Diet Coke and Friends Lead to Obesity and Heart Risks??

A recent widely publicized study found that those who consumed even one Diet Coke (or regular Coke) a day had at least a 50 percent greater risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. Immediately theories started circulating about why Diet Coke, which has artificial sugar, causes these health risks: Does artificial sugar trigger a behavioral response that increases your desire for all sugar—fake and real? Does the artificial caramel coloring cause insulin resistance, which leads to these diseases? Doubtful. A far more plausible interpretation is that people who drink soda are likely to be less health conscious and to make other poor diet choices—haven’t you seen the co-worker drinking Diet Coke while munching down a bag of M&Ms? The reality is that calories cause weight gain and shifts in insulin that lead to obesity, diabetes and heart disease. The real take-home message of the study: If you drink soda, that may be a red flag that you need to improve your diet on the whole. By carefully considering everything you eat and drink, you can have a very significant reduction on your health risks for you and your baby.

A second prominent study suggested that obesity is contagious. By tracking the health and relationships of a large group of people, researchers demonstrated that when a friend becomes obese, the risk of obesity almost doubles among his or her closest friends. They also showed that close friendship had a stronger impact on body weight than family members (and genetics), even when buddies are separated by 1000 miles or more. The hopeful news is that they also found when someone began losing weight these same close friends would follow the same trend. The results were very compelling but again should be interpreted carefully. The friendship connection is most likely because our friends’ activities, choices, and preferences influence our own. Again the implication is that by being careful about your food choices, you can have a positive impact on your own health as well as others.

Although neither of these studies focused on pregnant women, their implications are important. Rather than adopt the outdated “eating for two” mentality that your friends might espouse, and satisfying every craving and indulgence, be “twice as careful about what you eat and drink.” You’ll not only improve your health and your babies, but also have a positive influence on your friends and families.

Flexitarian Diet Recommended for Pregnant Women

I have long believed that there are health benefits for people who reduce the amount of meat that they eat but a recent study demonstrated even more clearly that during pregnancy cholesterol intake should be minimized. Cholesterol is a type of fat that we each make very efficiently in our liver. It also serves as the precursor for some of the most important hormones that we make, including estrogen, testosterone and progesterone. Even during the high production needs of pregnancy however, dietary cholesterol can build up and cause a compromise in blood flow.
A recent study demonstrated that when women ate a low fat diet during pregnancy, they not only reduced their risk of preterm labor but there was an improvement in their baby’s blood flow as well. This suggests that making better food choices during pregnancy may not only reduce the risk of preterm delivery but also give your child a healthier heart and blood vessels. I’m not suggesting you have to completely give up your favorite foods but at least consider reducing your consumption of meat, switch over to reduced fat dairy and take an omega-3 supplement like Expecta LIPIL for a healthier pregnancy.