One reader comments No soda?

One of my readers made a comment to Thursday’s post about the potato chip study and sodas/diet sodas which said,

“:(  No soda either??  LOL  That leaves no vices!!!!  LOL  OK that means I can have a glass of wine, right??  LOL  Just kidding.”

I totally agree because I like soda and this will be a tough change for me.  After all, I have few vices:  I don’t smoke or do drugs.  I don’t kick the dog (we no longer have one since our beloved Ginger got old and died) And I’m married to the same man for 30+ years (still like him—he’s a good guy.)  If I give up soda, what vice will I have?   (That’s a rhetorical question, no one needs to answer that.)

If I’m supposed to stop guzzling diet soda, I need to find some healthy drinks.  If anyone has good suggestions, please share in comments.  We will start looking at healthy drinks tomorrow. 

Discussion of diet soda continues #4

If diet sodas/artificial sweeteners do not have calories, why are they bad for us?  Researchers at the University of Texas San Antonio study think they have insight into this question.  They fed mice aspartame (an artificial sweetener known as Equal) and found after three months, these mice had elevated blood glucose levels similar to diabetes.  This research study can be found at http://www.uthscsa.edu/hscnews/singleformat2.asp?newID=3861 

A study published in 2008 http://eatingdisorders.ucsd.edu/research/imaging/PDFs/2008/frank2008sucrose.pdf

compares how satisfied a woman’s brain would be when she used sucralose (Splenda) vs. sugar.  These women had functional MRI brain tests which showed that sugar gave them an increased satisfaction/reward when compared to sucralose (Splenda).  The researchers concluded “this may suggest that sucralose (Splenda) activates taste reward circuits but may not fully satisfy a desire for natural caloric sweet ingestion.”  This small study gives a suggestion of why artificial sweeteners may not satisfy, but rather trigger a person to want something else to eat. 

Discussion of diet soda continues #3

To review, drinking diet soda is believed to contribute to increased risk of stroke or heart attack and make a person’s belly fat.  What else does diet soda do?  According to WebMD, many soft drinks contain phosphoric acid which robs a person’s bones of calcium, increasing the risk of osteoporosis.  http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/living-with-osteoporosis-7/diet-dangers?page=2  

WebMD staff recommend calcium rich drinks (for those dealing with osteoporosis) such as

calcium fortified orange juice, fat-free milk (white or chocolate), mix a seltzer or club soda that’s phosphoric acid free with orange juice or a fruit smoothie.

Discussion of diet soda continues #2

A study from the University of Texas San Antonio was reported at the American Diabetes Association 2011 conference which found that “diet soft drink users, as a group, experienced 70 percent great increases in waist circumference compared with non-users…Abdominal fat is a major risk factor for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and other chronic conditions.”   This study involves 474 participants for a period of 9 1/2 years.This research study can be found at http://www.uthscsa.edu/hscnews/singleformat2.asp?newID=3861   

The potato chip research includes soda

I like drinking soda; give me a can of Dr Pepper and I’m a happy girl.  When I read the potato chip study, I recognize that if I drink one soda per day this contributes two pounds weight gain every year.  Hmmm.  What’s a lifetime Weight Watcher to do?  Switch to diet soda.  That takes care of the problem, right?

Not so fast.  I’ve been reading that diet soda may be bad for a person and may also contribute to weight gain.  A recent CBS News report told that people who drink one diet soda per day face an increased risk of stroke or heart attack.  The CBS News report can be found at http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7337013n  This study involved 2500+ people for a period of 9 years.  The findings were released at the 2011American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference.  A news release from the researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine can be found at

http://www.med.miami.edu/news/miller-school-researchers-link-diet-soda-and-salt-to-cardiovascular-risk

Potato chip research post #8

One final word of advice about scientific research:  anyone who has taken a college statistics class will tell you that data can be skewed and give inaccurate or flawed results.  That’s why it’s important to look at the details I’ve discussed.  Are the researchers reputable?  Do they declare their financial grants, etc?  Is the study published in a peer-reviewed journal?  Does the study involve a large or small group of people and for how long a time-frame?  All these details add value and credibility to any research study. 

Armed with the information we’ve discussed the last week, consumers (you and I) can look at research studies and judge their value before making changes in our lifestyle.  If I am going to change my lifestyle behaviors based on a research study, I want to have confidence that the information is accurate and the researchers are credible.  Otherwise, I might as well skip the research studies and eat/do what I want. 

Another valuable opinion about research studies will be our doctors/primary care providers/nurse practitioners.  They read and review research studies to know the latest and best recommendations.   

Potato chip research post #7

Can you decifer a journal citation? 

Mozaffarian D, Hao T, Rimm ER, Willett WC, and Hu FB,

Changes in diet and lifestyle and long-term weight gain in women and men, N Engl J Med. 2011, 362:2392-2404.

A journal citation gives information a reader needs to locate the article.  In the potato chip study listed above, the researchers names (name name, first and middle initials) come first.  In this case there are five researchers (Mozaffarian, Hao, Rimm, Willett and Hu).  The title of the study comes second (Changes in diet and lifestyle and long-term weight gain in women and men.)  Third in this citation is the name of the journal (The N Engl J Med stands for The New England Journal of Medicine.)  The numbers at the end indicate the volume number (364) and page numbers (2392-2404).  

Using this information, you can locate the research article you want to find.