Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 9, 1 September 2010 — Careless eating, a way to illness [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Careless eating, a way to illness

By Claire Ku'uleilani Hughes, Dr. PH„ R.D. t seems everyone is a food vendor. We ean get stuff to eat at fast-food outlets, sidewalk kiosks, hallway vending machines and even service stations. And, this convenience helps us eat often, and more than we need. Convenience-dispensed food and snacks are often fatty, sugary and loaded with calories. Moreover, we accept the "high-priced promotional hype" that these snacks and quick meals are nourishing and reasonably priced. That's especially risky when ingredients, preparation methods, date of manufacture and cost of preparation are absolute mysteries. Experts agree that our food environment is toxic, meaning that many who live and eat in our communities develop chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease and severe weight problems. And, the fact is that rates of severe weight problems and diabetes among Native Hawaiians have steadily increased for decades. A large U.S. study found women who drank at least one sugar-sweetened soft drink (soda) a day had an 83 percent higher risk for type 2 diabetes compared to women who drank less than one soda a month. Weight gain appeared to account for half the increased risk, while the rapidly absorbable carbohydrates in sweetened soft drinks accounted for half the increased diabetes risk. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that U.S. women consume no more than 100 calories of sugar per day (6 1/2 teaspoons); a one 12-ounce ean of soda (10 teaspoons of sugar equals 160 calories) exceeds that recommendation. Furthermore, one supersized drink (20 ounces) of Pepsi, Sprite or Coke far exceeds the AHA sugar recoimnendation: a supersized Pepsi has 17 1/2 teaspoons (tsp) of sugar (280 calories), Sprite has 16 teaspoons (256 calories), and Coke has 16 1/2 teaspoons (265 calories). (See table for infonnation on popular snack foods.) Studies revealed that some "new" ingredients in convenience foods and drinks ean cause hann. Fructose, a sugar, is part of the total sugar added to many snacks, soft drinks and pre-sweetened drinks. A small UC-Davis study comparing the reaction to fructose- and glucose-sweetened drinks showed that men and women who gained weight (three pounds in three weeks) from drinking fructose drinks gained more deep abdominal fat, or visceral fat, than glucose eaters. And, visceral fat is linked to a higher

risk of heart disease and diabetes. Another finding was a lowered insulin sensitivity . . . that's also linked to higher heart disease and diabetes risks. In the study, those who consumed glucose, gained more subcutaneous fat, or fat that is deposited just below the skin, and subcutaneous fat is less likely to increase the diabetes and heart disease risk. Recently, research found that some "sugar free" foods actually raise blood sugar levels. The "artificial sweeteners" like saccharin, aspartame and sucralose offer sugary sweetness without raising blood sugar, because they contain no carbohydrate. These artificial sweeteners are being used with another sugar substitute, called sugar alcohols, in

"sugar free" products. Chemically, sugar aleohol looks like a cross between an aleohol and sugar, but it is really neither. Food companies are adding sugar aleohol to some "sugar-free" cookies, ehewing gum, hard candy and chocolate. It's true that sugar alcohols provide fewer calories than regular sugar - anywhere from 1.5 to 3 calories per gram (compared to the 4 calories per gram of regular sugar) - but, they will raise blood sugar. So, the bottom line is that constant eating of fatty, sugary foods will result in body fat and weight gain, whieh makes us sick and ean lead to an early death. ■

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