The Curse of Processed Foods: White Sugar = White Death

The massive problem with processed foods is that almost all of them contain refined white sugar. This can be in several forms such as sugar, sucrose, corn syrup etc but the bottom line is that all are highly detrimental to your health and achieving the body you deserve. This section is quite detailed but it's important that you know the TRUTH about how white sugar just totally destroys your ability to get lean and muscular and with this knowledge 'eating clean' becomes a powerfully sane choice. 

The following information comes from 'Sugar Blues' by William Duffy. 

Why is sugar toxic to the body? 

In 1957 Dr William Coda Martin tried to answer the question: When is a food a food and when is it a poison? His working definition of "poison" was: "Medically: Any substance applied to the body, ingested or developed within the body, which causes or may cause disease. Dr Martin classified refined sugar as a POISON because it has been depleted of its life forces, vitamins and minerals.


"Sugar consumption forms 'toxic metabolites' such as pyruvic acid and abnormal sugars containing five carbon atoms. Pyruvic acid accumulates in the brain and nervous system and the abnormal sugars in the red blood cells. These toxic metabolites interfere with the respiration of the cells. They cannot get sufficient oxygen to survive and function normally. In time, some of the cells die. This interferes with the function of a part of the body and is the beginning of degenerative disease."


Refined sugar is lethal when ingested by humans because it provides only that which nutritionists describe as "empty" calories. In addition, sugar is worse than nothing because it drains and leaches the body of precious vitamins and minerals through the demand its digestion, detoxification and elimination make upon one's entire system. 

Sugar taken every day produces a continuously over acid condition, and more and more minerals are required from deep in the body in the attempt to rectify the imbalance. Finally, in order to protect the blood, so much calcium is taken from the bones and teeth that decay and general weakening begin.


Excess sugar eventually affects every organ in the body. Initially, it is stored in the liver but the liver's capacity is limited, a daily intake of refined sugar soon makes the liver expand like a balloon. When the liver is filled to its maximum capacity, the excess glycogen is returned to the blood in the form of fatty acids. These are taken to every part of the body and stored in the most inactive areas: the belly, the buttocks, the breasts (man boobs anyone?) and thighs.


When these small & comparatively harmless places are completely filled, fatty acids are then distributed among active organs, such as the heart and kidneys. These begin to slow down; finally their tissues degenerate and turn to fat. The whole body is affected and abnormal blood pressure is created. The parasympathetic nervous system is affected; and organs governed by it, such as the small brain, become inactive or paralyzed. The circulatory and lymphatic systems are invaded, and the quality of the red corpuscles starts to change. An overabundance of white cells occurs, and the creation of tissue becomes slower. Our body's tolerance and immunizing power becomes increasingly limited, so we cannot respond properly to extreme attacks, whether they be cold, heat, mosquitoes or microbes.


Excessive sugar has a strong mal-effect on the functioning of the brain. The key to orderly brain function is glutamic acid, a vital compound found in many vegetables. The B vitamins play a major role in dividing glutamic acid into antagonistic-complementary compounds, which produce a "proceed" or "control" response in the brain. B vitamins are also manufactured by symbiotic bacteria that live in our intestines. When refined sugar is taken daily, these bacteria wither and die, and our stock of B vitamins gets very low. Too much sugar makes one sleepy; our ability to calculate and remember is lost.


Thus it should be clear that in order to get your body as lean and muscular as possible, you have to stop kneecapping yourself and your progress every time you have something to eat. 

If Your Teeth Could Talk...

The Mouth Offers Clues to Disorders and Disease;

Dentists Could Play Larger Role in Patient Care

The eyes may be the window to the soul, but the mouth provides an even better view of the body as a whole.

Some of the earliest signs of diabetes, cancer, pregnancy, immune disorders, hormone imbalances and drug issues show up in the gums, teeth and tongue—sometimes long before a patient knows anything is wrong.

There's also growing evidence that oral health problems, particularly gum disease, can harm a patient's general health as well, raising the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, pneumonia and pregnancy complications.

"We have lots of data showing a direct correlation between inflammation in the mouth and inflammation in the body," says Anthony Iacopino, director of the International Centre for Oral-Systemic Health, which opened at the University of Manitoba Faculty of Dentistry in Canada in 2008. Recent studies also show that treating gum disease improves circulation, reduces inflammation and can even reduce the need for insulin in people with diabetes.

