Tag Archives: obesity

6,000 Cancer Deaths Linked to Sugary Drinks

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pouring colaSugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) continue to make headlines: this week, a report that these drinks are associated with 180,000 deaths due to chronic diseases in adults worldwide every year.

AICR recommends avoiding sugary drinks because the AICR/WCRF expert report and its updates find strong evidence that sugary beverages cause weight gain, overweight and obesity.

According to the researchers, who presented their study at an American Heart Association Scientific Session, sugar-sweetened beverages contribute worldwide to 6,000 cancer deaths. They linked sugary drink consumption to 25,000 Americans’ deaths in 2010. This, as of now, is an unpublished study.

The researchers calculated the numbers of deaths related to SSB by looking at changes in SSB consumption in each country and it’s association with changes in body mass index Continue reading →

Dieting Tricks or Myths?

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You may have heard a lot about health-related myths recently. An article from the New England Journal of Medicine dispels myths about obesity that even health-care providers often state as fact. canstockphoto5701649

With February 4th being World Cancer Day, AICR published a piece to set the facts straight about cancer. One important truth is that excess body fat increases risk for 7 types of cancer. As a dietitian who works daily with individuals trying to lose weight, I’d like to clear up some common myths about weight loss that I hear regularly.

Myth 1: “I switched to extra virgin olive oil [instead of butter] to help me lose weight.”

Truth: Let’s first look at the rationale behind this claim. Olive oil is mostly made of unsaturated fat, the kind that is good for heart health (the same type of fat also found in nuts and avocados). Butter, on the other hand, is mostly made of saturated fat, which increases total cholesterol and “bad” (LDL) cholesterol levels in the blood. This can increase your risk for heart disease.

However, this is a weight loss myth because whether it is butter or extra virgin olive oil, the calories are the same. One gram of any type of fat equals about 9 calories. Continue reading →

“Healthy” Girl Scout Cookies?

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Did you know it was National Girl Scout Cookie Day last Friday? There are many months and days dedicated to specific issues, but this one caught my attention – and not for the right reasons.canstockphoto5469124(1)

Full disclosure – I am a mother of a girl scout and, as such, a co-peddler of cookies. I have served my time knocking on doors in January, encouraging weary little feet to try just one more street and teaching an elementary age scout to accept “no-thank you” with grace and a smile.

We know Girl Scout Cookies are a treat; they are not low in fat, sugar or calories. I have struggled with the fact that selling lots of boxes provides the funds for the programs that benefit my daughter. We are respectful of people when they say – I’m watching my weight or need to cut down – and our own family order is modest. (Working here at AICR, I know that being overweight increases the risk of seven cancers and so it’s important for adults – and kids – to have healthy eating habits for cancer prevention and just overall good health.)

Our region had the standard menu of cookies this year, so I only learned on Friday that another cookie – with “health benefits” – was being offered in some parts of the country. The Mango Creme Cookie comes with a creme filling apparently enhanced with nutrients, which, according to the promotional blurb “offer the benefits of eating cranberries, pomegranates, oranges, grapes and strawberries.” Continue reading →