High-fructose corn syrup is just one food ingredient, among many others, that virtually every health advocate will tell you to avoid. The Corn Refiners Association (CRA), a large organization that represents the corn refining industry, continues to assert that high-fructose corn syrup is completely safe and perfectly ‘natural’,  but many health experts and research results couldn’t disagree more. One contribution high-fructose corn syrup is making to our society is a startling increase in obesity rates. Scientists have repeatedly proven that heavily altered (and often genetically modified) form of fructose, used in thousands of food products and soft drinks, can negatively impact human metabolism and is contributing to the growing obesity epidemic.

High-Fructose Corn Syrup Alters Human Metabolism

For quite some time, high-fructose corn syrup was thought to be perfectly healthy by some individuals, and the ingredient rampantly consumed in high amounts internationally. But research shows that high-fructose corn syrup changes human metabolism, and is actually metabolized much differently than other sugars. HFCS is a highly processed product that contains nearly the same amount of fructose and glucose. Sucrose, however, is a larger sugar molecule that is metabolized into glucose and fructose in your intestine. High-fructose corn syrup metabolizes to fat in your body much faster than other sugars, resulting in increased fat gain. Since the fructose is consumed in liquid form, the negative effects on human metabolism are even greater.

“…Over 10 weeks, 16 volunteers on a strictly controlled diet, including high levels of fructose, produced new fat cells around their heart, liver and other digestive organs. They also showed signs of food-processing abnormalities linked to diabetes and heart disease. Another group of volunteers on the same diet, but with glucose sugar replacing fructose, did not have these problems”, reported scientists from UC Davis.

In addition, 100% of fructose that’s consumed is taken up by the liver, while only some of glucose passes through the liver, and is then excreted. This results in increased fat deposition in the abdominal cavity and increased blood levels of triglycerides — both of which are risk factors for heart disease and diabetes.

Further showing how the human metabolism is damaged, one study found:

“To assess the relative effects of these dietary sugars during sustained consumption in humans, overweight and obese subjects consumed glucose- or fructose-sweetened beverages providing 25% of energy requirements for 10 weeks. Although both groups exhibited similar weight gain during the intervention, visceral adipose volume was significantly increased only in subjects consuming fructose…and [fructose-sweetened beverages] decreases insulin sensitivity in overweight humans.”

Some individuals claim that high-fructose corn syrup is safe at low levels, but even if that were remotely true, the ingredient is still found in thousands of mainstream and corporate-owned food and beverage products in high doses. It is in these high doses that it has also been found to contain mercury, an element that is highly damaging to the human body. Sugar itself is highly over-consumed today, causing a multitude of health issues, but turning the natural form of sugar into  high-fructose corn syrup causes further damage to human metabolism and the liver.

Have you ever wondered why there are so many cases of obesity, high blood pressure, and heart disease among the people you work with and live around? In many cases, there are multiple reasons for this, including dietary issues, work stress, and a number of other factors, but there is a very high likelihood that those people may be suffering from such ailments because of one key reason: sleeplessness.

Indeed, the lack of sleep experienced by American citizens is one of the key debilitating factors squandering a great deal of the human resources that we need to function as a society. It is a consistent uphill battle under the veil of sleeplessness for each one of us whether we realize it or not; unfortunately, many people don’t realize they are lacking sleep. The greatest thanks for our mass sleeplessness can go to the concerted efforts of the industries offering sugary beverages, and the more recent energy drink frenzy that a high percentage of the populace consumes. The great, diverse variety of sugared drinks that the populace has the power to choose over natural, healthy alternatives is one of the greatest faults of the industry.

The most recent study by Dr. Kristen Knutson from the Univ. of Chicago describes the many ways sleeplessness can destroy your body’s ability to metabolize properly. Dr. Knutson gathered a sum of evidence from several observational studies of sleep showing a direct correlation to Body Mass Index (BMI) and fewer than 6 hours of sleep.

“Obesity develops when energy intake is greater than expenditure. Diet and physical activity play an important part in this, but an additional factor may be inadequate sleep [...] A review of the evidence shows how short or poor quality sleep is linked to increased risk of obesity by de-regulating appetite, leading to increased energy consumption.”

Not only does lack of sleep pose a threat to your heart, weight, and stress levels, but it also increases the risk of cancer, diabetes, and other conventional illnesses, in part by substantially diminishing the immune system’s primary organs. There are, of course, several hundred myths and theories on how much sleep an adult actually needs, and certain studies continue to perpetuate an alarmingly large number of them.