Such findings are fueling a push for dentists to play a greater role in patients' overall health. Some 20 million Americans—including 6% of children and 9% of adults—saw a dentist but not a doctor in 2008, according to a study in the American Journal of Public Health this month.

"It's an opportunity to tell a patient, 'You know, I'm concerned. I think you really need to see a primary care provider,' so you are moving in the direction of better health," says the study's lead researcher Shiela Strauss, co-director of statistics and data management for New York University's Colleges of Nursing and Dentistry.

George Kivowitz, a restorative dentist with offices in Manhattan and Newtown, Pa., says he has spotted seven cases of cancer in 32 years of practice, as well as cases of bulimia, due to the telltale erosion of enamel on the back of the upper front teeth, and methamphetamine addiction. "We call it 'meth mouth,' " he says. "The outer surface of teeth just rot in a way that's like nothing else."

Some of the most distinctive problems come from uncontrolled diabetes, Dr. Kivowitz adds. "The gum tissue has a glistening, shiny look where it meets the teeth. It bleeds easily and pulls away from the bone—and it's all throughout the mouth."

An estimated six million Americans have diabetes but don't know it—and several studies suggest that dentists could help alert them. A 2009 study from New York University found that 93% of people who have periodontal disease are at risk for diabetes, according to the criteria established by American Diabetes Association.

It's not just that the same lifestyle habits contribute to both gum disease and high blood sugar; the two conditions exacerbate each other, experts say. Inflammation from infected gums makes it more difficult for people with diabetes to control their blood-sugar level, and high blood sugar accelerates tooth decay and gum disease, creating more inflammation.

Dr. Marcus notes that about 50% of periodontal disease is genetic—and even young patients can have significant bone loss if they have an unusually high immune response to a small number of bacteria. Giving such patients a low dose of doxycycline daily can help modify the immune response. "It doesn't really control the bacteria, but it helps reduce the body's reaction," he says.Diabetes also complicates dental-implant surgery, because it interferes with blood vessel formation and bone growth. "When you put a dental implant in, you rely on the healing process to cement it to the jaw, so you get a higher failure rate with diabetes," says Ed Marcus, a periodontist in Yardley, Pa., who teaches at the University of Pennsylvania and Temple University dental schools.

There's also growing evidence that the link between periodontal disease and cardiovascular problems isn't a coincidence either. Inflammation in the gums raises C-reactive protein, thought to be a culprit in heart disease.

"They've found oral bacteria in the plaques that block arteries. It's moved from a casual relationship to a risk factor," says Mark Wolff, chairman of the Department of Cariology and Comprehensive Care at NYU College of Dentistry.

Bacteria from the mouth can travel through the bloodstream and cause problems elsewhere, which is why people contemplating elective surgery are advised to have any needed dental work performed first.

The American Heart Association no longer recommends that people with mitral valve prolapse (in which heart values close abnormally between beats) routinely take antibiotics before dental procedures, since it's now believed that oral bacteria enter the bloodstream all the time, from routine washing, brushing and chewing food.

But the American Heart Association, the American Medical Association and the American Orthopedic Association all urge people who have had a full joint replacement to take an antibiotic one hour before any dental visit for the rest of their lives to reduce the risk of post-surgical infections. "I have my guidelines taped to the door in my hygienists' room," Dr. Kivowitz says.

Dentists say they also need to stay up to date with all medications, supplements and over-the-counter drugs their patients are taking. Blood thinners can create excess bleeding in the mouth. Bisphosphonates, often prescribed for osteoporosis, can severely weaken jaw bones. Both should be stopped temporarily before oral surgery.

Antihypertensive drugs, calcium-channel blockers and some anti-inflammatory drugs can cause painful ulcerations of the gums. Many medications, from antidepressants to chemotherapy drugs, cause dry mouth, which can cause cavities to skyrocket, since saliva typically acts as a protective coating for teeth. Additional fluoride treatments can help.

Some proactive dentists have glucose monitors for another check on blood-sugar levels if they suspect diabetes. Some also take patients' blood pressure and hold off on invasive procedures if it's extremely high.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that dentists offer HIV testing, because some of the first symptoms appear in the mouth, including fungal infections and lesions. Dentists can do the HIV test with a simple mouth swab and get results in 20 minutes.

Breaking the bad news is often more difficult. "I went into oral surgery because I didn't think I would have to deliver that kind of news to patients," says Clifford Salm, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon in Manhattan who has found leukemia, lymphoma, AIDS and metastatic breast cancer after performing biopsies on suspicious spots. "It can be a difficult conversation," he says, "but most patients are very grateful."

