All sugary drinks should be avoided. They cause a huge spike in insulin and contribute to a fatty liver. This includes fruit juice, gatorade, etc.. Most people think fruit juice is "healthy" for them. It's sad that our society is obsessed with "vitamin C" to the point where people really think that things like Orange Juice is healthy for them. Especially in the morning? On an empty stomach? Talk about an insulin spike. Studies have shown otherwise. Whether it's high fructose corn syrup, fructose, or sucrose - it's all sugar once it gets into your body and it affects you the same way once it hits your liver. I had a friend 6'3, 280lbs, about 50 pounds overweight. We play basketball together, he eats well, he exercises, but the only thing he drinks is orange juice, gatorade, and mixed fruit juices from his juicer. I got him to switch to water and tea last summer and he hasn't change anything else in his diet and he's down to 254 lbs and his blood pressure dropped. It was the fruit juice. From my experience in personal training, most fat people drink sugary drinks daily and they don't really like water. This is their #1 problem. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...-risk-liver-damage-80-cent.html#ixzz1mKYSUpw4 Just two cans of fizzy drink a day can increase risk of liver damage by 80 per cent Drinking just two glasses of fruit juice or fizzy drink each day may cause long-term liver damage resulting in the need for a transplant, according to new research published today. Liver damage is usually associated with alcohol abuse but a new study has found that drinks with a high sugar content can cause a condition called fatty liver disease, making them even more dangerous than alcohol abuse. Israeli scientists found that people who drank a litre of high-sugar fizzy drinks or fresh fruit juice each day were five times more likely to develop fatty liver disease. They found that even a couple of cans of beverages such as Coca Cola raised the risk of liver damage, as well as diabetes and heart damage. Doctors at the Ziv Liver unit in Haifa, Israel compared two groups of volunteers, neither of which had a risk of developing fatty liver disease. The results at the end of the study showed that 80 per cent of those who had consumed high-sugar fizzy drinks and fruit juices had fatty liver changes, while only 17 per cent of the control group - who had not been drinking sugary beverages - developed fatty livers. Dr Nimer Assy who lead the study said the research showed that long-term consumption of high-sugar beverages could result in liver failure and the need for a transplant. He explained that freshly-squeezed fruit juices could be as dangerous as highly sweetened carbonated soda. 'The ingredient in fizzy drinks and juices that causes the damage is a fruit sugar called fructose, which is highly absorbable in the liver,' he said. 'It does not affect insulin production and goes straight to the liver where it is converted to fat. 'Fructose increases the chances of suffering from a fatty liver, which can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer.' The father-of-five, who confessed to letting his own children drink Coca Cola recommended that parents limit their children's intake of sweetened beverages to no more than one cup, juice box or can each day. He added that parents should replace the juice in their children's lunch boxes with a bottle of water. To reap the maximum benefit from fruit, and to avoid the risk of liver damage, Dr Assy suggested eating the fruit whole: 'Whole oranges have fibre that prevents fructose from being absorbed into the liver,' he explained. Dr Assy's study was inspired by patients with fatty liver disease at his clinic: 'We have noticed recently that there are many patients coming to the clinic with fatty infiltration of the liver. 'Usually the risk factor is for people with obesity, diabetes and alcohol abuse, but we noticed some people without these pre-conditions could have fatty liver.' Dr Assy said that even diet drinks containing artificial sweeteners were not without risk. 'While diet drinks do not contain fructose, they do have aspartame and caramel colourants - both these can increase insulin resistance and may induce fatty liver,' he said. Imogen Shillito, the British Liver Trust's Director of Information and Education said: 'We're very concerned that the rising tide of obesity is putting people's liver health at risk. Fatty liver disease in the UK is set to get worse with the rising rates of obesity. 'This research highlights that people should watch their sugar intake as well as their alcohol intake in their drinks to avoid liver damage and reduce the risk of liver cancer. 'A healthy diet, including fresh fruit and regular exercise, will help reduce your risk of developing fatty liver disease.'
Yeah, it's backed up by studies, but I figured a personal anecdote might be of some use. Of course, you don't blow off watching your diet, exercise, and keeping your weight down. That last is something I've been very good at, keeping my weight below the norm for guys my size and age. IMO, that helps a lot. It's a pity that statins weren't around a long time ago, as well as the knowledge of beneficial supplements being generally known (some of this was known in the organic health community a long time ago, so I knew about the affect of fish oil derivatives long before my doctor suggested them. what I didn't know was that some are better than others).
Losing the DP might also solve your high blood pressure. By "crack like addiction" I'm assuming you drink more than one per day. I drank DP growing up and most of college, then switched to diet DP. Now I rarely drink soda...I'll have a small cup of black coffee or green tea if I need caffeine in the morning. Go to Diet DP or Dr. Pepper 10 (you're not addicted to DP itself, probably more-so the caffeine and sugar rush). You CAN learn to like them even if they don't taste the same, though personally I like Diet DP. If you tough it out for a week or two and acclimate to the taste it will taste fine. Coffee drinkers can do the same thing if they want to switch to straight black coffee. Eventually get down to one diet soda per day and then try to get off completely. You don't want to pound the diet/fake sugar drinks either because that just fools your body and you'll want to eat sweets to satisfy the cravings.
Cold turkey on soda is the best way to go. I went two years without soda. I got back into the habit last year, but I went cold turkey again and haven't any since the new year.
There was a study done that said diet sodas (aspartame) make one crave more sugar. Hence more diet sodas. Also, I recall reading of an association between carbonated drinks and lower bone density.
I read this as well! I used to drink a lot of sodas as a kid so glad I kicked that habit in college! I still drink a soda once in a while though.
When I went off soda I started with flavored seltzer water with no sweeteners. It's carbonated, it comes in a can, you basically feel like you were drinking soda once you get used to the lack of sugar. It made the eventual switch to water much easier.
Just drink water or tea and stop asking questions about DP, diet soda, and all that other garbage you guys put into your bodies. Water and tea. End of story, simple, efficient, healthy.
Nice, informative thread. After skimming through, I figured I'm gonna try these supplements that might change the way I feel and look: Omega 3/ Fish oil (these are the same right?) - to help my skin and hair and Melanin - to help me sleep better also since i never ever eat fruits, what is a good supplement to counter this, so that my body has the vitamins it needs that it doesn't get because I don't eat fruits?
I think I am allergic to Aspertine. I eat or drink anything with it in it. . . . I get a blistering Headache until it leaves my system I rarely do any Diet anything because of it. Trying to vary away from the High Frutose Corn Syrup Studies maybe inconclusive . . but I just don't trust the stuff If I am going to sugar . .. go with what I grew up with I keep hearing mention of TEA but I doubt it is the Lipton/Arizona variety What Specific type of Tea? Do you make it yourself? Hot or cold? Honey over Sugar? Rocket River
I started taking my Arginine at night, I can notice a significant difference in both how productive my rest is and the regen/recovery rate vs. what I was experiencing before. Seems to be a much more efficient use of the material. Also, I went off of cinnamon for a few weeks and just recently got back on, I cannot even begin to describe how much this stuff rocks. Everybody should be taking this stuff. Either in capsule form or as in ingredient in food. My sweet tooth is absolutely tamed and that goes such a long way towards regulating your entire diet. Can't recommend it enough.
Animal pak anyone? Those things are beast. 11 pills each pak and I feel Loosey Lu. I take them once every week. When I'm deprived from my nutrition,stress out, and sleep. Gives energy,concentration, and happiness.
Thanks for bringing this thread back . . . . So How much do you all spend on Supplements a month? Rocket River
