More die in the United States of too much food than of too little.
John Kenneth Galbraith, The Affluent Society
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Are You at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes?
By Linda York
Imagine sitting in your doctor's office 
and being told you have type 2 diabetes. Maybe it takes a few seconds to sink in. Then, your mind is flooded with fear, confusion, and questions. So many questions, but where do you begin? And the one thing you know is that your life will never be the same again. This is the experience reported by countless people who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. "I never heard anything the doctor said, after she said the word diabetes. The next thing I knew, I had a handful of pamphlets and was told I needed to schedule a follow-up visit," said Kathy Stender, 48, the mother of four who has type 2 diabetes. But, even with such a life-altering diagnosis, there is hope through simple lifestyle changes than can turn the tide against type 2 diabetes. And Beachbody has joined the fight with Kathy Smith's Project:YOU! Type 2™.
Type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is outside the scope of this article. Type 1 diabetes has no cure, and despite healthy lifestyle changes and medication, a person with type 1 diabetes has a very unclear future.
Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, can be prevented, and even reversed, through healthy lifestyle changes. Type 2 diabetes used to be a disease that was associated with much older people; in fact, it was referred to as adult onset diabetes. Now, there are kids as young as 8 who are being diagnosed with the disease. Currently, 24 million people in the United States have diabetes. Almost 95 percent of them have type 2, which can be managed by making healthy lifestyle choices—exercising, eating right, handling stress, and, in some cases, taking medication.
There is also a third diagnosis: pre-diabetes. The 57 million Americans diagnosed with pre-diabetes are already headed toward developing type 2. But there is hope for those with pre-diabetes, and type 2 diabetes, and there are choices available that can help reverse the trend. "I know any kind of diabetes can be difficult, but I get mad sometimes at people who have type 2," said Jack Lopez, 22. "I have had type 1 since I was 4 and I don't know if I will live to have grandchildren, or if I'll lose my eyesight, or a leg. People with type 2 have choices; they have control. They can do something about their diabetes, and I can't," he concluded.
The long trip to type 2 diabetes
The long trip to type 2 diabetes is silent. There are no symptoms, not even ones that can be recognized in retrospect. Routine glucose tests can't detect the problem. For many people, when they start gaining weight in their late teens and 20s, their body chemistries change and their cells become increasingly insulin-resistant.
When someone is insulin-resistant, the beta cells in his or her pancreas produce plenty of insulin, but the cells throughout his or her body don't respond normally to it. To maintain homeostasis, the pancreas makes more and more insulin. This works temporarily: the extra insulin compensates for the cells' insensitivity, so blood glucose remains normal. That's why the condition is silent.
Over time, however, the beta cells become exhausted and can no longer sustain their abnormally high insulin production rate. Why this happens is still not completely understood, but the assumption is that multiple factors are at work. Some of these factors are linked to obesity: the beta cells may be damaged by excess fat deposited within them; other hormones released by visceral fat may interfere with the function or even the survival of beta cells. Additionally, a person's genetic heritage and early life probably play important roles, since these factors help determine how the beta cells develop and how robust they will be later in life.
Despite getting medical checkups and normal test results, an abnormal process begins, without the doctor even realizing it. After many years, the beta cells began to falter. Insulin production drops and blood glucose levels begin to rise.
Diagnosing diabetes and pre-diabetes
Blood glucose fluctuates throughout the day. Because of these fluctuations, it's best to perform routine blood glucose tests—the kind used to screen apparently healthy people after an overnight fast. Fasting blood glucose under 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) is considered normal; 126 mg/dl or higher signifies diabetes. Sometimes, blood is checked over the next 1 to 3 hours after a person drinks a liquid that contains a fixed dose of glucose. This is called an oral glucose tolerance test. If blood is tested this way—or if it's simply checked at a random time over the day, rather than after an overnight fast—a level of 200 mg/dl or greater indicates diabetes.