Don't Be Fooled by White, Shiny Teeth
A gleaming, white smile is a sign of a healthy mouth, right? Not necessarily.  "Whiteness and the health of your teeth are totally unrelated," says Mark Wolff, an associate dean at New York University College of Dentistry.

In fact, many dentists worry that people who whiten their teeth may have a false sense of complacency, since their teeth can still be harboring tooth decay and serious gum disease.

Even people who have no cavities can still have inflamed and infected gums. It could be that their saliva is particularly protective of their tooth enamel, while their brushing and flossing habits, needed to keep gum tissues healthy, could be lax.

"I get these patients in their mid-30s who don't have cavities, so they haven't been to a dentist in 10 years. But they have full-blown periodontal disease," says George Kivowitz, a restorative dentist in Manhattan. "They are losing all the supporting structure, and I have to tell them that these gorgeous teeth will fall out of your head if we don't turn this around."

Using whitening products more often than recommended can erode some of the enamel and cause teeth to appear translucent. But whether that actually harms teeth is controversial. "No one has really shown that it's damaging, but no one knows the long-term results," says Dr. Marcus, the periodontist in Yardley, Pa.

Dentists Contribute to Total Body Health & Disease Prevention

Your DDS Can Play a Key Role in Medical Screening

By DrBicuspid Staff

December 16, 2011 -- Dentists could play a crucial role in frontline healthcare by screening for systemic disease during visits by the 19.5 million Americans who visit their offices annually, according to a new study by New York University (NYU; American Journal of Public Health, December 15, 2011).

Since many patients see their dentists more often than other healthcare providers, dentists may be in the best position to spot chronic illnesses that would otherwise go undetected, the NYU researchers found.

The study, conducted by a nursing-dental research team at NYU, is the first of its kind to determine the proportion of Americans who are seen annually by a dentist but not by a general healthcare provider.

"For these and other individuals, dental professionals are in a key position to assess and detect oral signs and symptoms of systemic health disorders that may otherwise go unnoticed, and to refer patients for follow-up care," Shiela Strauss, PhD, an associate professor of nursing at the NYU College of Nursing, said in a press release.

As trained healthcare providers, dentists and dental hygienists can assess patients' health during routine dental exams by checking blood pressure and using clinical observation and x-rays to detect risk for systemic conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.

Researchers used data from a subsample of 31,262 adults and children who participated in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2008 annual National Health Interview Survey, a health status study of the U.S. population, which at that time consisted of nearly 304.4 million individuals. Physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants were included as general healthcare providers.

They found that 26% of children and 24.1% of adults did not visit a general healthcare provider in 2008. However, of these individuals, 34.7% of children and 23.1% of adults visited a dentist in that same time frame, representing nearly 20 million people.

The researchers also found that 93% of the children and 85% of the adults had some form of health insurance, suggesting that many had access to general healthcare but did not seek it.

The Mouth-Body Connection: Garbage In=Garbage Out

Discover why good dental health depends on more than brushing and flossing, and why a clean, happy mouth gives your whole body something to smile about.

By Bonnie Blodgett

Let's face it. Most of us take our teeth for granted. Sure, we brush and floss (well, some of the time). And we know, of course, that teeth are essential for chewing our food and for maintaining a beautiful smile. But when we get a cavity – or even when we get diagnosed with gum disease that might culminate in root canals or tooth loss – we seldom think of these problems as posing permanent risks to our health and vitality.

We simply don't place the same importance on our dental health as we do on, say, the health of our vital organs. After all, the mouth is the domain of the dentist; the body, the domain of the doctor.

But that perspective is changing. Recent research provides convincing evidence that oral health and overall health are inextricably linked – that what's good for our mouth is also good for the rest of the body we work so hard to keep fit and healthy. Dentists increasingly screen for systemic diseases, which involve many organs or the whole body, through tongue assessments, saliva tests, blood pressure checks, and simple observation of the teeth and gums. As well they should: More than 90 percent of systemic diseases have oral symptoms such as lesions, according to the Academy of General Dentistry. Dentists are also checking for signs of inflammation that could affect heart health as we age. When they see trouble, they make referrals to physicians.

