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sugar

Popular Sugar Substitute Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

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According to a study published in Nature Magazine on Monday, researchers have found links between erythritol, a common low-calorie sugar substitute, and an increased risk for cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke.

In the past, medical researchers have raised concerns about the long-term safety of sugar substitutes companies frequently use in products marketed as sugar-free, low-calorie or light. These products often use polyol (sugar alcohol) sweeteners like erythritol as a common component of diet varietals of foods like yogurt, ice cream, puddings and candies.

Many so-called “natural” stevia and monk fruit products also contain erythritol as their primary, weight-based ingredient. Since even a tiny amount of stevia or monk fruit is 200 to 400 times sweeter than sugar, erythritol is often used as a bulking agent to give the product a sugary, crystalline appearance and texture consumers are used to.

Dr. Stanley Hazen, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic and an author of the study, told The New York Times that while people opt for these diet meals and drinks to make a positive change, “They may inadvertently be doing harm.”

Researchers analyzed the blood erythritol levels of around 4,000 participants from the United States and Europe. They found that those with the highest sugar substitute concentration in their blood were more likely to have a stroke or heart attack.

“If your blood level of erythritol was in the top 25% compared to the bottom 25%, there was about a twofold higher risk for heart attack and stroke. It’s on par with the strongest of cardiac risk factors, like diabetes.”

When mice were given erythritol as part of the study, they were more likely to suffer from blood clots. Erythritol also induced clotting in human blood and plasma.

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The sugar alcohol remained in the blood of eight persons for more than two days after they ingested amounts similar to those found in a pint of keto ice cream or a can of an artificially sweetened beverage.

“Every way we looked at it, it kept showing the same signal,” Dr. Hazen said.

“It has long been believed that used sugar substitutes such as erythritol will reduce calories from carbohydrate intake while still allowing food to taste good,” Dr. Yu-Ming Ni, M.D., a cardiologist at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, told Yahoo News. “However, we have seen in repeated studies that sugar substitutes have side effects that go beyond simply imitating the taste of sugar.”

Dr. Ni notes that this work’s most significant contribution is demonstrating a possible mechanism by which artificial sweeteners can damage blood vessels. Until this correlation is confirmed and replicated by other research, we cannot conclude that erythritol consumption causes an increase in heart disease. Until then, it is unknown whether complete abstinence from all artificial sweeteners is required.

“I often advise my patients to eat food as naturally as possible, as that reduces the risk of exposure to potentially harmful chemicals like artificial sweeteners, and to consider sugar substitutes if it serves as a means to help overweight people with weight loss since overall weight loss has clearer evidence for health improvement.”

Dr. Dariush Mazaffarian, a cardiologist and professor of nutrition at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, who was not involved with the study, told The New York Times that not enough studies have been conducted to determine the long-term health effects of sugar substitutes definitively.

“That’s the problem. Regardless of this study, there’s just not been enough evidence that they’re really safe.”

The Calorie Control Council, which represents the low and reduced-calorie food and beverage industry, said in a statement that “The results of this study are contrary to decades of scientific research showing reduced-calorie sweeteners like erythritol are safe, as evidenced by global regulatory permissions for their use in foods and beverages.”

“Erythritol is a proven safe and effective choice for sugar and calorie reduction and, for more than 30 years, has been used in reduced-sugar foods and beverages to provide sweetness, as well as enhance their taste and texture. Along with exercise and a healthy diet, reduced-calorie sweeteners are a critical tool that can help consumers manage body weight and reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular disease.”

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Dr. Mozaffarian notes that there were several caveats to the study. Most of the participants were over the age of 60 and already suffered from cardiovascular disease or were already at high risk for developing it due to conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.

The study also did not provide conclusive evidence to suggest erythritol caused heart attacks and strokes, only that it elevated cardiovascular risk.

Dr. Priya M. Freaney, a cardiologist at Northwestern University who was not involved with the study, told The New York Times that she agreed that the study requires further validation. However, “It’s concerning enough that it certainly deserves more investigation.”

Due to their rising popularity over the past decade, sugar substitutes have prompted scientists to research their possible impacts on human health more urgently. New York University emerita professor of nutrition, food studies and public health Dr. Marion Nestle, who was not involved in the study, commented on the large body of literature on artificial sweeteners and its often-contradictory findings.

Past studies examining links between artificial sweeteners and cancer and cardiovascular diseases have concluded that these chemicals may increase the risk of these conditions, but only marginally. They also conclude that more research is needed.

“There are going to be studies that show that it’s good, bad or indifferent. People have been consuming artificial sweeteners for years. It’s really hard to put your finger on any specific problem.”

Dr. Joanne Slavin, professor of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, told The New York Times that previous research has determined erythritol is a suitable replacement for sugar. However, much of the research was performed on animals. Examining sugar substitutes’ health effects when consumed as part of a larger diet further complicates things.