Pre-diabetes is diagnosed when fasting blood glucose is elevated but not high enough to be considered diabetic: between 100 and 125 mg/dl after an overnight fast, or between 140 and 199 mg/dl at the 2-hour point during an oral glucose tolerance test. As previously stated, more than 57 million Americans have pre-diabetes. Sometimes doctors refer to this as borderline diabetes, or they call it "glucose intolerance," when it's diagnosed via an oral glucose tolerance test, or "impaired fasting glucose" if a fasting glucose test was used. By any name, the diagnosis should serve as a loud warning signal. Studies have shown that, each year, about 10 percent of people with pre-diabetes will develop type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes Prevention Program study
We know that lifestyle changes can prevent type 2 diabetes, even in people who have already begun the march toward the disease. The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) study proved this. This investigation, which began in the mid 1990s, was the single most important study ever conducted in diabetes prevention.
Three groups were set up. The first group received metformin, a medication that makes cells more sensitive to the insulin naturally produced by the pancreas. If insulin sensitivity could be improved in people with pre-diabetes, the investigators reasoned, perhaps diabetes could be prevented altogether. The second group was given a placebo, a pill that contained no active ingredients. This part of the study was blinded, which means that neither the participants nor the investigators knew who received the real medications. Members of both groups were also given printed information on diet and exercise.
The third group, with more than 1,000 high-risk participants, received no pills at all. Instead, they underwent extensive training with lifestyle coaches, who taught them how to alter their lives to lose weight and to become more physically active. The coaches counseled them about diet and exercise. They learned how to set goals and keep track of their success. Group members were expected to eat less fat and fewer calories overall and to exercise for a total of at least 2-1/2 hours per week. The coaches led problem-solving discussions to help participants deal with lapses. Members of the lifestyle-change group also attended classes on healthy eating, physical activity, and behavioral topics. In addition to all this, they participated in special events, such as group walks or competitions. Meanwhile, those in the other two groups simply took their pills and went about their usual lives.
At the end of the 3-year study period, 29 percent of the participants who received only a placebo had developed diabetes. Those who took the medications fared better—just 22 percent of that group developed diabetes. But the people in the lifestyle change group enjoyed the most success of all; only 14 percent developed diabetes during the 3 years of the study. What's more, they lost an average of 12.3 pounds.
Diabesity and alarming statistics
Dr. Fran Kaufman was president elect of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in 2001. She, along with U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson, was part of a press conference to announce the findings of the DPP study. Dr. Kaufman said, "It was thrilling to learn conclusively that each of us has it within our power to reverse diabesity (diabetes caused by [being] overweight or [obese . . . .]" The term diabesity, from diabetes and obesity, is synonymous with type 2 diabetes.
Currently, more people die of diabetes than die of AIDS and breast cancer combined. And diabetes complications include illnesses such as heart disease—people often die because of these secondary illnesses linked to diabetes. Additionally, diabetes is the leading cause of blindness and amputations. With one in three children born after 2000 predicted to get diabetes, diabetes is growing at a phenomenally rapid rate. But we don't have to watch 300 million people worldwide develop diabetes by 2020, as is presently projected. We have the opportunity to set a new course and stop the epidemic.
The Beachbody solution: Kathy Smith's Project:YOU! Type 2
Beachbody, the ADA, and Kathy Smith joined together to create a simple, comprehensive program to help people with pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes learn how to lead healthy lifestyles. Project:YOU! Type 2 is the healthy approach to managing type 2 diabetes and, if you have pre-diabetes, to preventing it.
The ADA has called this program "revolutionary" because it includes eating tips, exercise, journaling, and support all in one inclusive package. This is the first time the ADA has recognized a total lifestyle solution program. The ADA's mission, to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes, is shared by Beachbody. Additionally, a portion from the sale of each Project:YOU! Type 2 program will be donated to the ADA. Read more about Project:YOU! Type 2.
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Got something to say? Chat with the writers and other readers this Thursday, September 25th, at 8:00 PM ET, 5:00 PM PT in the Beachbody Chatroom!