To emphasize the connection between oral health and overall health, Vincent J. Iacono, DMD and former president of the American Academy of Periodontology, offers the not-so-appealing metaphor of the mouth as a garbage dump on the edge of a river: "You wouldn't be surprised if the lake downstream ended up polluted with the garbage from the dump. A patient's bloodstream acts very much like the river in this analogy, in that it carries the bacteria from the periodontal plaques, possibly 'polluting' the arteries of the heart with periodontal bacteria, causing inflammation of the arteries, which may lead to a heart attack. This potential effect of periodontal bacteria further supports the need for periodic deep cleanings to enhance overall health and well-being."

This same effect has also convinced the American Heart Association (AHA) that dentists are very much on the front lines of healthcare. In addition to helping us keep our teeth firmly planted in our mouths as we age, oral-health experts are also destined to play a more important role in helping us maintain our vitality and overall quality of life.

A New Approach to Dental Health
This link between oral and overall health, now becoming common in conventional dentistry, has for years been a key tenet of what's known as holistic dentistry, which takes an integrated approach to dental care. Holistic dentists advocate for optimal nutrition. They take a minimally invasive approach to resolving dental problems. Some even evaluate a patient's skeletal structure and, of greatest controversy, often shun the use of fillings that contain mercury and call for replacing those amalgams.

Holistic dentists consider conventional dentists too quick to remove troublesome teeth, perform root canals, and insert "unnatural" substances and appliances into the mouth, arguing that these toxic substances create unhealthy imbalances in the mouth's natural ecosystem. But there are signs that the members of the Holistic Dental Association and the American Dental Association (ADA) may be inching closer together, at least philosophically.

Conventional dentists like P. Piero, DDS, of Holland, Mich., an ADA member in good standing, have some doubts about many of holistic dentistry's claims and methods. But Piero is pushing his colleagues further in the direction of what many in the profession are calling a "whole-person" approach to dentistry. Piero, who has spent two decades developing his own oral-care system (www.dentalairforce.com), represents a new breed of dental practitioner. He considers himself a teacher and passes along what he learns about oral health and hygiene to his patients. He isn't shy about discussing the difference between good and bad bacteria, their role in building plaque, and what happens when the bad guys get loose in the bloodstream. A visit to Piero may include a conversation about changes in diet and lifestyle – changes, he emphasizes, that could prevent not only tooth decay but also tooth loss. He knows that the longer his patients keep their teeth, the longer they're likely to live.

Healthy Mouth, Healthy Body
Good oral health calls for more than just brushing and flossing. It requires eating nutritious foods, exercising, avoiding cigarettes and alcohol, and controlling blood pressure. It may also mean looking to your dentist as a resource for more than cleanings and fillings. After all, troubles in the mouth not only predict disease, they can also exacerbate and even cause it.

John Laughlin III, DDS, of River Falls, Wis., has been practicing holistic dentistry for years. Many patients come to him when nothing else has eased their chronic pain or fatigue. Laughlin recalls one woman who came to him because she developed such severe flulike symptoms following a root canal that she "thought she was dying." She'd consulted several doctors who could find no cause for her symptoms.

Laughlin, suspecting an infection below the crown capping the root canal, referred her to an oral surgeon to have the tooth removed. The oral surgeon refused because, as Laughlin puts it, "he could see nothing wrong with the tooth." Six weeks and three doctors later, the woman finally signed papers absolving her surgeon of any responsibility for the outcome. He then removed the tooth – and found that the dead nerve remnant beneath it was not only infected but that the infection had spread to the bone, which was badly eroded.

More surgery was required to fill the large hole with bone taken from her inner cheek. The woman's symptoms immediately disappeared. She credits Laughlin with saving her life.

An equally convincing and more far-reaching example of the mouth-body health connection is evidenced by the well-established link between periodontal disease (infected gum tissue that can lead to tooth loss) and cardiovascular illness. Such disease is now considered as reliable a predictor of cardiovascular disease as smoking, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and elevated serum triglycerides. A 2004 AHA study found that pericoronitis (infected wisdom teeth) heads the list of dental risk factors for heart disease. Others, in order of importance, are gingivitis, root remnants, cavities and missing teeth.

Periodontal disease has also long been associated with diabetes; now it's being linked to other chronic illnesses involving not just the heart but also the lungs and the brain, and to low-birth-weight babies and preeclampsia (a condition characterized by high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine). It is also known to be more prevalent in postmenopausal women, probably because of lower estrogen levels, which also cause bone loss and, not incidentally, heart disease.

