Friday 2/28/14....5 Rounds: 5 Deadlift, 10 HPC, 15 Front squats, 20 wallballs

SWOD: Hang power clean find your 1RM

WOD:
Take plenty of time to warm up and go heavy

5 Rounds:

5 Deadlift
10 Hang power cleans
15 Front squats
20 wallballs

Thursday 2/27/14......Row and Bench

WOD: for time (courtesy of crossfit southshore)

Row 500
30 body weight bench press
Row 1000
20 body weight bench press
Row 2000
10 body weight bench press


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The B Vitamins: Their Individual Roles and Greatest Dietary Sources

                 

           








By Michael Ravensthorpe

Posted Wednesday, February 19, 2014 at 07:39pm EST

The B vitamins are a group of 8 water-soluble vitamins that are found in whole, unprocessed foods. Though these vitamins – which were once thought to be a single vitamin, “vitamin B” – are chemically distinct from one another, their roles in our bodies often overlap. These roles can be summarized as: Aiding cell metabolism, maintaining brain and nerve function, producing red blood cells, and breaking down carbohydrates, fat, and protein for fuel. This article, however, contains a more detailed list of the biological functions performed by each B vitamin and the best foods from which we can obtain them.

Thiamine (Vitamin B1)

Thiamine is named vitamin B1 because it was the first B vitamin to be discovered. It is nicknamed the “anti-stress” vitamin because it helps to strengthen our immune systems and improve our bodies’abilities to withstand stressful situations. Additionally, it helps our bodies form adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a nucleotide that is a major source of energy for cellular reactions.
Deficiencies in thiamine are uncommon, and are usually restricted to alcoholics and people suffering from anorexia and Crohn’s disease. Good sources of thiamine include seeds, nuts, brewer’s yeast, blackstrap molasses, kale, potatoes, liver, and eggs.

Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)

Riboflavin is an antioxidant that helps our bodies to fight free radicals, which are rogue atoms or atomic groups that contribute towards degenerative diseases and accelerate the aging process. Riboflavin also helps us facilitate cell growth, produce red blood cells, and transform vitamin B6 and vitamin B9 into usable forms.

Like thiamine, deficiencies in riboflavin are rare and mostly limited to those with poor diets. Good sources of riboflavin include almonds, organ meats, raw milk, yogurt, Brussels sprouts, and spinach.

Niacin (Vitamin B3)

Like all the B vitamins, niacin plays a role in converting carbohydrates, fat, and alcohol into energy. However, it also helps us manufacture various sex and stress-related hormones in our adrenal glands, boost our circulation, and maintain our skin health.

Niacin is the only B vitamin that is stable in heat, meaning that little of it is lost during the cooking process. Consequently, most of us will have no problem receiving enough of it through diet. That said, especially good sources of niacin include meat, fish, nuts, mushrooms, and most protein-rich foods.

Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5)

Pantothenic acid helps our bodies to manufacture red blood cells and steroid hormones. It also helps us utilize other B vitamins (notably riboflavin) and maintain a healthy digestive tract. Moreover, we need pantothenic acid to synthesize cholesterol. In fact, a derivative of pantothenic acid, pantethine, is currently being studied for its cholesterol-lowering benefits.

The name “pantothenic acid” originates from the Greek word “pantos,” which means “everywhere.” And that’s where you will find pantothenic acid: in almost all whole foods. Therefore, unless your diet consists almost exclusively of canned and refined foods, you’re unlikely to suffer from a deficiency.

Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6)

Pyridoxine, which is better-known as vitamin B6, helps our bodies make neurotransmitters – chemicals that carry signals from one cell to another. It is needed to maintain brain development and function, and to make the mood-regulating hormones norepinephrine, serotonin, and melatonin. Moreover, vitamin B6 helps us regulate the levels of homocysteine in our blood, and also aids our absorption rate of vitamin B12.

Though serious deficiencies in vitamin B6 are rare, mild deficiencies can affect children and the elderly. If you’re suffering from nervousness, muscle weakness, irritability, short-term memory loss, and poor concentration, consider eating more foods rich in vitamin B6 like salmon, tuna, cheese, lentils, spinach, carrots, brown rice, sunflower seeds, and chicken.

Biotin (Vitamin B7)

Biotin, also called vitamin H, is necessary for the production of fatty acids, metabolic reactions involving the transfer of carbon dioxide, and regulating blood sugar levels. It also plays a crucial role in cell growth and the metabolism of amino acids.

