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thats very interesting about the cinnamon :)
----- Original Message -----
From: Diane Sheats
To: No S Diet
Sent: Tuesday, October 05, 2004 4:07 PM
Subject: [nosdiet] Soft Drinks (Dr. Williams Newsletter)
I know we don't discuss health and food issues much on this list (because
that's the OLD diet mentality), but in light of recent posts about the evils
of soft drinks, I think some of you would find this newsletter interesting.
There's a good explanation of why the high-fructose corn syrup in soft
drinks could be a major cause of our current obesity epidemic.
Diane
----- Original Message -----
From: Dr. David G. Williams
Sent: Monday, September 13, 2004 5:25 PM
Subject: Blood Sugar Rising
In this Issue...
Blood Sugar Rising
Generation XL
How Sweet It Isn't
A Small Spoonful of Cinnamon Helps the Glucose Go Down
Blood Sugar Rising
Dear Reader,
In just the last ten years the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has increased
40 percent; it now affects 17 to 20 million people in the US (half of whom
are walking, or maybe stumbling, around undiagnosed). Another 2,000 people
are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes each day in this country. As I've
discussed before, type 2 diabetes used to be called adult-onset diabetes,
but that term was dropped since type 2 is now being found in children.
It has already been estimated that of the children born in the year 2000,
38.5 percent of the females and 32.8 percent of the males will be diagnosed
with diabetes sometime in their life. (In the Hispanic population it is
even
worse. Estimates are that 52.3 percent of the females and 45.4 percent
of
the males will develop the disease.) Worldwide cases of diabetes are
expected to double in the next 25 years. I suspect it will happen more
quickly than that.
Generation XL
Obesity and diabetes are going to be an especially serious problem in the
generation now developing. Children in this country have never been so
overweight. We had generation X, but now it looks like we have generation
XL
(extra-large). My heart goes out to these children who, because of their
diet, will undoubtedly suffer from diseases that were once only seen in
the
elderly.
When it comes to weight loss, I'm not one to encourage counting calories,
but if you want to lose weight, it's as simple as this: You have to burn
more calories than you take in. You burn calories through activity.
It's understandable that hard physical labor has fallen out of favor in
this
country, but to remain healthy, our bodies require some form of regular
exercise. If your job isn't extremely physical, and you don't regularly
participate in strenuous activities like gardening or home improvement,
then
exercise is your only option. Walking is great. It can be done anywhere
and
doesn't require any special equipment. Just keep in mind that it may take
a
few weeks to start to see the results, and it needs to be done on a very
regular basis. (If you need something to help gauge your progress, you
might
want to actually count your steps during each walk or purchase an
inexpensive pedometer. That would be one way to gradually increase the
distance you walk each day and not have to follow the same route.)
How Sweet It Isn't
Every time I write about diabetes, the topic of carbohydrates arises, and
the subject eventually gets around to fructose. Fructose, as you may know,
is a form of sugar that occurs naturally in fruit and honey, and has a
low
glycemic index. Based on these characteristics, it has often been assumed
to
be a good substitute for sucrose, or white sugar. It's not.
Fructose is becoming more prevalent in the American diet these days, mostly
in the form of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Undoubtedly, the major
source of HFCS is soft drinks, but it's hard to find any sweetened food
product that doesn't now contain HFCS. If you want to lose weight or control
your weight, you need to walk away from HFCS products (yet another reason
walking is good for you).
The problem with fructose is in the way your body responds to it. When
you
consume other carbohydrates, your pancreas releases insulin. Insulin has
several functions:
Once your digestive system has broken carbohydrates down into glucose and
other components, insulin transports that glucose from the bloodstream
into
your muscle cells so it can be used as fuel. Insulin also transports the
glucose into your liver so the energy can be stored for later use.
Insulin begins to suppress your appetite by triggering signals that you're
satisfied and full.
Insulin stimulates production of the hormone leptin. Leptin has been in
the
news lately as the latest fat fighter. Leptin is produced by your fat cells,
and not only does it limit fat storage, but it also helps increase your
metabolic rate to burn excess fat.
Fructose acts differently from other carbohydrates because it doesn't
trigger the release of insulin. As a result, fructose isn't moved to muscle
cells for energy, leptin production isn't stimulated, and your metabolism
doesn't increase. Moreover, with fructose you never experience the
accompanying reduction in appetite or feeling that you're full.
These facts have led many researchers to conclude that HFCS is the
underlying cause of the unprecedented obesity problem we're experiencing
today.
A Small Spoonful of Cinnamon Helps the Glucose Go Down
In the modern world, we're not as active as we could be, and our diets
aren't
as good as they could be, so nearly all of us can use some help with our
blood sugar. A very powerful tool that can help control blood sugar levels
is cinnamon. I've been recommending the routine use of cinnamon for years
now. It's one of the ingredients in my morning health shake. Recent studies
have added so much support to this idea that you could now call cinnamon
"the poor man's insulin."
One gram (slightly less than a half-teaspoon) of cinnamon per day was given
to 60 volunteers with type 2 diabetes. In just 40 days, this small amount
of
cinnamon reduced fasting glucose levels anywhere from 18 to 29 percent,
triglyceride levels 23 to 30 percent, LDL cholesterol levels 7 to 27
percent, and total cholesterol 12 to 26 percent. No advantages or greater
improvements were found when larger doses were given. Also, when the
participants stopped taking the cinnamon, their blood sugar levels and
other
readings began to return to former levels. (J Agri Food Chem 04;52(1):65-70)
(Diabetes Care 03;26(12):3215-8)
If you have diabetes or insulin resistance, or if you have a family history
of the problem, or even if an honest look at your diet shows some
weaknesses, you would be smart to consider the benefits of adding 1/2
teaspoon of cinnamon to your diet each day.
Till next time,
Dr. David Williams
P.S. In the September edition of my newsletter, Alternatives, I tell about
an immune booster that beats anything I've ever seen, and give you the
tooth
about dental health.
If you don't yet subscribe to Alternatives, what are you waiting for? Start
your subscription immediately, and don't miss one more do-it-yourself,
practical health solution.
--------------------
Dr. David Williams is a medical investigator, international traveler, and
one of the world's leading authorities in natural healing. Often years
ahead
of the conventional medical establishment, he has located and evaluated
effective treatments and cures for practically every major health concern
today. He shares these breakthroughs with over 250,000 insiders through
his
in-depth monthly newsletter Alternatives.
To learn more about Dr. Williams and the values underlying what he does
each
month in Alternatives, visit his Web site www.drdavidwilliams.com.
Dr. David Williams
7811 Montrose Road
Potomac, MD 20854
Copyright 2004. All rights reserved.
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