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Maximize Your Weight Loss with Calcium
By Aaron Lowe
Okay, I know you think this may be another typical article on the perils of not getting enough calcium every day, that it's going to describe in painful and extreme detail all the terrible things that will happen to your health as you age if you don't receive enough calcium. Although the above is correct (you will suffer health problems in your elderly years if you have a lifetime low intake of calcium), that's not what we are going to discuss today.
Nope. I promise not to talk about that well worn-out topic. This will be a positive article on a topic all of us are interested in: losing weight.
Calcium intake increases weight loss
A recent study at the University of Sao Paulo (Source: Nutrition, July 2008) of 1,459 adults aged between 20 and 59 suggests that intake of dietary calcium is related to body weight. The group with the highest average daily intake of calcium was less likely to be overweight. Conversely, those with the lowest average intake had a 25 percent greater chance of being overweight.
One of the researcher's theories behind calcium's role in controlling weight is that calcium seems to bind more fatty acids in the intestines, thereby inhibiting fat absorption.
A 2003 study showed subjects who consumed three servings of yogurt daily as part of a reduced-calorie diet lost about 20 percent more weight than those who simply cut calories alone.
The yogurt eaters consumed around 1,100 milligrams of calcium daily. The non-yogurt eaters consumed about 500 milligrams of calcium a day (the average amount in the typical American's diet). The yogurt eaters lost 22 percent more weight, 61 percent more body fat, and 81 percent more stomach fat than the non-yogurt eaters. As with the most recent study, the researchers hypothesized that the extra calcium provided by yogurt played a role in increasing the amount of weight lost during the study period.
Sources of calcium
At this point, due to the preponderance of data to support the theory, most researchers agree that calcium plays an important role in weight control and weight loss. The debate within the scientific community, however, is with the SOURCE of calcium. Most of the studies investigating calcium's role used dairy-sourced calcium from foods. "Dairy for some reason, yet unexplained, has a greater effect on fat loss and specifically trunk fat loss than does calcium alone," states Rachel Novotny, PhD, RD, professor and chair of the department of human nutrition, food, and animal sciences at the University of Hawaii.
Researchers also believe that there are various potential mechanisms that may explain those additional benefits. For example, some of the minerals in dairy foods, such as phosphorous and magnesium, may enhance calcium's beneficial effects on fat breakdown within cells.
What the research doesn't support is the benefits of calcium from sources other than dairy, or simply taking a non-dairy-sourced calcium supplement (such as calcium lactate or gluconate). The data to support the weight loss benefits here is limited and ambiguous at best. The bottom line is that if you want to ensure your efforts of maximizing weight loss with calcium, make sure the calcium is from dairy sources.
Dairy isn't for everyone
This is great news, but what about those who cannot consume dairy because of lactose intolerance or allergies? Lactose intolerance is a condition caused by a lack of an enzyme called lactase, which, in turn, causes the body to be unable to digest lactose, a sugar found in milk products. A lack of lactase can cause uncomfortable symptoms for some people.
Thirty to 50 million Americans (adults and children) are lactose intolerant. The disorder affects some populations more than others:
- Seventy-five percent of all African-Americans and Native Americans are lactose intolerant.
- Ninety percent of Asian-Americans are lactose intolerant.
- It is estimated that 75 percent of adults worldwide show some decrease in lactase activity during adulthood, thus decreasing their ability to digest milk products.
Startling statistics
To add fuel to the fire, the group with the greatest need for calcium, girls in their teen years through young adulthood, has an alarmingly deficient intake of calcium. In fact, African-American girls in this group have the lowest average intake, adding up to little more than half the recommended daily amount of calcium (Source: Journal of the American College of Nutrition, April 2006).
Adult men and women in general aren't doing much better. According to the National Institutes for Health, 55 percent of men and 78 percent of women ages 20 and above do not meet the recommend daily intake for calcium.
Add this all up, and most of us simply aren't meeting our calcium needs every day. Keep one thing in mind. These values are established for calcium in its known roles for bone health and other biological functions, and not for weight loss.
What are your options?
Obviously, for those of us who can consume dairy without any issues, including milk, cheeses, and yogurt in our diets is a viable option. However, for many others, that simply isn't a possibility. In fact, for many of those who can safely consume dairy products, a simpler alternative could ensure adequate daily intakes.