Deficiencies in biotin are uncommon because our intestinal bacteria produce it in excess of our body’s daily requirements. This is why most countries do not prescribe a recommended daily intake of it.

Folic Acid (Vitamin B9)

Folic acid (as well as “folate,” its naturally-occurring form found in whole foods) is one of the best-known, and most widely-studied, B vitamins. Our bodies need it to synthesize and repair DNA, form red blood cells, and facilitate cell division and growth. For this reason, it is important that infants and pregnant women get enough folic acid in their diets.

The name “folic acid” derives from the Latin word “folium,” which means “leaf” – giving us a big clue as to which foods are richest in it. Yes, leafy green vegetables like kale, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, iceberg lettuce, and collards are the greatest sources of folic acid, though you can also find it in seeds, poulty, liver, eggs, and citrus fruits.

Cobalamin (Vitamin B12)

Vitamin B12, which is only found in animal products, is an especially important vitamin for maintaining healthy nerve cells. In fact, it is directly responsible for producing and maintaining the myelin that surrounds them. B12 also has a close relationship with folic acid, and both vitamins depend on each other to perform their wider roles in our bodies. Moreover, B12 is one of the few dietary sources of cobalt, which aids our cardiovascular health.

Though deficiencies in vitamin B12 are not an issue for most people, those who avoid animal products – such as vegans – are at risk. For this reason, it’s important that these groups add a vitamin B12 supplement to their diet. Nutritional yeast, for example, is an excellent B vitamin complex (a food containing all 8 B vitamins), and is suitable for vegans.

 

Wednesday 2/26/14.... 4 Rounds: 21 plate GTOH, 18 Pull ups, 15 thrusters, 12 burpees

Metcon: 4 Rounds for time


21 Ground to overhead w/plate (25/35/45)
18 Pull ups
15 thrusters
12 burpees
*option: add a 200 meter sprint

Tuesday 2/25/14..."THE DIRTY DOUBLE"

Warm up: 4 rounds
15 jumping squats
15 jumping pull ups

WOD: "The dirty double"
5 Rounds for time
15 SDLHP (75/55)
20 DUBS/100 singles
15 Hang power snatch (75/55)
20 DUBS/100 singles

Monday 2/24/14......"Running Dumbell Bear"

Skill..... Box Squats 2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2

* make sure the box isn't too high - 90 degree angle or less

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxBM9vSjRXE

Conditioning WOD
"Running Dumbell Bear"

3 or 4 Rounds for Time:

10 Dumbell deadlift

10 Dumbell walking lunges

10 Dumbell squat clean

10 Dumbell walking lunges

10 Dumbell thrusters

10 Dumbell walking lunges

400 meter run

*last time (3 rounds)

