Obesity and Genetics

Is there a link between obesity and genetics? I believe there is, and I'm not the only one check out the CDC take on it.

Do Artificial Sweeteners In Diet Soda Cause Obesity

Do Artificial Sweeteners In Diet Soda Cause Obesity?   by Mark Hyman

Ever watch a very large person order a Big Mac, large fries, and top it off with a Diet Coke?

Ever notice that you rarely see thin people drinking diet sodas?

I have. And it made me wonder if could there be a link between diet beverages or artificial sweeteners and obesity.

Research suggests that there is, indeed, a link.

First, our current obesity epidemic has coincided perfectly with the introduction of large amounts of artificial sweeteners into our food supply. While we don't know
that one has caused the other, it is suspicious.

For example, the number of Americans who consume products that contain sugar-free sweeteners grew from 70 million in 1987 to 160 million in 2000.

At the same time, the incidence of obesity in the United States has doubled from 15 percent to 30 percent across all age groups, ethnic groups, and social strata.
And the number of overweight Americans has increased from about 30 percent to over 65 percent of the population. The fastest growing obese population is
children.

Next, we know that just the thought or smell of food triggers a whole set of hormonal and physiologic responses that prepare the body for food.

Just as in Pavlov's dog experiment, where he trained dogs to salivate in anticipation of food simply by ringing a bell, diet sodas and artificial sweeteners act as the bell
for your physiology.

Your brain prepares for food even before your fork or cup crosses your lips.

This allows you to anticipate and prepare for the arrival of nutrients in your intestinal tract, improves the efficiency of how your nutrients are absorbed, and minimizes
the degree to which food will disturb your natural hormonal balance and create weight gain.

Any sweet taste will signal your body that calories are on the way and trigger a whole set of hormonal and metabolic responses to get ready for those calories.

When you trick your body and feed it non-nutritive or non-caloric sweeteners, like aspartame, acesulfame, saccharin, sucralose, or even natural sweeteners like
stevia, it gets confused.

And research supports this.

An exciting new study in the Journal of Behavioral Neuroscience has shown conclusively that using artificial sweeteners not only does not prevent weight gain, but
induces a whole set of physiologic and hormonal responses that actually make you gain weight.

The researchers proved this by giving two different groups of rats some yogurt. One batch of yogurt was sweetened with sugar and the other was sweetened with
saccharin.

They found that three major things happened over a very short period of time in the rats that were fed artificially sweetened yogurt.

First, the researchers found that the total food eaten over 14 days dramatically increased in the artificial sweetener group -- meaning that the artificial sweetener
stimulated their appetite and made them eat more.

Second, these rats gained a lot more weight and their body fat increased significantly.

And third (and this is very troubling) was the change in core body temperature of the rats fed the artificial sweeteners. Their core body temperature decreased,
meaning their metabolism slowed down.

So not only did the rats eat more, gain more weight, and have more body fat, but they actually lowered their core body temperature and slowed their metabolism.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: All calories are not created equal.

The study's most astounding finding was that even though the rats that ate the saccharin-sweetened yogurt consumed fewer calories overall than the rats that ate
the sugar-sweetened yogurt, they gained more weight and body fat.

This helps disprove the conventional view that people will consume fewer calories by drinking artificially sweetened drinks or eating artificially sweetened foods.

Despite their name, these are not "diet" drinks. They are actually "weight gain" drinks!

My bottom line?

Avoid artificial sweeteners, including aspartame, acesulfame, sucralose, sugar alcohols such as malitol and xylitol (pretty much anything that ends in "ol"), as well as
natural artificial sweeteners like stevia.

Stop confusing your body. If you have a desire for something sweet, have a little sugar, but stay away from "fake" foods.

Eating a whole-foods diet that has a low glycemic load and is rich in phytonutrients and indulging in a few real sweet treats once in a while is a better alternative than
tricking your body with artificial sweeteners -- which leads to wide scale metabolic rebellion and obesity.

So, put that teaspoon of sugar in your tea and enjoy!

REFERENCES:

Swithers SE, Davidson TL. A role for sweet taste: Calorie predictive relations in energy regulation by rats. Behav Neurosci. 2008 Feb;122(1):161-73.

About the Author

Mark Hyman, MD is a pioneer in functional medicine, practicing physician and best-selling author. A sneak preview of his book "The UltraSimple Diet" is
available. See The UltraWellness Blog for more on Artificial Sweeteners

Fast Food and Obesity

Obesity and fast food is there a correlation, probably. Imagine that fast food might make you fat. Don't get me wrong I don't think fast food companies should be sued for peoples obesity. Maybe they should be encouraged to make their foods a bit healthier though. Another option may be to require some sort of payment by the fast food companies to cover the rising costs of health care caused by obesity. Something like the tobacco companies are required to do. What are your thoughts on fast food and obesity?

What is Obesity fight the good fight

How To Fight Obesity

How To Fight Obesity
By Hyder Khan

If you are suffering from obesity, it is extremely important that you take positive control over the situation and proactively take measures to lose as much weight as you can, as quickly as you can. Doing so can drastically improve the quality of your life.

Unfortunately, most of the diet programs, medications, and exercise regimens out there are either too expensive, too risky, or too difficult to sustain for the long-term.

There is one option available for you, however: The Calorie Shifting Diet. This diet program is a viable alternative that can help you achieve your goal quickly, safely, and economically, while helping you stay motivated to keep maintain the diet.

You can expect to lose 9 pounds for every 11 days you follow this diet. That is nearly one pound per day. The diet is extremely simple to adapt to, because the rules of the diet are not only simple, but are also very appealing to anybody who has had difficulty with other diet programs in the past:

1. You can eat as much food as you desire at every meal until you are completely satisfied. But you should stop eating just short of becoming too full.



2. You will be eating four full meals every day.



3. Each meal must be spaced out by at least 2.5 to 3 hours minimum.



4. You are expected to eat food from all four of the major food groups over the course of following this diet.



5. You are required to take a mandatory 3-day cheat break from the diet every 2 weeks. During these 3 days, you are allowed to eat anything you want without restriction, as long as you do not overeat at each meal. After the 3 days is over, you can resume the diet for another 11-day stretch before the next 3-day break.



6. You are required to follow a structured diet plan that rotationally shifts the types of calories that you consume, from meal to meal, over the course of each day.

It is not how much food you eat. It is when do you eat what types of food. By shifting calories in the appropriate pattern as prescribed by The Calorie Shifting Diet, you are triggering the release of fat burning hormones in your body that will yield the rapid weight loss results that you desire.

The purpose of the 3-day breaks is to give your body a chance to rest and stabilize from the rapid weight loss you will have been experiencing. It also servers as a mini-reward for your commitment to weight loss. This 3-break should keep you motivated to keep going. 3-days every 2 weeks amounts to 6 days every month! That means that every other weekend, you get a 3-day break from the diet. So, if you start your diet on a Monday, then every other Friday through Sunday, you can take a break from the diet!

This works out great if you want to have the freedom to eat at a party or other social gathering where there is all kinds of "non-diet" food!

How would you like to be 9 pounds lighter 11 days from now? The Calorie Shifting Diet will get you there! Learn how at: http://www.CalorieShiftingDiet.info

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