Given the fact that at least one third of the population of America sleeps less than 7 hours a night, it is clear that our nation’s priorities may need a re-assessment. No amount of work or stress on a person can be reversed if they are not sleeping for a sufficient amount of time.

If you ask 10 different people for weight loss tips, you just may receive 10 different answers. One person may tell you to simply eat less and exercise, while others will push some extreme dietary lifestyle. Weight gain, however, is caused by virtually countless factors, and therefore can be tackled with various strategies. While it would require certain dietary principles to attain a higher level of overall health, here are 3 easy ways to lose weight – both simple and effective.

Eat Off of a Smaller Plate

This may be one of the most important and simplest among  the many easy ways to lose weight. Portion control is one aspect of eating which many people need to practice, especially when dining out. As simple as it is, simply using a smaller plate for meals is a fantastic and extremely simple way to consume proper amounts of food. In fact, the easy switch can result in as much as 22% less calories for any given meal while satisfaction from eating remains the same.

One study demonstrated how simply putting less food in front of you results in less food consumption, even if the portion is well enough to fill you up. In the experiment, cinema audience members were given two different sized tubs of popcorn, with both of them containing an amount well above what the person would eat. Even though all audience members had a great amount of popcorn, those with the smaller containers ate less than those with the larger containers.

Why does this work? While using a smaller plate, there is the obvious chance that less food ends up on the plate, but this weight loss tip also works on a subconscious level. When you see a large plate with unused space around the food, your brain is subconsciously triggered into thinking there is less food on the plate. This results in a reasonable action of sweeping the plate clean with your fork. Simply switch to an 8 or 10 inch plate instead of using a 12 inch. This is one of the easy ways to lose weight that works on a subconscious level.

Record Everything in a Food Diary

While using a smaller plate could easily cut some calories, there is still a good chance you’re overeating throughout the day. Nearly all experts recommend keeping a food diary, but most people skip this strategy. What’s more, those who attempt the food diary often don’t record everything eaten throughout the day.

In one experiment, a woman named Debby agreed to keep a food diary and record all food consumed over a 9 day period. During the first 4 days, she recorded what she ate using a video camera at the end of the day. For the following 5 days, she wrote down what she ate immediately after eating any food. For the experiment, both Debby’s calorie consumption and calorie expenditure was monitored with special water known as “doubly labeled water” and urine samples.

Using the video diaries, Debby recorded consuming 1,100 calories when she actually consumed 3,000 calories – that’s 66% of her meals which she either forgot about or didn’t realize. Using the written diary, she forgot to record 43% of the calories consumed. Since people often forget about snacks, beverages, calorie-rich sources on foods such as sauces — and how even healthy foods contain calories — this under-reporting is not uncommon throughout the population. Essentially, one of the easy ways to lose weight is to know that everything count.

Protein Halts Hunger Pangs

Eating breakfast itself is a great tip for weight loss, but adding protein to that meal will will help even more. Research shows that a breakfast rich in protein can boost metabolism for hours after consumption. In addition, studies have shown that those who consume a breakfast rich in protein experience more appetite control and less hunger pangs. Simply eating a protein-rich breakfast reduces the desire to eat more throughout the day.

One experiment found that only 10% more protein in breakfast is enough to feel full for longer. Using 3 men, researchers gave each participant a breakfast containing the same amount of calories, but each meal contained 10% more of one macro-nutrient: carbohydrates, fats, or protein. Without focusing on weight changes based on the overall meal, the researchers found that the person consuming 10% more protein stayed full for much longer than the other two participants. What’s more, the addition of protein results in less food consumed at the next meal.

When food travels through the digestive system, it triggers the release of a hormone called PYY. When PYY reaches the brain, hunger signals are suppressed. What has been found, though, is that protein triggers a greater release of PYY, and therefore hunger pangs are suppressed for a greater period of time.

There are countless easy ways to lose weight weight, but implementing these extremely simple changes will undoubtedly have a positive impact on your quest for effective and long-lasting fat loss.

Sources:

BBC’s 10 Things You Need to Know About Losing Weight

Are genetically modified foods making you sick and fat? Monsanto’s genetically modified creations have been pegged for causing a plethora of environmental and human harm, but are they also contributing to one of the country’s fastest growing health problems? A study published in the International Journal of Biological Sciences shows that GM food is indeed contributing to the obesity epidemic.