Jim - 22:18

Matt - 24:50

Suze - 23:23

Mo - 26:12

**Article from natural news........better switch to wine

Beer companies use harmful ingredients while opposing labeling laws (http://foodbabe.com/2013/07/17/the-shocking-ingredients-in-beer/)Recently, foodbabe.com posted an article in which the author investigated the ingredients found in beer. While obtaining information from the alcohol industry must have been a daunting task, Food Babe prevailed and published an article exposing the health risks that beer companies have been trying to keep covered up by lobbying against ingredient labeling laws. Alcohol is metabolized by the body differently than all other calories you consume. Alcohol is one of the only substances that you consume that can permeate your digestive system and go straight into your bloodstream. It bypasses normal digestion and is absorbed into the body intact, where it goes straight into the liver. Your liver is your main fat-burning organ. If you are trying to lose weight or even maintain your ideal weight, drinking alcohol is one of your worst enemies. The liver is going to metabolize alcohol first vs. the fat you want to get rid of - making weight loss even harder. Additionally, one of the primary functions of the liver is to remove environmental toxins from your body - if it is overtaxed with alcohol, the normal removal of these toxins becomes extremely diminished and can result in rapid aging, loss of libido, and other diseases. So, inherently, alcohol by itself is not a healthy person's best friend - but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Beer, especially American beer, is made with all sorts of ingredients beyond the basic hops, malt and yeast. There are numerous other ingredients used to clarify, stabilize, preserve, enhance the color and flavor of beer. Michele Simon, a public health lawyer, author of Appetite for Profit, and president of Eat Drink Politics told Food Babe from foodbabe.com that the reason that beer companies don't disclose ingredients is simple: they don't have to. "Ingredient labeling on food products and non-alcoholic beverages is required by the Food and Drug Administration. But a whole other federal agency regulates beer, and not very well. The Department of Treasury - the same folks who collect your taxes - oversees alcoholic beverages. That probably explains why we know more about what's in a can of Coke than a can of Bud. You can also thank the alcohol industry, which has lobbied for years against efforts to require ingredient labeling." Chemicals Additives in Beer Food Babe was able to obtain a baseline list of "legal" additives allowed in beer from the book "Chemicals Additives in Beer" by the Center of Science and Public Interest. This list allowed her to ask specific questions about each beer she investigated. For example - beer sold here in America can contain several of the following ingredients: • Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) - alcohol is already addictive with some people, but with MSG?! Holy smokes. • Propylene Glycol (an ingredient found in anti-freeze) • Calcium Disodium EDTA (made from formaldehyde, sodium cayanide, and Ethylenediamine) • Many different types of sulfites and anti-microbial preservatives (linked to allergies and asthma) • Natural Flavors (can come from anything natural including a beavers anal gland) • High Fructose Corn Syrup • GMO Sugars - Dextrose, Corn Syrup • Caramel Coloring (Class III or IV made from ammonia and classified as a carcinogen) • FD&C Blue 1 (Made from petroleum, linked to allergies, asthma and hyperactivity) • FD&C Red 40 (Made from petroleum, linked to allergies, asthma and hyperactivity) • FD&C Yellow 5 (Made from petroleum, linked to allergies, asthma and hyperactivity) • Insect-Based Dyes: carmine derived from cochineal insects to color their beer. • Animal Based Clarifiers: Findings include isinglass (dried fish bladder), gelatin (from skin, connective tissue, and bones), and casein (found in milk) • Foam Control: Used for head retention; (glyceryl monostearate and pepsin are both potentially derived from animals) • BPA (Bisphenol A is a component in many can liners and it may leach into the beer. BPA can mimic the female hormone estrogen and may affect sperm count, and other organ functions.) Newcastle, a UK brand, confessed to using caramel coloring that is manufactured by heating ammonia and sulfites under high pressure, which creates carcinogenic compounds. If beer companies were required by law to list the ingredients, Newcastle would likely have to have a cancer warning label under California law because it is a carcinogen proven to cause liver tumors, lung tumors, and thyroid tumors in rats and mice. GMO ingredients used in beer Many of the beers questioned contained one or more possible GMO ingredients. • High Fructose Corn Syrup (Guinness - unable to provide an affidavit for non-GMO proof) • Corn syrup (Miller Light, Coors, Corona, Fosters, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Red Stripe) • Dextrose (Budweiser, Bud Light, Busch Light, Michelob Ultra) • Corn (Red Stripe, Miller Coors Brand, Anheuser-Busch Brands) When questioned about their use of GMO ingredients, Miller Coors admitted, "Corn Syrup gives beer a milder an lighter-bodied flavor. Hops add spicy aroma and bitter flavors. Yeast changes sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. There are no sugars, such as table sugars, added to our products with the exception of Sharp's, our non-alcohol brew. Small amounts of natural sugars are present in our products, but because they are in such small amounts, we do not test for them. Corn syrups may be derived from a mixture of corn (conventional and biotech)." Pabst Blue Ribbon responded saying their corn syrup was "special" and "made of carbohydrates and some simple sugars like dextrose and maltose. The sugars are fermented into alcohol and CO2, and the carbohydrates, both from the corn syrup and the malt, remain in the beers as flavor, color and body components." Dextrose and maltose can come from a variety of substances that are sweet, but likely are derived from GMO corn because it is super cheap for a company to use corn instead of fruit or other non-GMO sources. If you enjoy the occasional beer and wish to maintain your healthy lifestyle, choosing one without GMOs and additives is ideal. Unfortunately, most of the mainstream beers available have additives, but luckily, there are a few that don't. For example, Sierra Nevada, Heineken, and Amstel Light appear to be pretty clean (Though these companies still wouldn't disclose their full list of ingredients, they did say they use non-GMO grains, no artificial ingredients, stabilizers or preservatives). In the end - if you decide to drink beer, you are definitely drinking at your own risk for more reasons than just the crazy ingredients that could be in them. The key point to remember is - if you like to drink beer and want to be healthy, drink it infrequently and quiz the beer companies for the truth. Find a beer that you can trust and stick with it.