For example, those who consume high amounts of artificial sweeteners may already be at risk for cardiovascular issues, prompting the switch to sugar substitutes in the first place.

“That’s the really important thing, for people to not say, ‘Hey, this stuff is terrible, it’s giving us heart attacks.’ No. This is another data point that says, ‘Hey, we have to look into this.’”

Vegetables

Dash Diet Proven To Reduce High Blood Pressure and Heart Failure Risks

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The American Journal of Preventive Medicine recently posted the results to a study involving a special diet, and its effect on high blood pressure and heart failure risks in individuals under the age of 75. The study itself involved 4,500 people and took 13 years to complete. 

The subjects were all of different body types, ages, heights, weights, health factors, etc. but they all were instructed to remain on the Dash diet for the entirety of the study. Dash is actually an acronym for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, hypertension is just another medical term for abnormally high blood pressure. The general results for the study showed that the individuals who stuck to the Dash diet the most did have a significant decrease in risk for developing heart failure or hypertension. 

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“Only a few prior studies have examined the effects of the Dash diet on the incidence of heart failure, and they have yielded conflicting results. Following the Dash diet can reduce the risk of developing heart failure by almost half,” said Claudia Campos, associate professor of general internal medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine, the school that lead the study.

The Dash diet works by telling you what kind of food groups you should be sticking to, and which things you should be cutting out of your diet entirely. The main component, however, is mainly what you’re cutting out that’s important to stick to. Salt, read meat, sweets/sugar-sweetened beverages, full cream, and alcoholic beverages should be cut out entirely and replaced with things like fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products. 

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Dietitians working on the study also worked with the subjects on what lifestyle changes they can make that would help ease the complete dietary shift. They used another study performed by the American Heart Association about the process of eating slowly and its effect on over-indulgence.  That study proved that individuals who eat slower are less likely to “become obese or develop metabolic syndrome, heart disease, diabetes, or experience a stroke.” 

This has a lot to do with the fact that when you’re eating slower, you’re becoming more conscious of what’s on your plate, but also how full your body is getting. When we eat fast, it takes our minds a second to catch up with how full our stomachs are, so we keep eating. When we take our time while eating and drinking, it’s easier to listen to our bodies and stop overeating. 

The researchers behind the Dash Diet study also found that the individuals who strayed further away from the dietary restrictions as time progressed mainly fell into the temptation of snacking or ordering take out. One of the hardest parts of being on a restrictive diet is the cooking and meal preparation component. So it makes sense that take out was the biggest culprit behind people breaking their diets. However, the major concern behind snacking and take out is all the processed ingredients that are now entering the body. 

“People eat an average of 200 calories more per meal when they eat food from restaurants. Excess sodium can increase your blood pressure and your risk for heart disease and stroke. Together, heart disease and stroke kill more Americans each year than any other cause.Americans get 71% of their daily sodium from processed and restaurant food. Cooking for yourself is the safest and healthiest option,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Happy Woman

Life Expectancy in America Declining According to Latest Study

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A study published in the journal JAMA has highlighted some reasons behind the latest news that life expectancy in the United States has started decreasing, despite having been on the increase for several years.

The study discovered that Americans between the ages of 25 and 64, or “working age,” are dying younger due to a combination of suicide, hypertension, and drug abuse as well as over 30 more different causes.

It has also been discovered that other wealthy countries around the world have a longer life expectancy to those in the US, which appears to be declining at a dramatic rate. And with working age adults seeing the biggest increase in deaths Steven H. Woolf of Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine believes it is a “distinctly American phenomenon.”

Woolf, who is co-author of the study alongside Heidi Schoomaker, explained that “death rates among working age adults are on the rise. We have known for years that the health of Americans is inferior to that of other wealthy nations, but our research shows that the decline in US health relative to other countries began as early as the 1980s.”

Both Woolf and Schoomaker looked at over 50 years worth of US life expectancy data with the results appearing to show that although life expectancy began to rise annually between 1959 and 2014, these figures stabilized around 2011 before declining again.

And America’s relationship with opioid abuse seems to be one of the main reasons, along with suicide and alcohol abuse, especially among young and middle aged adults. The figures increased amongst those who did not finish high school.

Strangely, the decline in life expectancy was higher in areas including Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont – all in New England, while those living in the “Ohio Valley” – Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Indiana – were also affected.

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The rise of the opioid epidemic appears to be one of the main reasons in these areas, especially since the collapse of the manufacturing industries that were a strong source of income in the regions. In fact, since 2010 over one third of “excess deaths” were reported from the Ohio Valley states since.

However those living along the Pacific coast – Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington – saw their life expectancy increase during 2010 and 2017.

The authors of the report claims that data from previous years shows that Americans began to slip behind those in other countries as far back as the early 1980s.

“Historically this [period] was the beginning of the opioid epidemic, the shrinking of the middle class and the widening of income inequality,” Woolf said.

