Sugary Drinks Raise Gout Risk

Before you have a Coke and a smile, consider this. That sugary-sweet beverage may increase your risk of a painful inflammatory condition called gout.

If you're a Howard Stern fan, you'll remember show hillbilly and drunk, Richard "Its My Favorite" Christy, got gout and he could barely put weight on his smelly foot.

And a new study has found drinking too many sugary drinks, like orange juice and soda, may raise your risk of gout.

Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, experts found women who drank two or more cans of non-diet soda per day were more than twice as likely to develop gout, compared to women who rarely drank soda.

Causes of gout vary; medical conditions like high uric acid, metabolic syndrome, and high blood pressure may lead to gout, so can lifestyle factors, such as poor diet and lack of exercise. Genetics are also a factor.

In the study, women drinking orange juice each day also faced an increased risk of gout, similar to soda. Drinking one soda per day increased gout risk by 74%, and drinking 6 ounces of orange juice raised gout risk by 41%.

However, the researchers insist the overall risk of developing gout is very low. Over a 22 year period, only 1% of the 79,000 study participants got gout.

Symptoms of gout may include redness and swollen joints, usually in the feet and big toes, resulting in pain, fatigue, and high fever. An acute outbreak of gout will usually resolve within 5 to 7 days, but medications, like steroids, are often used to relieve symptoms.

Go ahead, read about gout. You'll find out developing gout has a lot to do with your diet, i.e. a bad diet. And since so many Americans eat horribly these days, it's no surprise gout is the latest of our diet-related woes.

Recently a commercial for Uloric, a new gout medication, started airing on television. Initially, I was shocked to see it, but then again, if you look at how people eat and today's obesity epidemic, it's not surprising.

At first, I thought the Uloric ad, with its giant green potion, was an advertisement for World of Warcraft. Plus five to true shot aura!

Image credit: Comedy Central

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Poll: Are You Blind To Your True Weight?

The mystery of why some obese people think that they look good in Lycra has been solved.

Usually a distorted body image is discussed in regards to skinny people who think they are fat.

However, a new study reveals that this works the other way too, as many obese women see themselves as not overweight.

The University of Texas Medical Branch surveyed 2200 women between the ages of 18 and 25 about their lifestyle, self-perception and dieting habits. About 25% of the women, who based on BMI were classified as obese, perceived themselves as normal.

Researchers say that this is alarming because if women don't see themselves as having a problem they are unlikely to eat healthy and exercise. Women aren't alone in this area as other recent studies noted that obese men often see themselves as normal also.

Do you struggle with a distorted body image or know someone that does? Participate in the poll and comments below.

Source: Fox News

Do you have an accurate perception of your body?

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Is Medifast Suitable For Someone With PCOS? [Forum]

In addition to a new healthy lifestyle and eating habits, my doctor suggested that I try medi fast, which I'm willing to try. I have PCOS, which among other issues, causes me to have a problem with insulin resistance. I was able to achieve a healthier lifestyle and the motivation in need to continue it by taking the prescription drug Meridia. In 15 weeks I lost 33 pounds.

My question is, I've been educating myself about what my body needs to maintain a healthy weight. With PCOS, the body sometimes has trouble using insulin properly and converting it to energy. The GI diet is the best for people with PCOS and it discourages consumption of any artificial sweeteners, which I no longer eat.

The only Medi Fast foods that don't contain something lab created or artificial is the soups. I looked at nutritional facts, and the products have maltodextrin, acesulfame potassium, corn solids, hydrolized chemicals..... There have been medical studies showing that artificial sweeteners may actually cause insulin resistance. Is this "diet" ok for me to try?

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Poll: Paleo Diet - Cult, Fad or Solution?

This past decade the paleo Click Here!">dieting trend hit the mainstream teaching it's followers to reject our modern Click Here!">diet and embrace one from 10,000 years ago.

Since Loren Cordain's popular book many other versions of the paleolithic or ancestral Click Here!">diet have emerged, but is this old way of eating really necessary to our survival as humans or is the paleolithic Click Here!">diet becoming more like a religion?

Leigh Peele recently wrote a very extensive article exploring the Paleo Click Here!">Diet phenomena. In this article she looks at the Click Here!">diet of the paleothic era, the lifestyle of that era, and discusses whether or not it's truly beneficial for us to try to return to that way of eating.

She also discusses how the paleolithic Click Here!">diet has even begun to form somewhat of a cult or religious philosophy among it's followers.

Peele brings up some good points that I tend to agree with. Why would we want to follow a Click Here!">diet that our "relatively stupid" ancestors followed? Surely our bodies have evolved along with our minds.

What do you think? Is the paleo Click Here!">diet a solution to obesity or is it a fad or even a new cult? Participate in the poll and comments below.

What is your opinion of the paleolithic type Click Here!">diet?

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