Quantcast
Channel: Zeroing In On Health - The Blog! » Hypertension
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 5

Coca Cola and Lance Armstrong

0
0

I’m sorry but I couldn’t help but notice the irony of these two entities deciding to “come out” as it were. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t for one second believe that Coca-Cola lies as much as Lance Armstrong but there are still some interesting similarities although I don’t blame Coke exclusively for their issues. Both operated in an environment where “everyone was doing it.” Indeed, Lance’s competitors were doping as well, although apparently not as effectively. Coca-Cola isn’t the only one making sugary drinks. And not only that, when you factor in the “experts” that continue to preach the religion of moderation/energy balance, etc; Coca-Cola continues to have an excuse.

The experts put the blame squarely on you. The reason you are fat and sick is because you fail to consume products like Coca-Cola in moderation. You are gluttonous and slothful. They said, and I quote:

“beating obesity will take action by all of us, based on one simple, common-sense fact: All calories count, no matter where they come from. … And if you eat and drink more calories than you burn off, you’ll gain weight.”

You should be insulted. But you’re not because you actually believe this. You believe that you’re a glutton and a sloth. Perhaps you earn too much money in this blessed America and this is a sign of your excess. But you’re still struggling with the uncomfortable truth that you can’t explain why obesity is found predominantly among the poor. Surely, they don’t make as much money as you do, yet they tend to be fatter than you. Oh, so you say it’s about the fact that poor neighborhoods lack access to vegetables? They only have convenience stores full of sugary drinks. But you have access to better foods yet you’re just as fat and sick. Doesn’t quite add up, now does it? Is a calorie really just a calorie? Does your body react the same way by eating a diet of meat exclusively as it does by eating a diet of sweets exclusively? Try that out. Eat meat and drink water for five days and then eat bread and sweets for five days. Let’s talk afterwards.

Despite the inconsistencies, you and everyone around you continued to get fat for years and the food and beverage industries continued to blame you. At some point, they had an attack of conscience and all of a sudden they want to do their part to help fight obesity that they directly contributed to. How? By making smaller bottles of sugary drinks that cost nearly as much as the full-sized versions. Now, their arrogance knows no bounds. You are no longer smart enough to make these decisions. You need them to provide the correct portion size. If you follow their well-meaning recommendations, you will fix your problem and theirs as well. McDonald’s had this issue too and they solved it by discontinuing super-sized meals. The soft drink manufacturers didn’t care as long as they sold you that reduced-size meal with one of their soft drinks. I wonder how much McDonald’s would have impacted your health without the sugary drinks? The burger pretty much stayed the same as it was when I was a kid. But the size of the fries and drinks went up. They certainly weren’t urging you to skip the sugary drink and have a glass of water instead. Does anyone really believe that eating a diet of reduced junk food will result in good health? It may be slightly better but all you’ll do is increase your anger because your cravings will drive you crazy. How about less junk food and more gym work? We already see the effects of that every January. Millions armed with their New Year’s resolutions join gyms only to abandon those plans within a month or two.

How about Armstrong? Do you think that he didn’t feel the weight of his lies coming down upon his head? Why did he decide to talk now? He gambled and figured that since the public helped create the problem, they wouldn’t mind him coming forward to help the public solve it. And because he’s done so much for the public, he figured you would give him a pass. Indeed, many of you have. The soft drink companies also contribute large sums of money to charity and obesity prevention yet they continue to sell the drug. After years of denial of having any part in obesity, now they want to admit just a passive role in it. I suppose if organized crime builds parks and schools, we should turn a blind eye to it as well.

Kind of sounds like Lance, doesn’t it? Oprah told us that “he was less than candid” and perhaps he didn’t admit to everything. He raised large sums of money and therefore we shouldn’t care if he doped in a few races. Coca-Cola has not admittted everything either and they raise large sums of money for good causes. How much is your health and integrity worth? As Dr. Lustig wrote, “Scientific evidence now supports the concept that our glut of sugar — in particular, the molecule fructose, which is what makes sugar sweet — can trigger processes that lead to the metabolic syndrome.

These include:

– Hypertension — fructose increases uric acid, which raises blood pressure.

– High triglycerides and insulin resistance through synthesis of fat in the liver.

– Diabetes via increased liver glucose production combined with insulin resistance.

– The aging process, due to damage to lipids, proteins and DNA through binding of fructose to these molecules.

It can be argued that fructose exerts toxic effects on the liver similar to those of alcohol. Furthermore, sugar, like alcohol, has a clear potential for abuse.

Sugar acts on the brain to encourage subsequent intake by dampening the suppression of the hunger hormone ghrelin. It also interferes with the hormone leptin, which helps produce a feeling of satiety and reduces dopamine signaling in the brain’s reward center, thereby reducing the pleasure derived from food.

The majority of foods are laced with added sugar, thus effectively co-opting your choice. Where there’s no choice, how can there be personal responsibility?”

Reducing sugar consumption will undoubtedly help but it has to be reduced to a level low enough achieve any benefit. For many people, that threshold will be extremely low and that’s why we’re here. I’m not urging the government to step in and block your ability to enjoy Coca-Cola or to wear LiveStrong bracelets. I’m appealing to you to make those choices for your health and your integrity. Restrict your consumption of sugar and support other cancer agencies that don’t cheat in order to make a profit. That sends the clearest message.


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 5

Latest Images

Trending Articles



Latest Images