Metabolic Syndrome Is Tied to Diet Soda The New York Times www.nytimes.com Posted: 2008-02-07 (Feb. 5) - Researchers have found a correlation between drinking diet soda and metabolic syndrome -- the collection of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes that include abdominal obesity, high cholesterol and blood glucose levels -- and elevated blood pressure. The scientists gathered dietary information on more than 9,500 men and women ages 45 to 64 and tracked their health for nine years. Over all, a Western dietary pattern -- high intakes of refined grains, fried foods and red meat -- was associated with an 18 percent increased risk for metabolic syndrome, while a "prudent" diet dominated by fruits, vegetables, fish and poultry correlated with neither an increased nor a decreased risk. But the one-third who ate the most fried food increased their risk by 25 percent compared with the one-third who ate the least, and surprisingly, the risk of developing metabolic syndrome was 34 percent higher among those who drank one can of diet soda a day compared with those who drank none. "This is interesting," said Lyn M. Steffen, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota and a co-author of the paper, which was posted online in the journal Circulation on Jan. 22. "Why is it happening? Is it some kind of chemical in the diet soda, or something about the behavior of diet soda drinkers?" Up Level Artificial Sweetners vs Stevia A note from a top notch herbalist and researcher of health and the fight we have against the FDA and a the mis-information driven government machinery.  Ingrid writes in compelling ways and I recommend her products as she has some of the more unusual. Dear Subscribers, There was very little response to last night's post on Aspartame. To make the issue a little more cogent, consider that 85% of consumer complaints to the FDA pertain to aspartame. As I said, it is very zealously protected by politicians on the take, which is nearly everyone on the Hill, not to mention Pennsylvania Avenue and other countries. If one does not connect the dots, the miscarriage of justice (and dare we mention common sense) is too enormous to comprehend with a simple human mind. However, take the other side and look at the difficulties faced by the importers of stevia: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_10064.cfm If you are interested in the politics of these issues, there are some articles on Soaring Spirit with Tears: http://www.soaringspiritwithtears.com/boycott/aspartame.html When you reach for a throat lozenge or other sugar-free product in the grocery store, take out your magnifying glass and read the fine print. Likely as not, the sugar-free product has worse ingredients than the one with the cane sugar sprayed with pesticides. Stevia has had a tough road. It took me years to understand how much of our politics is determined by very old interest groups. It was a fascinating journey into the past going back to people like Alexander Hamilton, first secretary of the Treasury. I visited his home, now a museum, on St. Kitts where slave taxes and other assessments were all related to tons of sugar . . . . . . fast forward to the time when aspartame and stevia were vying for a piece of the sweetener market. Phil Donahue had a program in the 80s in which it was stated that all but two people on the Hill received PAC funds from sugar lobbyists, meaning subsidies and all sorts of other intrusions in the market to reward those paying the bills (or writing them.) On such an uneven playing field, there is very little hope for health or sanity and I am very concerned that those who would wish for this for themselves and their heirs to life on this tiny Planet might not be prevailing in the places that matter. I keep repeating it: you vote with every purchase you make so make it organic and sustainable. Blessings, Ingrid http://www.sacredmedicinesanctuary.com Back to Top                Up Level