One viable option is taking calcium supplements, and there are literally hundreds of calcium supplements on the market from which to choose. Many of them are excellent choices for meeting your bone health needs, but unless those supplements are dairy-sourced, they probably won't help you with your weight loss program.
Beachbody Nutritionals™ Core Cal-Mag™ is one of the very few calcium supplements on the market today that uses milk calcium as one of its calcium sources. Most calcium in Core Cal-Mag is sourced from calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium-rich milk. It's all the benefits of milk without the unwanted issues associated with it. Core Cal-Mag is lactose free and free of allergens found in milk and dairy. It also contains vitamin D, which is necessary for helping absorb and utilize calcium; 230 milligrams of phosphorus; and 500 milligrams of magnesium (125 percent of the recommended daily value), an essential mineral required for over 300 metabolic and biological processes. Core Cal-Mag also supplies the nutrients in dairy associated with weight loss, and in similar ratios. Plus, purity and potency are guaranteed: no risk of lead contamination as with some calcium sources. It's the next best thing to drinking three glasses of milk every day.
I started off by promising not to talk about the dire consequences of inadequate calcium intake, and I hope I've kept that promise. Of course, you want to ensure an adequate calcium intake every day to protect the long-term health of your bones, but wise choices in your calcium sourcing can pay dividends in your weight loss program, too. Regardless, if you use dairy foods or a supplement like Core Cal-Mag to meet your daily calcium needs, your bones—and your waistline—will thank you for it!
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"5 Ways Supplements Help You Reach Your Fitness Goals"
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Got something to say? Chat with the writers and other readers this Thursday, September 25th, at 8:00 PM ET, 5:00 PM PT in the Beachbody Chatroom!
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6 Foods with Hidden Sugar
By Joe Wilkes
The average American eats approximately 1,500 pounds of food every year. Of that, 160 pounds are primarily sugar. Of course, sugar is delicious, and I know I'm the happier for its existence, but of all the things we consume, it has the least nutritive value. In fact, except for the energy in its calories, there's not much to recommend about sugar. It's a prime source of empty calories. And for those of us who are trying to lose weight by committing to a healthy diet and an exercise program like 10-Minute Trainer® or Slim in 6®, sugar's the first thing we should start trimming from our diets. But here's the problem, despite our best intentions to remove excess sugar from our diets, the food industry has found more and more devious ways of slipping us the sweet stuff. Whether the food industry calls sugar by another name or adds it to foods we never thought would have needed it, our sweet teeth are constantly being bombarded. Fortunately, with stricter labeling laws, we have a fighting chance at cutting back on sugar.
Why does the food industry want us so full of sugar?
It's basically the same as any other industry. For the oil industry to make more money, it needs us to use more of its product by driving more miles. And the food industry needs us to use more of its products by eating more calories. The problem is that the American food industry is already producing around 3,900 calories per person per day, which is way more than we need. One solution to this surplus is to sell the food cheaply overseas, which the industry does. The other solution is for Americans to eat more calories. And sugar and its corn sweetener brethren are great calorie delivery systems—they pack a huge caloric punch, without causing much satiety or fullness. (Check out Steve Edwards' "Sugar vs. Fat" article, in Related Articles below, for more about why sugar is the world-champion fattener.) Most people would probably stop eating steak after they reached 1,000 calories, because they'd be stuffed, but after drinking 1,000 calories from their Big Gulp cups, they'd still have room for dinner. The other reason the industry pushes sugar so hard is that it's cheap to produce, and the cheaper the calorie, the larger the profit margin.
