Guest guest Posted June 9, 2004 Report Share Posted June 9, 2004 Wed, 9 Jun 2004 12:07:34 -0500 HSI - Jenny Thompson Pyramid Scheme Pyramid Scheme Health Sciences Institute e-Alert June 9, 2004 ************************************************************** Dear Reader, Take out a one-dollar bill and look at the back - not the Washington side, the green side. See the pyramid capped with the mysterious glowing eye? That just might be what the revised USDA Food Guide Pyramid will eventually look like; only it may have a glowing TV tube instead of an eye. ----------------------------- Cable-ready pyramid ----------------------------- The current Food Guide Pyramid is capped with " Fats, Oils & Sweets, " along with the guideline: " Use sparingly. " But the 13-member panel of nutrition " experts " has been instructed by the USDA to broaden the guidelines to focus on weight loss as well as a healthy diet. That might not seem like a big deal, but here's the result: The new guidelines may include advice about lifestyle choices, such as a recommendation to spend more time exercising and less time watching television. So the new pyramid just might list " exercise " at its base to emphasize its daily importance, and " television viewing " at the top, beside the note: " Use sparingly. " According to Reuters Health, the panel stated that during " leisure time, all individuals, especially children and adolescents, should limit their sedentary behaviors, such as TV watching and video viewing. " I don't know about you, but I'm not real crazy about the idea of the Department of Agriculture trying to coax me into cutting back on my TV viewing time. That's MY time! I don't tell the USDA how to farm, and they shouldn't tell me how to spend my leisure hours. ----------------------------- The food channel ----------------------------- This new focus is obviously designed to address the obesity crisis in the U.S. But as well-intentioned as it seems to be, it drifts from the basic idea of dietary guidelines. And while excessive TV viewing may contribute to an unhealthy sedentary lifestyle, it doesn't really have a place in a " food guide. " A food guide should offer guidance about... you know... FOOD! Not TV watching or video game playing or fishing or painting or poker playing. The USDA advisory panel already has enough to deal with in determining a one-size-fits-all recommendation for good nutrition without sticking its nose into my TV room. ----------------------------- Back up the sugar truck ----------------------------- And what can we expect from the panel's nutrition recommendations? Right now they're playing it pretty close to the vest, stating only that a " wide variety " of foods should be consumed, while recommending increased fish consumption and more whole grains. In other words, they're not yet divulging if bread and cereal will still be at the base of the pyramid, with the encouragement to eat 6 to 11 servings a day. (That ongoing recommendation has been a coup for the bread and cereal manufacturers who have a very powerful and aggressive lobby.) But here's what's really unsettling: According to Reuters Health, members of the panel were " deadlocked " over whether sugar-sweetened drinks contributed to weight gain. Deadlocked. Amazing. That would seem to indicate that at least half of the panel members have dug in and refused to agree that excessive consumption of sugary soft drinks contributes to obesity. And yet they're ALL in agreement about excessive TV watching!? When USDA officials reveal the new guidelines next January and hold a televised press conference, I'll make a point of cutting back on my TV watching that day. ----------------------------- Details at 11:00 ----------------------------- Who am I kidding? I can't WAIT to see the new pyramid! It's going to be very interesting - and possibly quite laughable - to find out which " food " lobbies (sugar, grains, television) have been the most successful in promoting their agendas. I've got a feeling that when we get a look at the new food guide next year, we might want to take the whole pyramid and put it in the " use sparingly " category. Now... where's that remote? Let's see what's on. ************************************************************** To start receiving your own copy of the HSI e-Alert, visit: http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealert/freecopy.html Or forward this e-mail to a friend so they can sign-up to receive their own copy of the HSI e-Alert. ************************************************************** ... and another thing Cola or coffee? I'll have the coffee, thanks. When it's time to choose a beverage, rather than consult the Food Guide Pyramid, you might want to take a look at the results of two studies presented last month at Digestive Disease Week; an international conference of gastrointestinal physicians, academics and researchers. In a study presented by National Institutes of Health researchers, nearly 6,000 subjects who were at high risk of liver injury (due to various factors such as excessive alcohol consumption and obesity) shared details about their consumption of caffeine from coffee, tea and soft drinks. Analysis of the data found that the frequency of liver injury was less among subjects with the highest intake of caffeine. But before you reach for that caffeine-laden cola, take into consideration study number two... Using data supplied by the USDA, researchers in India found that the per capita consumption of carbonated soft drinks (CSD) in the U.S. jumped from about 11 gallons per year in 1946 to nearly 50 gallons per year in 2000. They also found that over the past 25 years, esophageal cancer rates among white males in the U.S. has risen more than 570 percent. Researchers drew a correlation between these two statistics with the observation that drinking CSD has been shown to trigger gastric distension - one of the causes of acid reflux. In addition, the researchers calculate that 53 gallons of CSD per year equals more than 32,000 minutes of acid exposure in the gastrointestinal tract. And finally: Identical trends of increased esophageal cancer and increased CSD consumption were observed in other countries where more than 20 gallons per capita are consumed each year. But in countries that consume less than 10 gallons yearly per capita there was very little increase in esophageal cancer over the past 25 years. Maybe while the USDA advisory panel is trying to break the deadlock over their recommendation about soft drinks, they should smooth things out by knocking off for a coffee break (and taking a look at these two studies). To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson Health Sciences Institute ************************************************************** To start receiving your own copy of the HSI e-Alert, visit: http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealert/freecopya.html Or forward this e-mail to a friend so they can sign-up to receive their own copy of the HSI e-Alert. ************************************************************** Sources: " Diet Experts Tell Fat U.S. - Turn Off TV, Eat Smart " Charles Abbott, Reuters Health, 5/27/04, reutershealth.com " Dietary Panel Calls for More Fish, Fewer Refined Grains " Associated Press, 5/27/04, usatoday.com " GI Health Affected by Consumption of Coffee and Carbonated Drinks " Digestive Disease Week news release, 5/17/04, scienceblog.com Copyright ©1997-2004 by www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C. The e-Alert may not be posted on commercial sites without written permission. Friends. Fun. Try the all-new Messenger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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