While being one of the first to report on a comparative analysis of blood and organ system data of rats fed GM corn, the study effectively ends the debate as to whether GMO foods are safe regarding health. The study found that GM corn fed to mice led to an increase in overall body weight of about 3.7 percent, while also increasing the weight of the liver by up to 11 percent.

“Crude and relative liver weights are also affected at the end of the maximal (33%) GM maize feeding level as well as that of the heart which for corresponding parameters to a comparable extent, showed up to an 11% weight increase…Additional statistically significant differences include … higher … overall body (3.7%) weight.”

But this 2009 study sheds much more light on GMO dangers than mere weight increase.

“There is a world-wide debate concerning the safety and regulatory approval process of genetically modified (GM) crops and foods. In order to scientifically address this issue, it is necessary to have access to toxicological tests, preferably on mammals, performed over the longest time-scales involving detailed blood and organ system analyses.”the introduction states. “For the first time in the world, we’ve proven that GMO are neither sufficiently healthy nor proper to be commercialized…Each time, for all three GMOs, the kidneys and liver, which are the main organs that react to a chemical food poisoning, had problems,” indicated Gilles-Eric Séralini, an expert member of the Commission for Biotechnology Reevaluation.

Needless to say, Monsanto’s GMO crops are causing numerous other problems in our world. While contributing to weight gain, the company’s GM corn has been shown to be creating resistant rootworms — causing farmers to use even more threatening pesticides on GMO crops. Of course the use of Monsanto’s Bt  biopesticides has also been shown to to be aiding in decline of our health, recently being found to wreak havoc on human kidney cells. This is an indirect, but very real way GMO crops are causing damage.

GMO crops are known to cause short term damage to nature and your biology, but it is perhaps the long-term consequences that are most concerning. We currently have information and research regarding the detrimental effects of GMO foods in the short term, but they continue to be used while long-term effects are still a mystery even to supporters of GMOs. It is for these reasons, among many others, that GMO crops are continually being banned around the world. Hungary, France, Peru, and others have taken all action against GMO crops and GM foods altogether due to safety hazards these products pose on human health, the ecosystem, and the environment.

Research is lending even more reason to amp up spice use on a daily basis, with spices such as turmeric, cinnamon, and cloves normalizing insulin and triglyceride levels while boosting antioxidant defenses. Keeping triglyceride and insulin levels low effectively reduces your risk for numerous health conditions like metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and the number one leading killer — heart disease.

Turmeric Shown to Cut Heart Disease, Diabetes Risk

Study conductor Shelia West found that the levels of triglycerides, a type of fat, decreased by approximately a third in a meal prepared with spices. The decrease even occurred when oily sauces high in fat were present. The research, published in the journal Nutrition, shows how extremely simple dietary changes can have such a positive influence on health.

“Normally, when you eat a high-fat meal, you end up with high levels of triglycerides, a type of fat, in your blood…If this happens too frequently, or if triglyceride levels are raised too much, your risk of heart disease is increased. We found that adding spices to a high-fat meal reduced triglyceride response by about 30 per cent, compared to a similar meal with no spices added,” West says.

Although many spices have been shown to boost health, turmeric is especially gaining massive recognition for its incredible ability to fend off illness and disease. Shown to positively impact over 560 diseases, with the new study showing diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and heart disease to be among them, turmeric is rising to the top of the health spectrum. A main component in turmeric, known as curcumin, has even been shown to block cancer growth by inhibiting a cancer-promoting enzyme.

“To me, the biggest advantage [found in the study] is the lowering of triglycerides and the insulin levels [which dropped about 20 percent],” says cardiologist Ravi Dave of the University of California, Los Angeles who has reviewed West’s spice research.

Recognizing the health benefits of turmeric, other spices, and healthy foods in general is a necessary step to overcoming the ‘need’ for harmful pharmaceuticals. Instead of living a lifestyle that breeds health complications, preventing illness and disease should be sought after first and foremost. Being aware of the health-promoting foods which can be found with ease every single day will enable you to prevent illness, rather than turning to side-effect riddled pharmaceuticals designed to keep you sick.

The benefits of turmeric are just hitting the mainstream light, and its inexpensive nature makes it very simple to acquire virtually worldwide.