Sugar in labels—hiding in plain sight
One of the best ways to disguise the amount of sugar in a product is through something the government already requires—printing the information in grams. Most Americans only have the foggiest idea of how much a gram is, because Americans are unaccustomed to the metric system. So when we pick up a can of soda that contains 40 grams of sugar, we pretty much shrug our shoulders and pop the top. And that attitude is all right with the soda industry! But what if the label said that it contained over 10 teaspoons of sugar? If you saw someone ladling 10 teaspoons of sugar into his or her morning coffee, you'd think he or she was crazy, but that's how much people consume in a typical 12-ounce can of soda. In a 64-ounce fountain drink that you'd get at a movie theater or a convenience store, you get over 53 teaspoons of sugar—that's almost 2 cups! Naturally, people would probably think twice if the nutritional information on products were given in measurements that were meaningful to them. But until our heavily food-industry-subsidized government decides to change its policy, it's a metric world, and we just live in it. But we can take note that 4 grams equals 1 teaspoon. So when you check out a food label, divide the grams of sugar by four, and that's how many teaspoons you're consuming.
Sugar, by any other name, would taste just as sweet
Another strategy the sugar pushers use to get us to consume more calories is to rename the offending ingredient. We know to stay away from sugar, but how about molasses, honey, sorghum, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, glucose, fructose, lactose, dextrose, sucrose, galactose, maltose, or concentrated juices like grape or apple? Another profit path that the food industry has discovered is that instead of harvesting relatively more expensive sugar cane and beets, the industry produces sweeteners in a laboratory more cheaply and with just as many calories as beet and cane sugars. And with some sweeteners, especially the popular high fructose corn syrup, it is believed that your body will be less likely to reach satiety than with sugar, so you can consume more. Mo' calories, mo' money. Another advantage to these doses of "-oses" is that, aside from the fact that many people won't guess they're just different forms of sugar, they can be spread out in the ingredient list—under what the law requires—so that it won't be as obvious that what you're consuming is pretty much all sugar. When you look at a list of ingredients on a product, the manufacturer is required to list them in order of amount, from highest to lowest. So they can bury a 1/4 cup of fructose, a 1/4 cup of sucrose, a 1/4 cup of dextrose, and a 1/4 cup of corn syrup in the middle of the list. You won't be as likely to notice that when you add them all up, the main ingredient in the product is sugar.
Hide and seek. You're it.
So, if you're like me, you may have sworn off soda, except on special occasions, and turned the candy bowl into an unsalted-almond bowl. No more sugar, no more problems. Except for this problem: The food industry has cleverly snuck its sugars and corn syrups into products we never would have thought contained sugar. It's good for the manufacturer. It jacks up the calorie load, can enhance the product's appearance (high fructose corn syrup gives hamburger buns their golden glow), and can keep our sugar jones simmering at a low boil, in case we ever decide to go back to the real thing. Here are some types of products whose labels could bear more scrutiny.
- Spaghetti sauce. A 1/2 cup of store-bought sauce can contain as many as 3 teaspoons of corn syrup or sugar. While some of the naturally occurring sugar in tomatoes and other vegetables will show up on the nutrition label, most of the sugar is added. Look for brands that don't include sugar or its aliases, or make your own from fresh or canned tomatoes.
Ketchup. Ketchup can be 20 percent sugar or more. Not to mention that you'll get 7 percent of your daily sodium allowance in 1 tablespoon. Look for low-salt, no-sugar brands, or make your own using pureed carrots to add flavor and texture to the tomatoes.
- Reduced-fat cookies. Most brands of cookies now offer reduced-fat versions of their regular products. Nabisco even offers its own line of low-fat treats, Snackwells. But while you're patting yourself on the back for choosing the low-fat option, check the label. The sneaky food manufacturers did take out the fat, but they replaced it with, you guessed it, sugar. Many times, the reduced-fat cookie is only slightly less caloric than the one you really want to eat. And because there's no fat to make you feel full, you'll be tempted to eat more "guilt-free" cookies. And just because there's less fat, it doesn't mean you'll be less fat. Fat doesn't make you fat. Calories make you fat.
Low-fat salad dressing. Like the cookies, manufacturers have taken the fat out of the dressing, but they've added extra salt and sugar to make up for it. Check the label to make sure you're not replacing heart-healthy olive oil with diabetes-causing sugar—because that's not really a "healthy choice." Your best bet? Make your own vinaigrettes using a small amount of olive oil, a tasty gourmet vinegar or fresh lemon juice, and some fresh herbs.