Sunday 2/23/14...EMOM for 10 minutes....2 Deadlifts then AMRAP-3: 5 deadlifts, 7 push ups,9 air squats

#1. EMOM-10 (every minute on the minute)
perform 2 deadlifts

#2. 5 rounds:
AMRAP-3 (as many rounds as possible in three minutes)
5 Deadlifts
7 push ups
9 air squats
rest 1 minute

* score is total # of rounds plus additional reps

We could do a partner WOD as a second option:

AMRAP-20 (as many rounds as possible)
partner #1 does 12 KTE (knees to elbows)
partner #2 does 12 KB SDLHP (sumo deadlift high pulls)
partner #1 does 12 jumping squats
partner #2 does 12 slamballs
partner #1 runs 200 meters

*after partner #1 returns - partner #2 starts with the KTE. Only one team mate works at a time.

Saturday 2/22/14....."Fab Abs" or "Tabata"

option #1: "Fab Abs"

Cash in: 50 dubs or 200 single jumps

30-25-20-15-10
Russian twists
Plate weighted sit ups
Renegade rows

cash out: 50 dubs or 200 single jumps



option #2: "Tabata" 8 times :20 work/ :10 rest

Toes to Bar
Box jumps
Row
DB snatch (alternating)
Jumping pull ups


** This is a great answer for people who ask why I would follow an "extreme" paleo diet. I got this from Nom Nom Paleo ( she has some great recipes ).

I eat “real” food – fresh, natural food like meat, vegetables and fruit.  I choose foods that are nutrient dense, with lots of naturally-occurring vitamins and minerals, over foods that have more calories but less nutrition.  And food quality is important – I’m careful about where my meat comes from, and buy produce locally and organically as often as possible.

It’s not a low calorie “diet” – I eat as much as I need to maintain strength, energy and a healthy weight.  In fact, my diet is probably much higher in fat than you’d imagine.  Fat isn’t the enemy – it’s a great energy source when it comes from high quality foods like avocado, coconut and nuts. And I’m nottrying to do a “low carb” thing, but since I’m eating vegetables and fruits instead of bread, cereal and pasta, it just happens to work out that way.

Eating like this is good for maintaining a healthy metabolism, and reducing inflammation within the body.  It’s been doing great things for my energy levels, body composition and performance in the gym.  It also helps to minimize my risk for a whole host of lifestyle diseases and conditions, like diabetes, heart attack and stroke.

For the most part, I try to follow these guidelines but I do regularly eat cheese, yogurt, and dark chocolate.  Plus, if I’m at a fancy schmancy place where there’s a chef’s tasting menu I eat whatever they put in front of me.

Friday 2/21/14...50 front squats + 50 hang power cleans + 50 push press

Warm up: 5 rounds of barbell bear with light body bar


With the same bar (95/65) perform the following:

50 Front Squats

50 Hang Power Cleans

50 Push Press

* the bar may not touch the ground

* the bar may rest in the front rack position, the hang position or in the hip crease

* penalty for putting the bar down= 400 meter run

* compare your score w/last time:
**we should all go heavier this time

maureenApril 5, 2013 at 4:42 PM

Jan- 45# 26:37 w/4 penalties

Jo- 45# 28:45 w/4 penalties

Suz- 55# 25:+ w/4 penalties

Mo- 50# 31:08 w/5 penalties

Thursday 2/20/14...50 lunges the 4RFT 7 burpee box jumps, 14 push ups, 21 KB swings then 50 lunges

50 Lunges

   then...

4 Rounds:

7 Burpee box jumps

14 Push ups

21 KB Swings

   then....

50 Lunges

Wednesday 2/19/14....Pick a girl or a Hero

Option #1: "Kelly"

5 Rounds for time -
30 wallballs
30 box jumps
Run 400


Option #2: "Michael"

3 Rounds for time-
Run 800 meters
50 sit ups
50 back extensions

Tuesday 2/18/14......#1 -Tabata 8 rounds wall sit, plank hold; rest 5 minutes then#2 - 21-18-15-12-9-6 push press + box jumps. rest 5 minutes then #3 - 21-18-15-12-9-6 Overhead squats + burpees

WOD #1 - Tabata core: 8 rounds each
wall sit (20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest)
plank hold (20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest)

rest 5 minutes

WOD #2 -
21-18-15-12-9-6
push press
box jumps

rest 5 minutes

WOD #3
21-18-15-12-9-6
Overhead lunge
burpees

Monday 2/17/14 ...."IVAN THE TERRIBLE" TWISTED

"Ivan the Terrible Twisted"