Although there are many surprising culprits behind obesity and weight gain, recent research may reveals some shocking information every overweight person should know about. A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation shows that junk food has a brain-altering effect which makes you eat more of it. High-fat processed food consumption causes damage to the hypothalmus part of your brain – an area responsible for levels of hunger, thirst, and the body’s natural rhythms and cycles.

The researchers not only found evidence that further supports processed foods and sugary drinks as being highly addictive, but also that once someone falls into the trap of consuming these foods and becomes obese, their bodies want to stay that way. As a natural fuel storage regulator, your body uses a process called energy homeostasis to keep weight normalized. But once obesity hits, that process is thrown off and your body wants to stay in that new state. This makes it very difficult for obese individuals to keep the weight off after successfully shedding the pounds. Needless to say, avoiding obesity altogether would definitely be the wise choice.

While the information helps you to realize why losing weight may have been difficult, this kind of research is vulnerable to being used as a free-pass excuse for those already overweight. Increasing obesity rates are not a result of unintentional weight gain and difficulty with losing weight but rather an unhealthy lifestyle being manifested for years. The average American diet is made up of chemically-laced fast food and a great deal of calories are obtained purely from soda or snack foods.

There are many reasons for the decline in national and international health; junk food, a sedentary lifestyle, and psychological influence ignited by mega-corporations are just a few. But even with all of these outside influences, it is ultimately up to you to be thin or fat. You are the decision maker and captain of your own life. Choosing to live the unhealthy or healthy life you live is a decision made by you, and can be changed at any point in time. Just as you have the power through thoughts and beliefs to cause self-healing, you also have the power to choose how you will present yourself to others each and every day.

Obesity is a global and nation-wide problem, and everyone knows it. Obesity rates are steadily climbing, and what’s worse is that many people feel powerless when it comes to losing or maintaining weight. Resting at a maintained weight isn’t terribly difficult to do, but it isn’t quite as easy as it used to be either. Psychological and emotional demands are sky high in the society we live in, and we no longer need to exert physical energy for our food. What people may not be realizing fully is that this influx of inactivity in contributing to endless disease. Unfortunately, instead of incorporating a lifestyle change and a society change as a whole, people are turning to weight loss surgery like liposuction as a method of treatment for excess weight.

Liposuction – A Weight Loss Surgery – is More Popular than it Ever Should Be

Liposuction has gained an incredible amount of popularity over the years. Whether the reason be technological advancements, easier surgical procedures, or just a greater awareness through advertising, the core reason for increased liposuction procedures is the same – people are fat and think they need it. Since the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery began collecting data on the overall number of cosmetic procedures in 1997, the amount of cosmetic procedures went up 162 percent up between that time and 2008. Of course as the population grows, surgical procedures are expected to rise unless significant changes take place.

While liposuction procedures aren’t facing any permanent, continuous decline yet, for the first time in 12 years, it is not at the top of the list for surgical procedures. For the first time in twelve years, breast augmentation surpassed liposuction while liposuction became a very close runner up. In 2008 the number of breast augmentation procedures totaled about 355,671 while liposuction totaled 341,144. These statistics don’t necessarily say anything about the decline of liposuction surgical procedures, but rather that many women feel insecure about their breast size. It isn’t surprising to see how liposuction was bypassed by breast augmentation, as women accounted for almost 92 percent of cosmetic procedures in 2010 and for 309,692 out of the 341,144 liposuction procedures.

Here is a resource to examine cosmetic procedures for each year from 1997 to 2010.

Liposuction Side-Effects | The Relocation of Fat

Researchers from the University of Colorado evaluated the future side-effects of liposuction on 14 healthy women – age 40 on average. These liposuction procedures, however, weren’t meant to shed off pound upon pound of fat. The women weight 138 pounds on average but were simply not happy with their fat allocation and felt disproportionate due to increased fat around the lower abdomen, hips, or thighs. The liposuction only removed about 2.9 pounds on average, or 2.1 percent body fat. The researchers compared the 14 women who had liposuction to a second group of 18 women who had similar fat deposits, but hadn’t undergone the weight loss surgery.

