Renew You Challenge

It’s Monday again and let’s start this week off right!

Weekly challenge (I mean, opportunity!) to help set you off on the right foot and in the right direction for bringing health to your week. You could even add it to your calendar. Join us!

A recent study to be published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that consuming fructose or high fructose corn syrup for two weeks at the upper acceptable recommended levels (according The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010—25 percent of total daily calories) increased blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides—both risk factors for heart disease.

Researchers tested three forms of sugar—fructose, high fructose corn syrup and glucose. Only the fructose groups were found to have a negative effect. Glucose is the basic unit of sugar that is used by the body, but it is derived from other dietary sugars like fructose and sucrose.

The researchers stated, “Our findings provide evidence that the upper limit of 25 percent of daily calories consumed as added sugars as suggested by The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 may need to be re-evaluated.” In contrast to these guidelines, the American Heart Association recommends that only five percent of total calories come from added sugar. This study may serve to help bridge the gap between both recommendations.

Excess sugar consumption is not difficult to reach in today’s world, and can have a host of negative health consequences. This week, take a closer look at the foods you eat. Read the ingredient labels of packaged foods and try to avoid products that contain added sugars in the ingredient list. Be careful, though, these sugars like to arrive in disguise under a host of names. Here’s a list to look out for:

•Agave nectar

•Brown sugar

•Cane crystals

•Cane sugar

•Corn sweetener

•Corn syrup

•Crystalline fructose

•Dextrose

•Evaporated cane juice

•Fructose

•Fruit juice concentrates

•Glucose

•High-fructose corn syrup

•Honey

•Invert sugar

•Lactose

•Maltose

•Malt syrup

•Molasses

•Raw sugar

•Sucrose

•Sugar

•Syrup