How all these problems intersect remains somewhat mysterious. Consider tooth loss: Like other oral health problems, it involves a vicious cycle. An older person who has lost teeth and can't chew properly doesn't get all the nutrition available in food, which exacerbates the underlying problem that caused his or her teeth to have a precarious grip in the first place. In other words, the gum disease itself may have a nutritional basis (too many doughnuts and soft drinks, perhaps), which in turn caused systemic problems such as poor bone health or a chronic disease. Healthcare providers do know that tooth loss is a predictor of longevity (the longer we keep our teeth, the longer we live) and that losing teeth nearly doubles a person's heart-attack risk.

Inflammation and Cardiac Illness
Need more convincing about the mouth-body connection? Consider the death of a middle-aged man who'd had a defective heart valve replaced and seemed to be recovering well: He was told to take antibiotics before dental visits to prevent infection from bacteria that can escape from the mouth into the bloodstream during cleaning. Apparently the antibiotics weren't enough to prevent a massive infection, which led to a fatal heart attack.

The fact that inflammation – often a result of infection – causes strokes and heart attacks has been widely accepted and is now being studied in depth by the AHA. Nowadays, it's not unusual during a routine physical to be given a test for C-reactive protein, a marker for systemic inflammation, especially if you have other risk factors for heart disease. Bad teeth, poor oral hygiene and diet are usually implicated when inflammation is detected.

Saliva is our first line of defense against the "bad" bacteria that cause plaque to form on our teeth. Plaque buildup may cause gingivitis, which can lead to periodontitis and, if left unchecked, to something called acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis, or trench mouth. Bacteria from those conditions can enter the bloodstream after routine dental cleanings, or even after flossing and brushing at home. Bad bacteria can also make its way into the bloodstream when saliva flow is reduced because of antibiotics or medications, such as antidepressants, disrupting the normal bacterial balance of the mouth.

Bacteria that manage to slip into the bloodstream (called bacteremia) could cause an infection elsewhere, especially if a body's immune system has been weakened by a disease like AIDS or by cancer treatments. And if those bad bacteria find their way to the lining of diseased heart valves, the result can be infective endocarditis. That's the condition that took the life of that middle-aged man who thought he was on the road to cardiac health, but died after a routine dental cleaning.

The Case for Good Hygiene
In his practice, Piero addresses systemic problems with patients even as he is filling their cavities or helping them decide whether to straighten their crooked teeth. He considers anything unnatural in the mouth dangerous (whether a crown, an implant or a cosmetic veneer), but not because of the fear of mercury toxicity often cited by holistic dentists. Rather, he says, such things interfere with what he thinks is the most important issue in dentistry: the battle against bad bacteria.

"The mouth is a war zone," Piero says, referencing the more than 500 species of bacteria that inhabit it. "Bad bacteria are usually anaerobic – they live in the absence of air." Their excrement turns into plaque, which is actually a multilayered biofilm and very difficult to remove once it's got a foothold, and especially dangerous if its presence has created periodontal inflammations known as pockets. This process causes illness in other parts of the body not just by allowing bad bacteria into the bloodstream but also by causing the body to fight back with enzymes called cytokines that trigger a systemic inflammatory response. He believes this cycle is the primary link between oral and whole-body health.

"Hygiene is everything," says Piero, who recommends patients visit him four times a year for intensive cleanings, rather than the standard twice-yearly visits. "A 16-year-old kid can have perfect teeth, but his beautiful smile won't last long without good dental habits. It's like letting your new Ferrari sit out in the rain. I'm looking at the long term. Our kids are going to live to be 100. Their teeth have to last that long, too."

Piero points out that bacteria can be spread through any sort of contact. "Yes, periodontal disease is hereditary, but it is also an infectious disease. Kissing, eating – many activities bring new kinds of super-smart bacteria into the mouth. They are highly adaptive: They can change quickly to new conditions in order to survive."

Given the potential impact oral conditions can have on our total health, says Piero, it would be wise for us to show the same respect for our teeth that we would to other parts of the body. "The area of our exposed gum tissue equals that of our forearm, about 9 square inches," he points out. "What would we do if suddenly our forearm was inflamed? We'd run to the doctor. But periodontal disease is painless. Hidden." And so we ignore it.

Dentistry for Life
Jessica Saepoff, DDS, belongs to the ADA and five other major dental organizations. Like Piero, she has developed her own interpretation of holistic dentistry. Her practice, Natural Dental Health Associates, in Issaquah, Wash., specializes in alternative methods, which she considers not so much alternative as simply the most advanced. She routinely communicates with her patients' other holistic health practitioners so they can work together toward comprehensive health goals.

