Wed, Aug 26, 2015 page8

• [ LETTERS ]

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  Sickly sweet beverages

  Thank you for the article you published containing what should be to everyone who read it a huge “red flag” concerning the health dangers of consuming sugary beverages (“HPA says sugary drinks can lead to health issues,” Aug. 20, page 5).

  The obesity epidemic in the US and explosion in the number of people with diabetic and pre-diabetic health issues have largely been linked to soda and other sugary drinks. From the statistics you mention in the article based on the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s study conducted last year, Taiwan is heading down the same path, especially given the younger generation’s seemingly insatiable appetite for such health-destroying beverages.

  The article accurately points out that sugary drinks do not quench one’s thirst. In fact, they make a person even thirstier, compelling them to drink even more and thus compounding the problem. However, in addition to being thirstier, fructose (the main type of sugar found in soda and most sugary drinks, especially in the form of high fructose corn syrup) adversely affects the way the brain recognizes and responds to a person’s consumption behavior.

  More specifically, fructose causes the brain to inhibit the activity of leptin (sometimes called the “satiety hormone”), a hormone that is essential for regulating the body’s appetite, metabolism, etc. In short, consuming high amounts of the fructose found in sugary drinks prevents your body from telling you that you are full, even though you are taking in a high number of calories. Thus, sugary beverages and added sugars in general are highly addictive, as the vicious cycle of sugar consumption continues.

  The article focuses primarily on the amount of sugar and calories in these drinks and also mentions the amount of exercise it takes to “burn off” those extra calories. Unfortunately, most people mistakenly believe that they can undo the negative effects of these sugary drinks simply by burning enough calories and that they can keep enjoying their high-sugar and high-calorie drinks as long as they work at burning it off afterward.

  Perhaps an even greater danger than what soda and sugary drinks do to one’s waistline is what they do to a person’s blood composition and the way they wreak havoc on the body’s processes of normal functioning.

  When sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream, the pancreas produces large amounts of insulin in order to process all of it. Too much sugar consumption can eventually overwhelm the pancreas to such a degree that it cannot cope with processing all of the sugar and cannot keep up with producing the proper amount of insulin the body needs while weakening the insulin that is produced, hence, the high risk of developing diabetes.

  High sugar intake is also closely linked to the development of cancer, as it has been well established in medical and scientific studies that cancer cells feed off sugar and therefore thrive and rapidly multiply when there are high amounts of processed and refined sugar in the body.

  Without a doubt, one of the best things a person can do health-wise is to give up all sugary drinks. Those who regularly consume an abundance of soda and sugary drinks are not only trashing their health, but are throwing away their hard-earned money in the process. The article suggests replacing sugary beverages with water, which is good, but often a very difficult change to make for those who dislike the tastelessness of plain water. One idea is to add a slice or two of lemon to a glass of water, which gives it a light, pleasant taste while providing the benefits of lemon’s anti-cancer and detoxifying properties and without any added calories.

  Wayne Schams

  Pingtung

  History repeating itself

  The situation in China and Russia is familiar. If China’s economy falls into recession, then China is the new Japan. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, after Japan became the second-largest economy in the world, many thought that Japan would become the most powerful country in the world. Instead, it went into a recession. The same might be happening in China today.

  As for Russia, Russia is occupying part of Ukraine. However, during former US president George W. Bush’s time in office, Russia occupied part of Georgia and still does today. And during 50 years of the Cold War, Soviet Russia controlled many more of its neighbors.

  Andres Chang

  Taipei

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