Change was measured in the women’s body fat at six weeks, six months, and one year using MRI and X-ray scans. Unfortunately for the women who made the decision to have the weight loss surgery, one year later they gained the weight back. The fat reappeared primarily in the abdomen area, with a slower reappearance of fat in the thighs. Although a small study, the study shows that weight loss surgery such as liposuction is not the solution to shed excess weight and that the reappearance of fat could be one of liposuctions side-effects. If you continue to live the same lifestyle and don’t incorporate any positive changes, nothing will change in the long run. The only way to keep the fat off forever is to change eating habits and activity levels. It may even be a better idea to undergo hypnosis rather than get the real surgery, as it helped others lose an incredible amount of weight and skips the surgical procedure.

The most integral part of any fat loss plan is a nutritional plan free of artificial sweeteners, low on sugar, and high in protein and essential fats. Aside from a solid nutritional program, there are a number of subconscious factors that play a role in fat gain — particularly fat that simply won’t go away.

Here are 7 factors that, according to Today Health expert Joy Bauer, are keeping you fat.

1. Eating while standing up

2. Eating in front of your TV or computer

3. Snitching bites from kids’ or spouse’s plates

4. Eating straight out of the food container

5. Overindulging on weekends

6. Succumbing to impulse buying in the checkout line

7. Using food for comfort

Sources:

Today Health

Sugar is known to play a major role in the development of diabetes, but what about fat? According to US researchers from University of California and the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, excessive fat consumption may actually interfere with the body’s sugar sensors that could subsequently lead to the development of type 2 diabetes.

BBC News reports:

Sugar in the blood is monitored by pancreatic beta cells. If sugar levels are too high then the cells release the hormone insulin, which tells the body to bring the levels back down.

Key to this is the enzyme GnT-4a. It allows the cells to absorb glucose and therefore know how much is in the blood.

Dr Jamey MarthLead researcher

Researchers at the University of California and the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute say they have shown how fat disrupts the enzyme’s production.

Experiments on mice showed that those on a high-fat diet had elevated levels of free fatty acids in the blood.

These fatty acids interfered with two proteins – FOXA2 and HNF1A – involved in the production of GnT-4a.

The result: fat effectively blinded cells to sugar levels in the blood and the mice showed several symptoms of type 2 diabetes.

The same process also took place in samples of human pancreatic cells.

Lead researcher Dr Jamey Marth said: “The observation that beta cell malfunction significantly contributes to multiple disease signs, including insulin resistance, was unexpected.”

He suggested that boosting GnT-4a levels could prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes: “The identification of the molecular players in this pathway to diabetes suggests new therapeutic targets and approaches towards developing an effective preventative or perhaps curative treatment.

“This may be accomplished by beta cell gene therapy or by drugs that interfere with this pathway in order to maintain normal beta cell function.”

Dr Iain Frame, Director of Research at Diabetes UK, said: “This is a well-executed study into possible factors responsible for the events that lead to type 2 diabetes.

“The researchers have linked their results in mice to the same pathways in humans and although they did not show they could prevent or cure type 2 diabetes they have shown it is a theory worth investigating further.

“We will watch this with great interest and hope this early work will eventually lead to some benefit to people with type 2 diabetes.”

Eating fat won’t make you fat, but any one of these 10 bad eating habits may be contributing to your growing waistline. Many of these you may not even notice you are doing!

Mercola reports:

1. Eating “low-fat”: Low-fat or fat-free foods replace harmless fats with low-performing carbohydrates that digest quickly, causing a sugar rush and, immediately afterward, rebound hunger.

2. Sleeping too little or too much: Dieters who sleep five hours or less put on 2 and a half times more belly fat, while those who sleep more than eight hours pack on only slightly less than that.

3. Drinking soda — even diet soda: Drinking one to two sodas per day increases your chances of being overweight or obese by nearly 33 percent. And diet soda is no better.

4. Eating too quickly: It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain that it’s had enough.

5. Watching too much TV: A study found that overweight participants who reduced their TV time by just 50 percent burned an additional 119 calories a day on average.

6. Eating off larger plates: One study found that when given an option, a whopping 98.6 percent of obese individuals opt for larger plates.

7. Taking big bites: Research shows that people who take large bites of food consume 52 percent more calories in one sitting.

8. Not drinking enough water: Adequate water intake is essential for all your body’s functions, and the more you drink, the better your chances of staying thin

9. Eating too late: A recent study found that those who ate after 8 PM took in the most daily calories and had the highest BMIs.

10. Drinking fruity beverages: All juice is high sugar, and the ones that use viscous syrups made mostly from high fructose corn syrup and thickening agents are even worse.