And although there were economic shifts around the world as a whole during this time, Woolf believes the lack of support experienced by struggling families contributed to the drop in America stating that “in other countries, families that fall on hard times have programs and services available to cushion the blow. In America, people often have to fend for themselves.”

With few social services to help families it may help us to understand why there was a larger increase in death among females as they “have even fewer support systems, and more childcare responsibilities.”

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Howard Koh commented on the study, saying that although the “most exhaustive and detailed analysis of this topic to date” has helped us find the main causes of death the citizens of America should start “embracing the leading causes of life.”

For instance, by looking at how social connections alongside strong communities are affecting our wellbeing.

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“Other countries spend relatively more in terms of social services. Health is much more than what happens in a doctor’s office. It starts where people live, learn, labor and pray.”

So what can we do to improve our life expectancy? Harvard Medical School has a few suggestions and while most of them are both obvious and easier to do, some may have you asking why!

For instance, we all know that smoking, excessive drinking and drug abuse will seriously damage our health but did you know that people who have quit smoking could repair some of the damage caused by cigarettes, cigars and even marijuana?

Once you stop smoking your risk of heart disease starts to reduce after only a few months, matching that of a non-smoker after around 5 years. Likewise with strokes. Giving up tobacco can see a reduction in the risk of having a stroke within two to four years while the mortality rate from colorectal cancer also reduces each year.

And while these statistics apply to most people, quitting smoking before you reach 50 will make the health benefits stronger, sooner.

There have also been discussions on the dangers of vaping, with many calling for the fruit flavored options to be banned.

A healthy diet, keeping fit and building a good network around you are also key to keeping you healthy and strong and therefore living longer.

By doing these things we can hopefully turn the trend on the average American’s life span before we are in “a future in which declining life expectancy may be the new norm.”

Keto Diet

The Keto Diet: Is it Safe?

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The field of nutrition, it seems, is constantly evolving as new studies refute the findings of previous ones and scientists learn more about how the human body processes food. This has led to the emergence of so-called “fad diets,” which prescribe unconventional limitations on eating and promise to help people lose weight and feel better.

One such diet which has exploded in popularity is the ketogenic diet, which emphasizes eliminating the intake of nearly all carbohydrates to put the body into ketosis, which is a different way of processing food. But some nutritionists argue that it’s unhealthy to put the body into this state for an extended period of time, even though ketosis helps with weight loss and can have other positive effects. As research into this form of dieting continues, nutritionists are learning more about how the body reacts to a carbohydrate-free diet and the various health implications of putting your body into ketosis.

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Ketosis is a state brought about by the elimination of carbohydrates from one’s diet, and is characterized by the presence of molecules called ketones in a person’s bloodstream. Without carbohydrates, the body is forced to instead rely on burning fat and protein for energy, leading in many cases to weight loss. Many people believe that ketosis lowers one’s risk of developing heart disease and diabetes, and people who are on the ketogenic diet report feeling more energized and motivated.

The ketogenic diet has been shown to offer advantages not present in many other popular diets, as obese people who started the ketogenic diet lost weight rapidly, with few side effects, and kept off the weight so long as they continued the diet. As such, the diet can be particularly useful for people with obesity, as the rapid onset of weight loss it causes, in addition to the ease of incorporating the keto diet into one’s life, can encourage dieters to stick to their weight-loss plan. That being said, the diet is very strict, as the body can be rapidly taken out of ketosis by the introduction of carbohydrates, leading to negative health consequences both in the form of weight gain and fatigue or other conditions.

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The keto diet, however, has more than its fair share of critics. Many argue that while the ketogenic diet can be useful to treat obesity or in the short term, it can actually damage the body in the long term. Lisa Cimperman, a clinical dietitian at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, argues that the keto diet causes people to lose muscle and experience fatigue, and actually puts the body into a starvation mode, making it even more difficult to lose weight as time goes on. While not every dietician believes that the ketogenic diet leads to muscle loss, most agree that anyone who is interested in building muscle should not use the keto diet, as ketosis is certainly not optimal for strength training.

Instead of so-called “fad diets” like the keto diet which offer impressive results in the short term but have questionable viability in the long term, most nutritionists advise their patients to consider dieting more as a set of lifestyle choices than as a regimented, temporary program. The most successful diets are the ones that people stick to for extended periods of time, as a lifetime of healthy eating provides the most positive impact. As such, food shouldn’t be thought of in terms of how it should be limited, but rather people should look forward to their meals, as this mindset is better for long-term success. Adopting a mediterranean diet, which emphasizes fruits, vegetables, fish, poultry, and eggs, is widely considered to be a safer and more effective option in the long term. Additionally, conversation about different forms of dieting often excludes discussion about exercise, which is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle, and should be considered in conjunction with choices about what you eat for best results. As such, while the ketogenic diet is tempting for its quick results, people who are serious about living a more healthy life are probably better off avoiding it.