For Saepoff, dental care always comes down to personal choice. "I tend to attract patients who are opposed to taking even small theoretical risks, whether it's eating pesticides in their food or having mercury in their mouths," she says. "I understand that drilling is sometimes necessary, but the goal of my practice is to preserve natural tooth structure."

Whether you take the holistic path to oral health or the conventional approach, one thing is certain: The way you think about your teeth may change dramatically in coming years, as new studies shed more light on the myriad ways in which a healthy mouth is essential to overall health and vitality, and a key factor in longevity. With your doctor and your dentist by your side, you'll be able to keep your smile beautiful, and to keep flashing that great grin for years to come.

Bonnie Blodgett is a writer and editor in St. Paul, Minn. She publishes a quarterly for gardeners, The Garden Letter, and is working on a book about smell.

EWG Publishes List of 10 Worst Kids Cereals

Kids’ Cereals Pack More Sugar Than Twinkies and Cookies

More than three-quarters of the cereals assessed fail proposed federal nutrition standards

Washington, D.C. – Parents have good reason to worry about the sugar content of children’s breakfast cereals, according to an Environmental Working Group review of 84 popular brands.

Kellogg’s Honey Smacks, at nearly 56 percent sugar by weight, leads the list of the 10 worst children’s cereals, according to EWG’s analysis. In fact, a one-cup serving of the brand packs more sugar than a Hostess Twinkie, and one cup of any of the 44 other children’s cereals has more sugar than three Chips Ahoy! cookies.

In response to the exploding childhood obesity epidemic and aggressive food company advertising pitches to kids, Congress formed the federal Interagency Working Group on Food Marketed to Children to propose standards to Congress to curb marketing of kids’ foods with too much sugar, salt and fat.

But EWG has found that only one in four children’s cereals meets the government panel’s voluntary proposed guidelines, which recommend no more than 26 percent added sugar by weight. EWG has been calling for an even lower cap on the maximum amount of sugar in children’s cereals.

“When I went to medical school in the 1960s, the consensus view was sugar provided ‘empty calories’ devoid of vitamins, minerals or fiber,” said health expert Dr. Andrew Weil. “Aside from that, it was not deemed harmful. But 50 years of nutrition research has confirmed that sugar is actually the single most health-destructive component of the standard American diet. The fact that a children's breakfast cereal is 56 percent sugar by weight – and many others are not far behind – should cause national outrage.”

“Cereal companies have spent fortunes on convincing parents that a kid’s breakfast means cereal, and that sugary cereals are fun, benign, and all kids will eat,” said noted NYU nutrition professor Marion Nestle. “The cereals on the EWG highest-sugar list are among the most profitable for their makers, who back up their investment with advertising budgets of $20 million a year or more. No public health agency has anywhere near the education budget equivalent to that spent on a single cereal. Kids should not be eating sugar for breakfast. They should be eating real food.”

“As a mom of two, I was stunned to discover just how much sugar comes in a box of children’s cereal,” said Jane Houlihan, EWG’s Senior Vice President of Research. “The bottom line: most parents would never serve dessert for breakfast, but many children’s cereals have just as much sugar, or more.”

Studies suggest that children who eat breakfasts that are high in sugar have more problems at school. They become more frustrated and have a harder time working independently than kids who eat lower-sugar breakfasts. By lunchtime they have less energy, are hungrier, show attention deficits and make more mistakes on their work.

About one in five American children is obese, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has reported that childhood obesity has tripled over the past 30 years.

“It has been said that exploding rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes in today's children will lead them to be the first in American history to have shorter lifespans than their parents,” Weil said. “That tragedy strikes me as a real possibility unless parents make some dramatic changes in their children's lives.”

“Nearly 20 percent of our children and one-third of adults in this country are obese. Our children face a future of declining health, and may be the first generation to have a shorter lifespan than their parents. We must provide consumers with the information they need to make healthier choices and prevent misleading claims about the nutritional contents of food,” said Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT). “Cereal is a prime example of this—we know that children do better in school if they have breakfast. But we also know that the type of breakfast matters. And yet, as the Environment Working Group’s report shows, many children’s cereals have sugar content levels that are above 40 percent by weight. Our children deserve better, and it is critical that we take action to combat America’s obesity epidemic.” Congresswoman DeLauro serves on the appropriations subcommittee responsible for the Food and Drug Administration and agriculture, where she oversees drug and food safety.

