July 2008
In This Issue:
High Fructose Corn Syrup Can Harm Your Liver!
FDA Admits Mercury Fillings Are NOT Safe
Why haven’t you heard about this? Why isn’t this big news? Well, these things take time. It took 30 years to get the research on trans-fatty acids (hydrogenated vegetable oils) to the public.
Fructose and its effect on the liver have been studied by the US Department of Agriculture since the 1990’s. These animal studies showed that fructose could harm the liver in much the same way as alcohol. Why is this? Fructose is an odd sugar in that it is processed by the liver while most other sugars, like glucose, are simply digested and go into the blood. Fructose does not have an immediate impact on your blood sugar, but it does make the liver work harder. Today’s over-consumption of fructose comes mainly from High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). Since HFCS became a commonly used additive to foods in the 1980’s, obesity rates have risen dramatically. Fructose will, over time, accelerate insulin resistance, which causes obesity, blood sugar problems, heart disease, stoke, cancer, diabetes and can speed up Alzheimer’s disease. Insulin-related health problems are our #1 preventable cause of death. These are our modern diseases. HFCS just adds fuel to the fire.
Over consumption of fructose is common if you are regularly consuming sweet processed foods such as breakfast cereals, soda, cookies, etc. But you may be surprised at which foods your family is eating that contain HFCS, many of them marketed as “health foods”.
- Sara Lee Heart Healthy Whole Grain Bread
- Kellogg’s Special K Cereal
- NutriGrain Chewy Granola and Cereal Bars
- Yoplait Yogurts
- Nabisco Multi Grain Wheat Thins
- Kraft Salad Dressing - Thousand Island Fat Free
- Oscar Mayer Lunchables
- Robitussin & Vicks Cough Syrups
- Quaker Maple Brown Sugar High Fiber Oatmeal
In a recent lawsuit that the FDA settled with a consumer advocacy group, the FDA agreed to alert consumers about the potential risks on its web site. The FDA plans to issue a more specific rule next year for fillings that contain mercury.
The FDA’s web site now states that: "Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neuro-toxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses."
There is no question that mercury is not safe. We can handle some exposure, but less is always better. Humans have been exposed to some amount of mercury in seafood for millennia and have seemed to tolerate it. Today we have much more exposure in our foods, air and water. Putting amalgam fillings in our mouths increases our daily exposure tremendously. Why would we want to knowingly expose people to more poisons? Today we have safe, effective alternatives to amalgam fillings. Many countries such as Sweden, Norway, Germany, Denmark, Austria, Finland and Canada are outlawing the use of mercury in dentistry. This is a very strong message. Dentists in these countries will no longer be allowed to use amalgam fillings. Shouldn’t we consider ending our use of amalgams too?
By the way, removing fillings can also potentially expose you to large amounts of mercury. There are specially trained dentists who can do this safely. We recommend using a 21-day Cleanse a month before and a month after having fillings removed.
It's summer again, which means another crazy vacation for us! This time it's Marlene, participating on a bike trip that is going from border-to-border - Montana's Glacier National Park to El Paso. Yes, it's all downhill. Seriously, it's actually a somewhat moderate vacation, for someone who is pretty active. She's crewing the trip with PAC Tour, which specializes in ultra-long-distance bicycle trips, and that means only riding every other day and helping out on the other days (the down time makes this much more enjoyable!). There'll be some big climbing, since the trip is through the Rockies, but the temperature and the views will help (and she can't wait to leave the Texas heat!)
After overtraining last year for her ultra-long-distance event in France, Marlene wasn't so keen to get back on the bike again, and even now she's going to wait and see if weight-training, spin classes and 25 years of experience will get her through the huge climbs they have in Colorado and Wyoming, having not done much riding outside this year. Wow, she might have learned moderation! The Texas heat certainly didn't provide any motivation, but having something to work towards, like a big trip, often helps provide the kick in the pants to exercise.
What if you decided to take on a hiking trip in Colorado? A walking trip in Italy? Or wanted to be really fit for skiing this winter? Or wanted to do a bike trip in Napa Valley? All of those are great "active" vacations, and you would enjoy yourself AND get fitter at the same time! It's not that the lying on the beach vacations aren't great, but it's possible to have movement and relaxation all in the same package! Consider that the next time you're looking at taking time off.
