AGING -AVOID ALL SODA,ARTIFICIAL SUGAR,WHITE SUGAR AND EXTEND TELOMERE AGING.

According to the American Heart Association, major sources of added sugars in our diets are soft drinks, candy, cakes, cookies, pies, fruit drinks, dairy desserts and milk products (such as ice cream and sweetened yogurt), and cereals. Most sweetened beverages and fruit drinks contain so much added sugar, in fact, that they have been referred to as “liquid sugar” by some experts.

Another major source of added sugar that has recently come under fire is soft drinks. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the average 12-ounce can of cola contains over 8 teaspoons of sugar! So, by drinking just one small soft drink, a woman would have already far exceeded her recommended daily sugar maximum (of 6 teaspoons), and a man would have nearly reached his (of 9 teaspoons).


A recent study showed that drinking sugar-sweetened beverages such as sodas was associated with shorter telomeres (which are a marker of aging–longer telomeres, simply speaking, are a marker of youth, while telomere shortening is an indication of aging). This in turn was associated with higher risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
The study investigators concluded that “regular consumption of sugar-sweetened sodas might influence metabolic disease development through accelerated cell aging.” In other words, in one more twist to the added-sugar saga, drinking sodas could age your cells–and, therefore, you.

 Organic Health

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE GINGERALE WITHOUT SODA

I usually only drink water, but if there is one drink I truly do love it would be ginger ale. The good thing about ginger-ale is that it can be created at home, with all natural ingredients.
If you are sick of the modern and unhealthy sugar laden soda drinks then, this could be the perfect drink for you. Sometimes the water can be boring, and we all need a little treat every now and again, but we do not want to hurt ourselves in the process. Ingredients like High Fructose Syrup or aspartame are deal breakers for me.
This version of ginger ale uses fermented ginger, fermented drinks and foods have been utilized since ancient times on account of their health benefits. This particular formula uses a short brew method so that it does not become alcoholic.
Ginger has been uses in Chinese Medicine for thousands of years and is said to help with digestive disorders, reduce fever, cough, and help the circulatory system.
Ingredients:

2 Inches of fresh ginger
½ Cup Organic Sugar
¼ Cup Fresh Lemon Juice
½ Tsp sea salt
9 Cups Filtered water
½ Cup Whey
Method:
Add three cups of water, ginger root, and sugar into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer the mixture for about five minutes until the sugar is completely dissolved and until the ginger is fragrant. Remove the mix from the heat and add in the additional water. Allow the mixture to cool, and add in the fresh lemon and whey. Transfer to a 2 quart glass mason jar with a tight fitting lid, stir well and put on the lid. Leave on the counter for 2-3 days until carbonated and transfer to the fridge where it will last indefinitely. It should bubble and hiss like a soda when the lid is removed. This is very temperature dependent and the mixture may need to be burped or stirred during this fermentation time on the counter. Watch careful and make sure the mixture does not become too carbonated because the jar could explode.
Sources:
http://www.diynatural.com/how-to-make-ginger-ale/
http://www.herbs-info.com/blog/how-to-make-natural-ginger-ale/
http://www.hansens.com/us/en/products/soda/hansens-soda/ginger-ale/
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-14488/diy-all-natural-ginger-ale.html

Artificial Sweeteners Can Trigger Diabetes and Cause Weight-Gain

Artificial sweeteners don't tackle the problem of diabetes at all, and in fact exacerbate it. They disrupt the body's ability to regulate blood sugar, causing metabolic changes that trigger diabetes. Dr. Eran Elinav, physician and immunologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel said "Artificial sweeteners are responsible for the onset of the very same condition that we often aim to prevent by consuming sweeteners instead of sugar."
The research was published in the journal 'Nature' and found that zero-calorie sweeteners such as saccharin, sucralose and aspartame can alter the population of bacteria in the gut and trigger high blood glucose levels which can lead to diabetes. Eran added, "The scope of our discovery is cause for public reassessment of the massive and unsupervised use of artificial sweeteners."

