Please forward

Children and the Metabolic Nightmare
By Shane Ellison, M.Sc.
Courtesy of www.healthmyths.net
2006 (C) All Rights Reserved

Every loving parent wants the best for their children. We
want them to have the best education. We want them to
have the best lifestyle. And we want them to have the
best future. As a father of two, I know this first hand.
I also know that before any child attains the best of
anything they must first attain the best of health.
Sadly, this is an obstacle for most due to excess
sugar use.

When sugar is consumed, the body responds by releasing
mass amounts of the fat-storing hormone insulin. The
insulin spike sets the stage for a metabolic nightmare.
The brain says eat, eat, eat and the body says store,
store, store. Raging appetite (seen as a tantrum) and
obesity are the outcome. But that's not all.

Courtesy of the metabolic nightmare, the health of U.S.
children is worse in virtually every category relative
to children in other industrialized countries. The
biggest threat: Type II diabetes. In 2003, the Journal
of the American Medical Association predicted that one
in three children born in the year 2000 will suffer
from this "sugar-eating" illness. The prediction is
becoming a harsh reality.

In the last 4 years, the number of American children
and teens taking prescription drugs for type II diabetes
has increased two-fold – the fastest increase in
prescription drug history! This wanton drug use has
done nothing to curb the epidemic. These children are
now faced with the debilitating symptoms of type II
diabetes. Their entire lives will be encumbered by
depression, heart disease, stroke and even cancer.
It doesn't have to be like this.

Avoiding obesity and type II diabetes requires the
avoidance of sugar, which isn't as easy as you might
think. The term sugar refers to a long list of dangerous
additives that have infiltrated our food supply. They are
sucrose, glucose, dextrose, evaporated cane juice,
maltodextrin, galactose, corn syrup, dextrin, beet
sugar, raw sugar, brown sugar, white sugar, concentrated
fruit juice, syrup, sorghum, honey, maple syrup, high
fructose corn syrup, monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed
proteins and milk sugars such as lactose and maltose.
Artificial flavors must be avoided too. Studies are
showing that they too induce over-eating and fat storage.

Parents must be vigilant about reading labels and
eliminating the aforementioned sugars from our children's
diet. If done, the best things in life await. The metabolic
nightmare of type II diabetes will be nothing more than a
bad dream.

Note: As summer approaches, fresh squeezed lemon juice in
purified water flavored with "NuNaturals Stevia Extract"
is a healthy alternative to sugary juice and soda.

About the Author: Shane holds a masters degree in organic
chemistry. He is an internationally recognized authority
on therapeutic nutrition and author of Health Myths Exposed
and The Hidden Truth about Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs.
Get 6-months of his FREE Life-Saving Health Briefs at
www.healthmyths.net.

References: Starfield, Barbara. U.S. child health: What's
amiss, and what should be done about it? A strong primary care infrastructure is key to improving and reducing disparities
in children's health. Health Affairs (Millwood). 2004;
September-October;23(5):165-170. SOURCE: JAMA 2003;290:1884-1890.
SOURCE: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_32066.html