat? Beat The Risk!

    The Surprisingly High Risk of Belly Fat

    by Dr. Dana Myatt

    Ever see a man or woman with normal-sized legs and lower body but with a belly that sticks out like they’re nine months pregnant with triplets? I call this a "carbo belly" (some call it a beer belly; beer-loving Nurse Mark calls it a "Miller Muscle" for one brand of beer that can contribute to it), and it is the type of fat distribution that puts a person at MUCH higher risk for heart disease. It is even possible to be a normal weight for one’s height yet still have a waist diameter that increases heart-risk. In fact, how much belly fat you carry is more important than how fat you are overall.

    In a study done at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California, researchers measured and followed the abdominal diameter of 101,765 men and women for nearly 12 years. Their study found that men with the biggest bellies had 42 percent higher rates of heart disease than men with smaller waist diameters. Women with the biggest bellies were at 44 percent higher risk. This risk was seen even in normal weight subjects with big bellies.

    The take-home message: If you carry excess fat in your gut, you’re at higher risk of heart disease than if you have, say, a big butt. (No extra charge for the rhyme). Fortunately, the cure for belly fat is simple: cut down (WAY down) on simple carbohydrate foods, increase your intake of protein, Omega-3 fats and non-starchy veggies. A day or two per week of The Super Fast Diet will jump-start your belly fat weight loss program and get you out of the heart-disease danger zone fast. Learn more about The Super Fast Diet >>>

    References:

    1.) Value of the sagittal abdominal diameter in coronary heart disease risk assessment: cohort study in a large, multiethnic population. Am J Epidemiol. 2006 Dec 15;164(12):1150-9. Epub 2006 Oct 13. Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente of Northern California, Oakland 94612, and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco General Hospital, CA, USA.
    2.) Carbohydrate restriction alters lipoprotein metabolism by modifying VLDL, LDL, and HDL subfraction distribution and size in overweight men. J Nutr. 2006 Feb;136(2):384-9. Summary: weight loss which resulted from reduced carbohydrate intake decreased risk for atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.

  • Stevia – "We Told You So!"

    Deborah from Oklahoma wrote recently to ask:

    Do you have a take on this Truvia sweetener?

    Well, as a matter of fact we do have a take on it!

    I wrote about the future of stevia a little while ago in Another Chance For Stevia – where I predicted that this natural sweetener was getting ready to have a new lease on life as far as the FDA is concerned.

    You see, I had noticed the rumblings in the financial news – certain stocks were going up, based on the work of the American Industrial giants Coca Cola and Pepsico who were preparing to market their own patented versions of the age-old natural sweetener.

    I predicted that as soon as these industrial giants made it known to the FDA that they wanted no regulatory resistance to their new products then the "natural" forms of stevia would also have to be "recognized" to be safe since the new, patented sweeteners Truvia and PureVia are nothing more than isolates of natural stevia. My understanding is that the substances are not patented, the process for obtaining the substance is patented.

    So, what’s my take? I think it is great news that Coca Cola and Pepsico have listened to consumer demand and that the FDA is finally forced to listen to good sense – perhaps now Americans can begin to turn away from the toxic synthetic sweeteners marketed by the chemical and pharmaceutical industries and enjoy some nice, sweet, natural stevia.

    Are the new, patented sweeteners Truvia and PureVia going to prove to be safe over the long haul? My first reaction is to say "yes" – though with any substance that is isolated from the natural substance there is a risk that by isolating one small part of it we may be discarding another important part that somehow serves to prevent harm. The natural "sweet leaf" stevia has a history of safe use that spans thousands of years – Truvia and PureVia can’t say the same thing though there should be no reason for them not to be just as safe.

    Here at the Wellness Club we’ll continue to use natural stevia – but it sure is a pleasure to be able to find stevia in it’s natural form and it’s new patented forms on the shelves of our local grocery store! Coca Cola and Pepsico have given stevia it’s freedom and respect back.

    Thank you Coca Cola and Pepsico – did you ever think you would hear us say that here?