Daily Fluids

Specialty Waters: Worth the Cost?

How many times have you heard that water is important for health and for metabolism? A lot, I’m sure! And have you heard this response?, “But I don’t like plain water! What about all those cool new specialty waters? Can I drink those instead?” Let’s take a closer look at these products:

Fitness Waters: These type of waters are typically lightly flavored, sweetened with a blend of natural and artificial sweeteners and include small amount of vitamins and/or minerals to help replace fluid losses in an active person. It can be a first step, but the use of artificial sweeteners has other considerations.

Vitamin Waters: These waters are usually sweetened with sugars and contain significant amounts of vitamins and herbs. Check the label – some of these contain as much sugar in 8 ounces as a typical can of regular soda! And the use of herbs can be a concern, especially if you are on certain medications.

Flavored Waters: These waters are usually calorie-free alternatives, flavored entirely with artificial sweeteners. Similar to a diet soda, without the carbonation.

Oxygen Waters: Yes, you guessed it. Plain water “infused with extra oxygen”. Some claim they have more than 10 times the oxygen content of regular tap water – and therefore improve energy, athletic performance, recovery time and even sharpen brain skills. That’s quite a promise! But the American Council on Exercise along with the University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse recently tested these claims and found that “oxygenated water is no more beneficial than regular tap water because there is no physiologic mechanism to get that oxygen in the blood stream where it can be used”.

Caffeinated Waters: Water that contains as much caffeine as an 8 ounce serving of coffee – and usually free of sugar, calories, preservatives and carbonation. But do we REALLY need more caffeine in our diets?

My vote? Let’s try to avoid these hyped-up alternatives and stick to the basics – WATER itself!
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Diet Soda Dilemma!?

Have you heard? A new finding from a massive, multi-generational study following residents of Framingham, Massachusetts (outside of Boston) – which includes about 6000 middle aged men and women observed over 4 years – showed that adults who drink ONE or MORE sodas a day – diet OR regular – had about a 50% higher risk of metabolic syndrome. What is that? Well, it’s a group of risk factors that include excessive fat around the waist, low levels of the “good” HDL cholesterol, and high blood pressure to name a few. Those with metabolic syndrome are at double the risk of developing heart disease or stroke, and diabetes.

YIKES! Other studies in the past have linked regular sodas with multiple risk factors for heart disease, but this is the first time one has linked diet sodas. Is it that no-calorie sweet-tasting drinks increase the craving for more sweets, and/or that people who indulge in sodas may have less healthy diets overall? Another theory states that the substance that gives soda its caramel color may promote insulin resistance. Lots of theories, but regardless – the results are surprising. These 6000 people from Framingham all started out in the study healthy, with NO signs of metabolic syndrome. It certainly gives us something to think about!

What do we do now? It goes back to that well-worn concept of MODERATION – in all things, even our diet
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What Do Mice and A Glass of Cabernet have in Common?

Hopefully not much, right? But a new study from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York reports that certain mice (genetically altered to develop Alzheimer's) given a small dose of red wine daily for 11 months found their way through a maze test quickly and accurately, compared to a teetotaler control group who failed the same test. Another study from the Medical University of South Carolina fed healthy lab mice a diet high in saturated fats and cholesterol over a two month period of time (just long enough for the mice to reach middle age!). These same mice had a significant increase in a toxic brain protein called beta amyloid, the same brain gunk that can lead to symptoms of Alzheimer's. These studies, published in the Archives of Neurology, indicate that a healthy diet can go a long way in preventing not only heart disease but also Alzheimer's. Certainly a daily glass of red wine or a single food of any type cannot compensate for a regular diet of unhealthy fats, but these results encourage us to add more fruits, vegetables and whole grains to our everyday eating habits. Food for thought  literally!
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Diet Soda Study

I always receive lots of questions about diet products, especially sodas.  We talk about this in class, but I read a very interesting study just yesterday that I knew would interest you.  The International Journal of Obesity reports a study that showed that artificial sweeteners "MAY INTERFERE with your body's natural ability to track your calorie intake based on a food's sweetness".  Why?  Artificial sweeteners might work against you by fooling your body into thinking that other sweets are calorie-free, too.  If this is the case, your fuel gauge (hunger and fullness signals) won't always trigger you that the tank is full, and you end up eating too many calories.  Definitely something to consider before grabbing another diet drink!

Do you have to give up diet sodas?  NO.  Research has shown that drinking a diet soda can help you reduce calories, BUT ONLY if you are diligent about food intake, too.  Your best bet is to limit diet sodas to no more than 20 ounces daily - and watch out for artificial sweeteners in other foods like yogurt, cereal, snack foods, etc.  The Rev IT Up goal is to keep products that have artificial sweeteners to no more than two per day - this is a moderate level and allows you to have that soda and maybe a "light" yogurt, too.   

Keep on revving it up!
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Food for Thought from Tammy