Want to Prevent Alzheimer's? Ban the Sugar

By Kelley Herring

If you indulge in sugar-laden foods and beverages, you may be increasing your risk of Alzheimer's disease, according to a recent study conducted at the University of Alabama.

The researchers worked with mice that were genetically bred to develop Alzheimer's-like symptoms in adulthood. The mice were separated into two groups. One group had a regular, balanced diet, and the other group was supplemented with 10 percent sugar water. After 25 weeks, the researchers compared the metabolism, brain composition, and memory skills of the two groups.

The sugar-fed mice gained approximately 17 percent more weight than the control group, developed insulin resistance, and had higher cholesterol levels. These mice also demonstrated more difficulty with learning and memory retention, and their brains had over twice the amount of amyloid plaque deposits - a hallmark of Alzheimer's.

The researchers noted that the human equivalent of the mouse diet would be about five cans of soda per day. But since mice have a higher metabolism, it may actually take less sugar for humans to develop the same health-harming results.

Ban the sugar in your home and cater to your sweet cravings with the latest all-natural, no-calorie, sugar-free sweeteners. Use erythritol instead of sugar, cup for cup, to create delicious baked goodies, and use stevia to sweeten up your coffee and tea.

[Ed. Note: Kelley Herring is the founder and CEO of Healing Gourmet (www.healinggourmet.com), and is editor-in-chief of the Healing Gourmet book series.]

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Practically unknown to anyone except oceanographers and marine biologists, there is a Texas-sized, 3.5 million-ton heap of garbage floating in the Pacific Ocean between the California coast and Hawaii. The debris field, which has grown 10 times larger every decade since the 1950s, is 80 percent plastic. And although some of the garbage comes from passing ships, scientists and environmentalists say the vast majority originates on shore. Items such as plastic bags and bottles wash into the ocean, eventually making their way to the "Patch," where they are trapped by a combination of wind and currents.

The debris is dangerous for marine life and birds, but because the estimated cost of a clean-up is in the billions of dollars, none is planned.

(Source: San Francisco Chronicle)

Word to the Wise: Indomitable

"Indomitable" (in-DOM-ih-tuh-bul) means impossible to subdue or overcome. The word is from the Latin for "not to tame."

Example (as used by Scott Eyman in The Palm Beach Post): "When [Upton] Sinclair couldn't find a publisher for The Jungle, with typical indomitability he published it himself."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2250, 01-12-08], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

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