Food Stamp Soda Ban Can Save 141,000 Children From Obesity

Food stamp soda ban can save 141,000 children from obesity

Banning soda and other sugary drinks from food stamps would lead to significant drops in obesity and diabetes rates among the poor, according to a new study.
It would prevent at least 141,000 kids from getting fat and another 240,000 adults from developing Type 2 diabetes, the kind that usually stems from obesity, according to Stanford University medical researchers in a study published in the June issue of the academic journal Health Affairs.
"It's as big an impact as I've seen," said lead researcher Sanjay Basu, an assistant professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center.
Basu started the study to explore criticism that the federal food stamp program, officially called Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), subsidizes the purchase of sugary drinks that offer no nutritional value.
Over the years, several studies have shown that poor families on food stamps tend to have much higher rates of obesity and diabetes than the rest of the population.
"There are complaints that (taxpayers) are getting charged twice, once for the SNAP program and then again for the Medicaid and Medicare costs when people get diseases," Basu said.
Food stamps is big business for the beverage industry. A separate 2012 study found more than $2 billion in food stamps each year goes to sales of sugary drinks, according to Yale University researchers. That amounted to 58% of beverages purchased on food stamps.
Overall, obesity rates among food stamps users would go down by 2.4% over 10 years, according to the study. That might not seem like much for the 46.1 million people w Continue reading

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Tom Hanks diagnosed with diabetes after being an 'idiot' with food and weight when younger

Tom Hanks has suggested he is responsible for his diabetes diagnosis because he was once an “idiot” with his diet and weight.
There are two types of diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. Type 2 is the most common, especially among older people, and is associated with obesity. If left untreated Type 2 diabetes can cause blindness, kidney failure, and even lower limb amputation. It also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Symptoms include needing to urinate often, feeling thirsty constantly and feeling tired.
Hanks was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2013. At the time, he said his fluctuating weight because of roles such as Castaway and Philadelphia could be related to his diagnosis.
“I'm part of the lazy American generation that has blindly kept dancing through the party and now finds ourselves with a malady," Hanks told the Radio Times.
“I was heavy. You've seen me in movies, you know what I looked like. I was a total idiot.”
“I thought I could avoid it by removing the buns from my cheeseburgers.
“Well, it takes a little bit more than that.
However, Hanks has been told that he will no longer have Type 2 diabetes if he reaches the target weight set by his doctor.
Do we need more education on the causes of diabetes?
Yes - young people need more insight into the dangers of bad diet
No - People are already aware of the symptoms and causes
Radio Times is on sale from Tuesday, 17 May
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Scientists Find A Plant That Could Treat Diabetes & Kill Cancer Cells

Bitter melon is a fruit that grows abundantly in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. Traditionally it has been used to treat diabetes and other more mild diseases or illnesses.
More recently, bitter melon juice was shown to kill pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in mice in a study done by the University of Colorado. Considering the results were seen in both in vitro and in vivo tests, the effectiveness of bitter melon juice in treating pancreatic cancer, and potentially other cancers, at a clinical level are promising.[1]
“IHC analyses of MiaPaCa-2 xenografts showed that BMJ(Bitter Melon Juice) also inhibits proliferation, induces apoptosis and activates AMPK (adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase) in vivo. Overall, BMJ exerts strong anticancer efficacy against human pancreatic carcinoma cells, both in vitro and in vivo, suggesting its clinical usefulness.”
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to treat due to the fact that it is often discovered late, leaving very little time to treat. Since traditional therapies (chemotherapy, radiation, surgery etc) were not showing promising results and littler advancement was being made, researchers have been looking elsewhere to find treatment.
Interestingly, cannabis, specifically cannabinoids, have been shown to induce apoptic (programmed) death of human pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and stop pancreatic tumor growth in vivo.[4] Cannabis is perhaps one of the most popular treatments being aggressively pursued right now given its promising results both in labs and anecdotally.
Scientific Evidence
Panc Continue reading

Natural Diabetes Herbs

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The National Health Interview Survey found 22 % of diabetes used herbal therapy! What are diabetes herbs? 12 most useful diabetes herbs to control blood sugar.
Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder of the endocrine system. Metabolism is the process to make energy from the food you eat. A metabolic disorder develops when there is any defect in this process. When this disorder develops, you might have an excess of some substances or shortage of others that you need to stay healthy. The metabolic disorder develops when the liver or pancreas becomes diseased or does not function normally; Diabetes is an example.
Herbal treatment for diabetes
Synthetic oral anti-diabetic agents exert their effects by various mechanisms. These chemical agents have certain drawbacks, such as develop resistance to long-term treatment, adverse effects and lack of action in a large segment of diabetes patients.
Approximately, 44% of diabetes patients develop resistance to sulfonylureas treatment within six years. Additionally, these oral agents have an association with adverse effects such as bloating, flatulence, diarrhea and abdominal discomfort.
Some anti-diabetic agents can cause toxic effects; thiazolidinedione may cause liver toxicity, and sulfonylureas may worsen heart disease, cause hypoglycemia and increase the body weight gain.
Alternatively, various plants provide hypoglycemic property and widely used in traditional systems to prevent or treat diabetes. These plants help delay diabetic complications and even corrects the metabolic abnormalities.
Herbal diabetes products h Continue reading

New Review Links Roundup to Diabetes, Autism, Infertility and Cancer

A new peer-reviewed scientific review paper has been released in the US stating that glyphosate-based herbicides such as Roundup are contributing to gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, autism, infertility, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
The review paper states that “glyphosate enhances the damaging effects of …food borne chemical residues and environmental toxins. Negative impact on the body is insidious and manifests slowly over time as inflammation damages cellular systems throughout the body. Here, we show how interference with CYP enzymes acts synergistically with disruption of the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids by gut bacteria, as well as impairment in serum sulfate transport. Consequences are most of the diseases and conditions associated with a Western diet, which include gastrointestinal disorders, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, autism, infertility, cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.”
For the full study click here .
“The paper gives good arguments why it’s vital to oppose the recent capitulation by UK supermarkets to accepting products from animals raised on GM feed,” GM Watch stated.
Glyphosate (N-phosphonomethylglycine), the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup®, is the main herbicide in use today in the United States, and increasingly throughout the World, in agriculture and in lawn maintenance, especially now that the patent has expired. 80% of genetically modified crops, particularly corn, soy, canola, cotton, sugar beets and most recently alfalfa, are specifically targeted towards Continue reading