Friday, February 20, 2009

Fast Food

Just Having the Fast Food Nearby Increases Stroke Risk!

This is a fun study. Essentially, they found a link between living close to fast food joints and the risk of stroke. For every fast food store nearby, your risk of stroke goes up 1%.

No word regarding what happens if you actually eat there...

http://www.ireallyshouldstudy.com/health/2009/02/20/would-you-like-a-stroke-with-that/

Enjoy!

Dr. Jean-Marc

Monday, February 16, 2009

Fruit Drinks and Diabetes

High Fructose Corn Syrup Strikes Again

OK, you know how bothered I am about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). A study recently published in the Archives of Internal Medicine drives the point home.

It also tells us that fruit drinks should be avoided. No more juice boxes for your kids!

Lets jump to the results of this study done over a 6 years period following 43,960 subjects. (This is the best and most difficult type of study-long term and lots of people to track)

After adjustment for confounding factors (diet), your risk of developing type 2 diabetes goes up 24% if you drink 2 sweetened (HFCS) drinks per day. Your risk of developing type 2 diabetes goes up 31% if you drink 2 fruit drinks per day.

So... by now you probably figured out that sodas are bad for you. But really, juice boxes and sports drink are just as harmful.

If you have kids, the effect will be magnified. It is never appropriate to routinely consume sodas, fruit drinks and sports drinks.

I'll leave you with a quote for the article that nails the HCFS coffin: "High fructose corn syrup, which is now the sweetener used in soft drinks consumed in the US, appears to be particularly effective at promoting weight gain because of its adverse effect on insulin secretion and leptin release, leading to a reduction in the normal inhibitory effect on food intake". (emphasis mine).

The article abstract can be found here: http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/168/14/1487

Dr. Jean-Marc