Dr Hector PereraƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  London

According toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ researchers and medical evidences, high-fat, high-sugar foods not onlyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ cause obesity and promote heart disease, but they can also contribute to conditions like osteoporosis by weakening bones. If this trend continues, this overlooked ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”silent robberƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ will begin to cripple large numbers of at-risk baby boomers, saidƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ researchers at the University of Michigan and the Alberta Bone andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Joint Health Institute. While this high-fat, high-sugar diet trend and the subsequent risk of osteoporosis are climbing frighteningly fast,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ thereƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s hope, said Ron Zernicke, dean of U-MƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s School of KinesiologyƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and a professor of orthopaedic surgery and biomedical engineering. TheƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ medical community and the public can reverse this trend by confrontingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the problem head-on and immediately, through diet, exercise and, inƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ some cases, medication. Today, about a quarter of AmericaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s two-to-five-year-olds and a third of its school-age children, includingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ adolescents, are obese or overweight. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Boomers themselves the oldest nowƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 66 have reached the stage in life when theyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢re most susceptible to boneƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and joint disorders,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ Zernicke said. Consider these sobering statistics:ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ the U.S. surgeon general forecasts that by 2020, half of Americans overƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 50 will develop or be at risk for osteoporosis of the hip. This isƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ particularly bad news for women, who develop osteoporosis at two-to-three times the rate of men. ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-One in three women will break a hip due toƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ osteoporosis by age of 85, and about 20 percent will die within a yearƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ of the fracture. Right now, roughly 12 million Americans over 50 have osteoporosis,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ said Cy Frank, executive director of the Alberta BoneƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and Joint Health Institute and an orthopaedic surgeon practicing inƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Calgary.

LetƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s remind again what causes osteoporosis, it is a diet related problem. When there are high sugar and fat in the diet it weakens the bones in two ways. First, diets high in saturated fats and sugar block calcium absorption. What happens to the calcium in the diet? Instead, calciumƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ needed for healthy bones washes through the body in our urine. Second,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ saturated fats tend to form insoluble ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”soaps,ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ which coat theƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ intestines and can block necessary calcium from bones. Again, calcium passes through the body unused. However much you eat calcium rich food if the diet has high saturated fats and sugars then it will be not used, just flush through the body then goes down the toilet. The result, excessive junk food layers fat onto a weakened skeleton that struggles to support the extraƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ weight, Zernicke said. Osteoporosis, the so-called ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”silent thiefƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ because it shows no symptoms, robs bones of tissue and leaves thousandsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ of tiny pores in the bones. It is worth remembering again this high sugar and saturated fat mixture in diets are responsible for causing osteoporosis. Porous bones can break with little stress.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ When cakes and biscuits are baked this high sugar and saturated fat mixture is added, is that correct? So by eating too much cakes and biscuits, we treat our greedy eagerness without giving any consideration. What about the breakfast, usually it is high sugar and fat breakfast cereals. Currently in England this problem is discussed within Parliamentarians as well. So this sugar and fat diets are a serious problem. We must try and understand what the doctors found by research, it is too much is not healthy but within reason, sure it will do no harm. As mentioned earlier hard margarine is nothing but trans fats and that is one of the cake ingredients.

If we look back, just a few days ago we had Christmas and New Year celebrations then during that time, how much cakes, Christmas puddings, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-WatalappansƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, Dodol, bundi [yummy], MuscatƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ and many more local sweet are eaten in excess, yes I said in excess. Then some of them are packed into their luggage bags and flew back or soon returning to other countries because they mainly arrived to Sri Lanka to celebrate these holiday festive seasons. Some countries do not allow certain food because of health reasons. When questioned, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Have you anything to declareƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, their answer was, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-No sirƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚ or sometimes they go through the nothing to declare gates. I am sure if they are for personal use only, not for commercial purposes then allowed, hurrah, you can start eating them again but try not to exceed the limits of what you eat.

Treating osteoporosis: fractures costs approximately 18 billionƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
dollars a year, a cost expert predicts it will double by 2025. Diet andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ exercise are primary preventions against osteoporosis, Frank said. AƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ growing child near puberty rapidly lays down new bones. Healthy foodsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ and physical activity optimize bone growth and accumulation, whichƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ lowers the likelihood of osteoporosis fractures later in life. Again,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ healthy diet, exercise and medication to slow bone loss, if necessary,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ can reduce the likelihood of osteoporosis fractures.

A healthy,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ balanced diet includes vegetables, fruits and whole grains, and limits saturated fats, salt and sugar. But prevention goes beyond diet andƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ exercise. ItƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s critical to manage the environment that influences foodƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ choices. Eliminating junk food from places charged with promotingƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ healthy lifestyles schools, recreational centres, hospitals would alsoƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ help.ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ As a precautionary measure, the one of the education authorities in England has prohibited any fast food takeaway places within a certain distance from the school limits. Suppose the children are allowed to go out during the lunch hours they might get tempted to get junk food. One thing I have noticed is after school, there are queues outside fast food and takeaway places for cheap food such as chips and fizzy drinks. The students must be properly educated about the dangers of eating these kinds of junk food. Unless they make it a point to keep off from these kinds of junk food places no parents and school authorities are able to do anything, again it comes to the same point self discipline.

We actually need sugar

Every few years, there’s a few food bad guy in town and right now, it’s sugar. Some experts have even declared it aƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ “poison” that’s “killing us.” Yet could the sweet stuff people haveƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ been eating forever really be so terrible?
“We actually need sugar;ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ it’s our body’s preferred fuel,” says Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center. “But we eat too damn much of it.”
Naturally occurring sugar which gives fruit, some veggies, milk and their sweet taste is perfectly healthy. It’s added sugarƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ (sweeteners put in during processing and prep) that we need to not exceed the limits. No need to cut out dessert, the key is to eat strategically. How about curd and coconut or ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Kitul trickleƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚, yes it tastes better if left over night in the fridge.
The AmericanƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Heart Association (AHA) links added sugar to obesity, type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
In a nutshell, eating too much sugar can cause
fat build up in the liver, which can lead to these problems.
It’s notƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ all bad. “There’s no need to avoid the naturally-occurring sugars inƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ fruits, vegetables and non-fat dairy,” says Rachel K. Johnson,ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont in Burlington.

How much is OK? The AmericanƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Heart Association (AHA) recommends most women get no more than 24 gramsƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ of added sugar per day. That’s about six teaspoons or 100 calories a little less than the amount in one can of soda. Some people need 4 teaspoons full of sugar at a time in a cup of tea or more in coffee. Thing is, the averageƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ American woman eats about 18 daily teaspoons, how about Sri Lankans ladies? Any comments please perera6@hotmail.co.uk