50 DUBS/200 single ropes

50 KB SWINGS

50 PULL UPS

50 SIT UPS

50 DUBS

40 KB SWINGS

40 PULL UPS

40 SIT UPS

50 DUBS

30 KB SWINGS

30 PULL UPS

30 SIT UPS

50 DUBS

20 KB SWINGS

20 PULL UPS

20 SIT UPS

50 DUBS

10 KB SWINGS

10 PULL UPS

10 SIT UPS
* If there's not enough jump ropes - run 200 meters (.13)

Sunday 2/16/14....2 rounds - 40 slam balls, 20 DB snatch, 40 weighted situps, 20 DB snatch, 40 box jumps

SWOD: close grip bench 6x5

METCON: 2 Rounds for time
40 slam balls
20 DB snatch
40 weighted situps (25/35/45)
20 DB snatch
40 Box jumps

10 Disturbing Reasons Why Sugar is Bad For You

September 30, 2013 | by Kris Gunnars

Added sugar is the single worst ingredient in the modern diet.

It can have harmful effects on metabolism and contribute to all sorts of diseases.

Here are 10 disturbing reasons why you should avoid added sugar like the plague.

1. Added Sugar Contains No Essential Nutrients and is Bad For Your Teeth

You’ve probably heard this a million times before… but it’s worth repeating.

Added sugars (like sucrose and high fructose corn syrup) contain a whole bunch of calories with NO essential nutrients.

For this reason, they are called “empty” calories.

There are no proteins, essential fats, vitamins or minerals in sugar… just pure energy.

When people eat up to 10-20% of calories as sugar (or more), this can become amajor problem and contribute to nutrient deficiencies.

Sugar is also very bad for the teeth, because it provides easily digestible energy for the bad bacteria in the mouth (1).

Bottom Line: Sugar contains a lot of calories, with no essential nutrients. It also causes tooth decay by feeding the harmful bacteria in the mouth.

2. Added Sugar is High in Fructose, Which Can Overload Your Liver

In order to understand what is so bad about sugar, then you need to understand what it is made of.

Before sugar enters the bloodstream from the digestive tract, it is broken down into two simple sugars… glucose and fructose.

• Glucose is found in every living cell on the planet. If we don’t get it from the diet, our bodies produce it.
• Fructose is different. Our bodies do not produce it in any significant amount and there is no physiological need for it.

The thing with fructose is that it can only be metabolized by the liver in any significant amounts.

This is not a problem if we eat a little bit (such as from fruit) or we just finished an exercise session. In this case, the fructose will be turned into glycogen and stored in the liver until we need it (3).

However, if the liver is full of glycogen (much more common), eating a lot of fructose overloads the liver, forcing it to turn the fructose into fat (4).

When repeatedly eating large amounts of sugar, this process can lead to fatty liver and all sorts of serious problems (5).

Keep in mind that all of this does NOT apply to fruit. It is almost impossible to overeat fructose by eating fruit.

There is also massive individual variability here. People who are healthy and active can tolerate more sugar than people who are inactive and eat a Western, high-carb, high-calorie diet.

Bottom Line: For people who are inactive and eat a Western diet, large amounts of fructose from added sugars get turned into fat in the liver.

3. Overloading The Liver With Fructose Can Cause Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

When fructose get turned into fat in the liver, it is shipped out as VLDL cholesterol particles.

However, not all of the fat gets out, some of it can lodge in the liver.

This can lead to Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), a growing problem in Western countries that is strongly associated with metabolic diseases (6).

Studies show that individuals with fatty liver consume up to 2-3 times as much fructose as the average person (7, 8).

Bottom Line: Excess fructose gets turned into fat, which can lodge in the liver and cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

4. Sugar Can Cause Insulin Resistance, a Stepping Stone Towards Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes

Insulin is a very important hormone in the body.

It allows glucose (blood sugar) to enter cells from the bloodstream and tells the cells to start burning glucose instead of fat.

Having too much glucose in the blood is highly toxicand one of the reasons for complications of diabetes, like blindness.

One feature of the metabolic dysfunction that is caused by the Western diet, is that insulin stops working as it should. The cells become “resistant” to it.

This is also known as insulin resistance, which is believed to be a leading driver of many diseases… including metabolic syndrome, obesity, cardiovascular disease andespecially type II diabetes (9).

Many studies show that sugar consumption is associated with insulin resistance, especially when it is consumed in large amounts (10, 11).