- Bread. Most processed breads, especially white hamburger and hot dog buns, can contain a good bit of sugar or corn syrup. That's what gives them the golden-brown crust. As always, check the ingredient label, and consider getting your bread at a real bakery or a farmers' market—it's the best idea since, well, you know.
Fast food. Needless to say, fast food is generally not good for you. But even if you're staying away from the sodas and the shakes, everything from the burgers to the fries to the salads is a potential place to hide sugar. Check out the ingredients carefully at your favorite restaurant. You may be getting more than you bargained for.
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"Sugar vs. Fat: Which Is Worse?"
"6 Ways to Avoid Nighttime Snacking"
"Why You Might Be Losing the Battle of the Bulge"
Got something to say? Chat with the writers and other readers this Thursday, September 25th, at 8:00 PM ET, 5:00 PM PT in the Beachbody Chatroom!
If you'd like to ask a question or comment on this newsletter article, click here to add a comment in the newsletter review section or you can email us at mailbag@beachbody.com.
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Test Your Fall Foods IQ!
By Carla Lord
Fall is here! Test your knowledge about some healthy fruits and veggies of the season.
True or False?
False: Johnny Appleseed introduced apples to North America. Although he did not introduce apples to North America, John Chapman (aka "Johnny Appleseed") did, however, spread them throughout the Midwest. Apples contain no fat, sodium, or cholesterol; most of the nutrients in an apple are in its skin, so try to avoid eating them peeled. Apples are great for bobbing because 25 percent of their volume is air! They're a good source of antioxidants and fiber, and research has shown that apple consumption can help reduce the risks of developing colon, prostate, and lung cancers. October is National Apple Month, so get a head start on stocking up on your favorite varieties.
- True: Cranberry juice can reverse tooth decay. The juice of this small fruit contains a chemical that's been shown to inhibit and reverse tooth decay! The word "cranberry" is derived from the word "craneberry"—early European settlers in America thought the stem and flower resembled the neck and head of a crane. Cranberries are sources of phytochemicals, which are anticancer agents. They've also been shown to help reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and urinary tract infections. Native Americans even used the fruit in poultices to draw poison from arrow wounds!
True: Pumpkins are part of the squash family. Pumpkins are much more than the makings for jack-o-lanterns. They've been cultivated for over 8,000 years, and were once thought to cure snakebites and remove freckles! The seeds, also called pepitas, contain vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, and zinc, and reportedly help lower cholesterol levels. Although pumpkins are 90 percent water, their weights can range anywhere between less than a pound and over 1,000 pounds!
- False: Sweet potatoes are the same as yams. The two are not related botanically; sweet potatoes are part of the same family as morning glories, while yams are part of the grass and lily family. Yams, native to Africa, get their name from the Senegalese word nyami, a similar tuber. And, actually, the sweet potato isn't exactly a potato either, being only a distant relative of the "common" potato. Sweet potatoes are native to the Americas (although they also have a very long history in Polynesia). A low-calorie food, sweet potatoes are rich sources of vitamin C, calcium, iron, thiamine, fiber, and beta-carotene.
True: The word "grenade" comes from the name of a fall fruit. The grenade gets its name from the pomegranate (called a grenade in French) because the shrapnel pellets inside of the grenade reminded soldiers of the fruit's seeds. In the northern hemisphere, the fruit is generally in season from September to January. In Greek mythology, the pomegranate was partly responsible for the end of summer—it was the pomegranate's seeds which Persephone ate in the Underworld, thus relegating her to become its queen for the latter part of each year. Her mother, the goddess of grain and fertility who controlled the seasons, mourned her daughter each year, and wouldn't allow anything to grow until Persephone could return in the spring. Also, the cocktail mixer grenadine comes from the pomegranate. An entire fruit only has about 100 calories, and it's a good source of vitamins C and B5, potassium, and antioxidants.
If you'd like to ask a question or comment on this newsletter article, click here to add a comment in the newsletter review section or you can email us at mailbag@beachbody.com.
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