The study included a series of experiments, mostly on mice. One group that was fed three artificial sweeteners - saccharin, aspartame and sucralose - developed high blood sugar levels and an intolerance to glucose. When antibiotics were given to cut off gut bacteria, the sweetener effect was restored to normal. Then, the scientists focused on saccharin. They transferred gut microbes from mice fed on saccharin to mice that had no gut bacteria. Soon after that, the second set of mice developed high blood sugar levels. A genetic analysis of the gut bacteria from mice that were fed saccharin revealed that the group behaved differently from others and their system was breaking down more carbohydrates than normal.

After this, scientists ran tests on 381 people who consumed the most artificial sweeteners and found that these people had different gut microbes and were generally heavier and more glucose intolerant than the rest. In the final leg of the experiment, scientists gave 7 people the maximum amount of saccharin that is allowed. Each dose was enough to sweeten 40 cans of diet-cola. At the end of one week they found that 4 people had high blood sugar levels and gut microbes - an outcome similar to what was seen in the mice. Finally they injected bacteria from the human participants into the intestines of mice, only to find that the mice developed an intolerance for glucose, suggesting that the effect was same in both mice and humans.

Elinav, co-author of the study said that "This calls for a reassessment of today's massive, unsupervised consumption of these substances." While the study has been praised for its innovation, many scientists remain unconvinced. Researchers are now hiring more volunteers for a more extensive and ambitious study that will establish a stronger link between artificial sweeteners, diabetes and obesity.

With inputs from AFP

Other Links:

Sugar: a guide to the sweet stuff in all its forms

Belly Fat Clearest Sign of Type 2 Diabetes Risk

World Health Day: Top 10 health-related concerns

Kids' obesity risk starts before school age

Compounds in non-stick cookware could lead to diabetes

Eating yogurt may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes

To fight diabetes, development alone won't do: IDF chief (Interview)

Rosemary and Oregano Can Help Fight Diabetes

Nearly Half of all Americans Will Get Type 2 diabetes, Says Study

Childhood obesity promotes hyperactivity, impulsivity: Study

DIET COKE AND TRUTH ABOUT ASPARTANE?FDA APPROVED DOES NOT MEAN SAFE.

The Truth About Aspartame

A study out of Arizona State University that was published in the Journal of Applied Nutrition determined that Aspartame causes brain damage by leaving traces of Methanol in the blood(1). Another study published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine determined that long term consumption of Aspartame leads to an imbalance in the antioxidant/pro-oxidant status in the brain(2). A study published by Washington University Medical School outlines a possible connection between aspartame and brain tumors(3)

The brain isn’t the only thing in question when it comes to aspartame. A recent study linked aspartame to Lymphoma and Leukemia(4)(5). The study was published at the beginning of December in 2012, conducted by the Department of Medicine at Bringham Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. The study was a follow up after a 22 year period of data collection including frequent dietary and health check ups of the study group and was published in the The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

A study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology determined that sugar sweetened soda increases the odds for kidney function decline(6). 3,318 women participated in the study for a number of years as they consumed diet soda that contained artificial sweeteners, most notably aspartame. Two or more diet drinks a day led to a double risk in fast-paced kidney decline. The study was conducted by scientists from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Aspartame clearly has the potential to be harmful to human health and after examining multiple studies, it seems safe to say that aspartame is indeed hazardous to human health. Do you ever wonder how aspartame became illegal?

 

There are so many studies we should be turning our attention to when it comes to aspartame. I can turn your attention to http://www.greenmedinfo.com/toxic-ingredient/aspartame. Here you will find more studies regarding aspartame, and hopefully it inspires you to further your research rather than believing things without questioning them. They call it television programming for a reason.

Mass advertising and propaganda seems to be losing its affect on the human race, lets keep it going! Much Love.

Sources:

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/52745835/ns/local_news-chicago_il/#.UgvpBtK2OVN

(0)http://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/01/business/how-coca-cola-obtains-its-coca.html

(1)http://www.mpwhi.com/aspartame_methanol_and_public_health.pdf

(2)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22385158

(3)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8939194

(4)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23097267

(5)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16507461

(6)http://cjasn.asnjournals.org/content/6/1/160.abstract?sid=fb9e39ed-6318-46de-9bf1-d497348f0756