10 Worst Children’s Cereals Based on percent sugar by weight
1.) Kellogg’s Honey Smacks	55.6%
2.) Post Golden Crisp	51.9%
3.) Kellogg’s Froot Loops Marshmallow	48.3%
4.) Quaker Oats Cap’n Crunch’s OOPS! All Berries	46.9%
5.) Quaker Oats Cap’n Crunch Original	44.4%
6.) Quaker Oats Oh!s	44.4%
7.) Kellogg’s Smorz	43.3%
8.) Kellogg’s Apple Jacks	42.9%
9.) Quaker Oats Cap’n Crunch’s Crunch Berries	42.3%
10.) Kellogg’s Froot Loops Original	41.4%

Some cereals are better than others. Nutrition expert Marion Nestle recommends:

1. Cereals with a short ingredient list (added vitamins and minerals are okay).
2. Cereals high in fiber.
3. Cereals with little or no added sugars (added sugars are ingredients such as honey, molasses, fruit juice concentrate, brown sugar, corn sweetener, sucrose, lactose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup and malt syrup).

Among the best simple-to-prepare breakfasts for children are fresh fruit and high-fiber, lower-sugar cereals. Better yet, pair fruit with homemade oatmeal.

World Health Organization Update on Dental Amalgam

WHO Calls for 'Phase Down' of Dental Amalgam

 

October 24, 2011 — A World Health Organization (WHO) committee this month called for a worldwide reduction in the use of dental amalgam to cut the flow of mercury into the natural environment.

"In an environmental perspective, it is desirable that the use of dental amalgam is reduced," Poul Erik Petersen, DDS, DrOdontSci, responsible officer of the Global Oral Health Programme, told Medscape Medical News.

Dr. Petersen chaired a 2-day conference on amalgam as part of a United Nations effort to organize a worldwide treaty on mercury. The WHO released a report of the proceedings on October 11.

At a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, from November 16 to 17, 2009, 29 experts from 15 countries concluded that the use of dental amalgam results in 180 to 240 metric tons of mercury being discharged into the atmosphere, soil, and water every year. In contrast, 80 to 100 metric tons are recycled, sequestered, or disposed of securely, the report said. However, the report concludes, amalgam should not be banned outright because alternative filling materials are more expensive and not as reliable.

The report calls for research to improve filling materials and said the use of all dental filling materials should be reduced through measures that prevent caries.

The report drew praise from an antimercury activist group, World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry, which released a statement calling the report a "road map for the end of amalgam."

However, a spokesman for the American Dental Association said it is not necessary to reduce the use of dental amalgam at all. "There is no reason per se to phase down amalgam," Rodway Mackert, DMD, PhD, a professor of dentistry at Georgia Health Sciences University in Augusta, told Medscape Medical News. "The effect of doing that on the amount of mercury going into the environment is negligible."

Dental caries are becoming an increasing problem in middle- and low-income countries as they adopt Western lifestyles, including high consumption of sugars, but have not yet begun widespread preventive programs, such as fluoridation, the report says. As a result, the need for filling materials is expected to grow in these countries.

Already, dental amalgam is releasing "a significant amount" of mercury into the environment, the report found. This pollution results from amalgam made for dental use but diverted to other purposes, from poor disposal practices, and from cremation, the report said.

It laid out "best management practices," including bulk mercury collection, chair-side traps, amalgam separators, vacuum collection, recycling, and commercial waste disposal to prevent mercury from being released into the environment. It cited a US Environmental Protection Agency estimate that 3.7 tons of mercury are discharged into the environment from US dental practices each year.

Dr. Mackert said this is trivial compared with the 1500 tons generated by mining and other industrial uses in the United States, and he cited an US Environmental Protection Agency report saying that human activity only accounts for a third of the total mercury released into the environment. "Most of the mercury in tuna and things like that comes from natural sources like undersea volcanic vents," he said. "Reducing man-generated mercury is so much silliness."

He said the American Dental Association supports best management practices because if mercury gets into sewage sludge, then waste management companies cannot sell the sludge. However, amalgam has clear advantages over other restorative materials, so it should remain available to US dentists, Dr. Mackert said.

The WHO report considered the merits of amalgam vs other restorative materials. It cites a study finding that the repair rate for composite resin restorations was 7 times greater than for amalgams in posterior primary and permanent teeth.

On the hotly contested issue of toxic effects from amalgam, the report quoted a study by the Norwegian Dental Biomaterials Adverse Reaction Unit, finding that "the majority of side-effects of dental filling materials are linked with dental amalgam." Most of these are skin reactions and pain occurring within a week after treatment.

