Is Your Soda Making You Stupid?
Is your soda making you stupid?
It might be making you stupid and fat. Studies are suggesting that this claim may have a ring of truth to it. Researchers at Georgia State University have found that diets high in fructose especially high fructose corn syrup — a type of sugar found in most processed foods and beverages — impaired the spatial memory of adult rats. The same research shows that the while the ability to learn is not affected, recalling what you learned is. Well, if your not ready to dump the soda pop habit with that fact alone, here is some surprising research that may make you change your mind, if you can remember, that is. Maybe memory loss is not a big deal, but what about your weight? Its not news worthy to mention that 30 percent of Americans are obese, but with all the information we have access to regarding health and fitness, why is the problem growing as fast as Americas waist size? Its really not rocket science, excess calories equals excess weight. We know this right? Sort of.
A Sweet Problem:Princeton researchers find that high-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain. With weight gain comes all kinds of problems, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease just to name a few. Not convinced yet? Not all sugars are created equal, even if they claim to be. Its time to get to the raw truth on the matter. How much sugar do I consume in a day? How much sugar can my body process at a time? Why do I consume so much sugar? Time for a self examination. Recommendations from the American Heart Association — not a part of official U.S. dietary guidelines — say that most American women should consume no more than 100 calories a day from added sugar from any source, and that most American men should consume no more than 150 calories a day from added sugar, and that even less is better. That’s about 6 teaspoons of added sugar for women and 9 for men. If you drink a can of soda a day, your already over the recommended limit, but don’t let common sense stop you. Check the label on your cereal box. Ouch. Check your hot dog toppers, you know the tangy red sauce we all love. Ouch. High fructose corn syrup is in almost everything processed because its cost effective. Think your controlling your insulin levels? Don’t be fooled into thinking that because artificial sweeteners are good for controlling insulin levels then its safe, that is only part of the equation. Insulin also controls another hormone, leptin, so its release is necessary. Leptin tells your body to stop eating when it’s full by signaling the brain to stop sending hunger signals. Since fructose doesn’t stimulate glucose levels and insulin release, there’s no increase in leptin levels or feeling of satiety. This can leave you ripe for unhealthy weight gain. Don’t forget about the memory loss…..
Is Fructose Fat? Well no but…fructose requires a different metabolic pathway than other carbohydrates because it basically skips glycolysis (normal carbohydrate metabolism). Because of this, fructose is an unregulated source of “acetyl CoA,” or the starting material for fatty acid synthesis. This, coupled with unstimulated leptin levels, is like opening the flood gates of fat deposition. Don’t touch soda? Check your SUPPLEMENT labels.