Bottom Line: When people eat a lot of sugar, it can cause resistance to the hormone insulin, which can contribute to many diseases.

5. The Insulin Resistance Can Progress to Type II Diabetes

When our cells become resistant to the effects of insulin, the beta cells in our pancreas make more of it.

This is crucial, because chronically elevated blood sugars can cause severe harm.

Eventually, as insulin resistance becomes progressively worse, the pancreas can’t keep up with the demand of producing enough insulin to keep blood sugar levels down.

At this point, blood sugar levels skyrocket and a diagnosis of type II diabetes is made.

Given that sugar can cause insulin resistance, it is not surprising to see that people who drink sugar-sweetened beverages have up to an 83% higher risk of Type II diabetes (12, 13).

Bottom Line: Because of the harmful effects of sugar on the function of insulin, it is a leading driver of type II diabetes.

6. Sugar Can Give You Cancer

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide and is characterized by uncontrolled growth and multiplication of cells.

Insulin is one of the key hormones in regulating this sort of growth.

For this reason, many scientists believe that having constantly elevated insulin levels (a consequence of sugar consumption) can contribute to cancer (14).

In addition, the metabolic problems associated with sugar consumption are a known driver of inflammation, another potential cause of cancer (15).

Multiple studies show that people who eat a lot of sugar are at a much higher risk of getting cancer (16, 17, 18).

Bottom Line: There is considerable evidence that sugar, due to its harmful effects on metabolism, can contribute to cancer.

7. Due to its Effects on Hormones and the Brain, Sugar has Unique Fat-Promoting Effects

Not all calories are created equal.

Different foods can have different effects on our brains and the hormones that control food intake (19).

Studies show that fructose doesn’t have the same kind of effect on satiety as glucose.

In one study, people drank either a fructose-sweetened drink or a glucose-sweetened drink.

Afterwards, the fructose drinkers had much less activity in the satiety centers of the brain and felt hungrier (20).

There is also a study where fructose didn’t lower the hunger hormone ghrelin nearly as much as glucose did (21).

Over time, because the calories from sugar aren’t as fulfilling, this can translate into an increased calorie intake.

Bottom Line: Fructose doesn’t cause satiety in the brain or lower the hunger hormone ghrelin nearly as much as glucose.

8. Because it Causes Massive Dopamine Release in The Brain, Sugar is Highly Addictive

Sugar can be addictive for a lot of people.

Like abusive drugs, sugar causes a release of dopamine in the reward center of the brain (22).

The problem with sugar and many junk foods is that they can cause massive dopamine release… much more than we were ever exposed to from foods found in nature (23).

For this reason, people who have a susceptibility to addiction can become strongly addicted to sugar and other junk foods (24).

The “everything in moderation” message may be a bad idea for people who areaddicted to junk food… because the only thing that works for true addiction is abstinence.

Bottom Line: Because sugar causes a large release of dopamine in the brain, it can cause addiction in a lot of people.

9. Sugar is a Leading Contributor to Obesity in Both Children and Adults

The way sugar affects hormones and the brain is a recipe for fat gain disaster.

It leads to decreased satiety… and can get people addicted so that they lose control over their consumption.

Not surprisingly, people who consume the most sugar are by far the most likely to become overweight or obese. This applies to all age groups.

Many studies have examined the link between sugar consumption and obesity and found a strong statistical association (25).

The link is especially strong in children, where each daily serving of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with a whopping 60% increased risk of obesity (26).

One of the most important things you can do if you need to lose weight is to significantly cut back on sugar consumption.

Bottom Line: Because of the effects of sugar on hormones and the brain, sugar dramatically increases the risk of becoming overweight or obese.

10. It Ain’t The Fat… It’s SUGAR That Raises Your Cholesterol and Gives You Heart Disease

For many decades, people have blamed saturated fat for heart disease… which is the #1 killer in the world.

However… new studies are showing thatsaturated fat is harmless (27, 28).

The evidence is mounting that sugar, NOT fat, may be one of the leading drivers of heart disease via the harmful effects of fructose on metabolism (29).

Studies show that large amounts of fructose can raise triglycerides, small, dense LDL and oxidized LDL (very, very bad), raise blood glucose and insulin levels and increase abdominal obesity… in as little as 10 weeks (30).

These are all major risk factors for heart disease.

Not surprisingly, many observational studies find a strong statistical association between sugar consumption and the risk of heart disease (31, 32, 33).