The report noted that amalgam surfaces release mercury vapor into the mouth and lungs, but stopped short of attributing any health effects to this phenomenon, and pointed out that other restorative materials may also cause adverse reactions.

So far, only Norway has completely banned amalgam, but some other Scandinavian countries have policies for reducing its use. The report noted that wealthy countries are better able to avoid amalgam because they have been able to institute caries prevention programs, and because patients can afford more expensive materials.

Less-wealthy countries and indigent people living inside wealthy countries should not be deprived of access to amalgam restorations until better alternatives emerge, the report concludes.

Dr. Mackert has served as an expert witness for dental supply companies sued for producing amalgam. Dr. Petersen has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Oral Bacteria & Pneumonia - Is There A Link?

Oral bacteria linked with pneumonia risk

By Rabia Mughal, Contributing Editor

November 18, 2011 -- Oral microbiota could play a role in identifying patients at risk for healthcare-associated pneumonia, according to a study presented October 22 at the Infectious Diseases Society of America annual meeting in Boston.

"The bodies of healthy individuals are cohabited by an incredible number of bacteria, where bacterial cells outnumber human cells 10 to 1," said study author Samit Joshi, DO, MPH, from the department of internal medicine at the Yale University School of Medicine, in an interview with DrBicuspid.com.

Scientists are now learning how different communities of bacteria reside in different parts of the body and how they can directly or indirectly influence states of health or disease, including pneumonia.

“Changes in oral bacteria play a role in the risk for developing pneumonia.”
— Samit Joshi, DO, MPH

Dr. Joshi and his colleagues wanted to determine if an association existed between the oral microbial profile and subsequent development of pneumonia.

They used advanced DNA sequencing to show that the types of bacterial communities that normally reside in adults' mouths change substantially as their risk for developing pneumonia increases.

While presenting his study at the meeting, Dr. Joshi reported that there was a distinct divergence between the oral bacteria of mechanically ventilated intensive care unit (ICU) patients who developed pneumonia and those who did not.

"In the case of hospitalized adults on mechanical ventilators, the change in bacteria preceded the development of pneumonia," Dr. Joshi said. "This suggests that changes in oral bacteria play a role in the risk for developing pneumonia."

Streptococcaceae dominant

Healthcare-associated pneumonia is a growing public health problem, but strategies to identify high-risk patients remain problematic, according to Joshi and his colleagues. While impaired oral hygiene is a known modifiable risk factor, the precise alterations in oral microbiota are unknown, they added.

The researchers looked at 37 subjects who were prospectively followed for a one-month period. The subjects included healthy community-dwelling adults (19, average age 60) and those at risk for healthcare-associated pneumonia: nursing home residents (10, average age 86) and mechanically ventilated ICU patients (8, average age 51).

The authors used a technique called 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing to compare the oral microbial profiles of the study participants.

They found that the dominant bacteria in the mouth were Streptococcaceae but that the proportion differed across the three clinical settings, with community dwellers averaging 65%, nursing home residents at 43%, and the mechanically ventilated ICU patients at 33% (p = 0.02 for ventilator patients versus community dwellers).

While the ICU subjects who subsequently developed pneumonia had a significantly smaller average proportion of oral Streptococcaceae (7%) at baseline compared with the ICU subjects who did not develop pneumonia (49%, p = 0.02), the proportions of three other groups -- the Enterococcaceae, the > Micrococcaceae, and the Mycoplasmataceae -- rose sharply in this group.

Also, the bacterial community composition among ICU subjects who developed pneumonia was significantly different from the ICU subjects who did not develop pneumonia.

"Oral microbial profiles differ in community-dwelling adults compared to those in healthcare settings at high risk for pneumonia," the authors concluded. "Mechanically ventilated ICU subjects who subsequently developed pneumonia had a distinct divergence of their oral microbial profiles compared to ICU subjects who did not develop pneumonia."

Pyrosequencing of oral microbiota could be helpful in identifying patients at high risk of healthcare-associated pneumonia, they added.

However, it will still be a number of years filled with additional intensive research before these preliminary findings can be used to improve prevention and clinical care for patients at high risk of developing pneumonia, he added.  "By discovering how microbial communities change prior to the development of pneumonia, physicians and scientists could develop new techniques to identify patients at risk for pneumonia and discover new ways to prevent pneumonia in the future," Dr. Joshi concluded.