Critiques New Balance Minimus 10v2 Running

Buried in the flood of horror stories about America's obesity crisis, are a few hopeful signs. Not only is sugar consumption going down, but obesity rates among girls and women have actually stayed flat since 1999, according to Cynthia Ogden, a scientist with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For boys and men, those levels have increased only modestly since around 2006, Ogden says.

Coincidentally or not, the leveling off of obesity coincides with a drop in the amount of soda that Americans consume. Consumption of soda both regular and diet has fallen by 17.3% since 1998, according to Beverage Digest.

Of course soda isn't the only concern. An 8ounce glass of fruit punch or apple juice has nearly 130 calories. The same glass of chocolate milk has more than 200 a solid 20 percent of all recommended daily calories. Overall, added sugars which includes both natural sugar, and high fructose corn syrup make up about a sixth of all calories taken in, according to USDA figures. Somewhat more than a third of those sugars come from soda and other drinks.

That's why most people who take a hard look at American diets say that cutting out sweetened drinks, is the first step for anyone struggling with weight or diabetes.

"If we create the assumption that doing one thing will reduce the epidemic [of obesity], we're making a mistake," says Dr. William Dietz, director of the CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity. "But within the dietary side, we have to focus on where the biggest action is."

The action, says Dietz and others, lies with sugar and its close cousin, highfructose corn syrup (HFCS). Most sweet drinks, including nearly all soda in the United States, use HFCS.

Not everyone agrees they're equivalent. While most studies show that table sugar and HFCS play an equal role in weight gain, some research suggests that HFCS which usually contains 10% more fructose than sucrose is more likely to change the body's metabolism, in ways that can increase risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

But most scientists say the differences are subtle. That includes even Stanhope, whose work has focused on comparing the effects of fructose and other sugars. In terms of advising patients or making public health policy, she says, there isn't much difference. "I think we really, at this point, need to treat them all alike."

"Are sweetened drinks the only reason we have epidemics of obesity and diabetes? No, they're not," says MayerDavis, the past ADA president. "But sometimes the easy answer, is the answer."

1st Farm to Fork event set

An inaugural Farm to Fork event will be held at Phil Hardberger Park Conservancy on Wednesday. The event will help raise money for development at the 311acre park and promote the use of local, sustainable food.

Local chefs, led by of Restaurant Gwendolyn, will be serving tapasstyle entres made with ingredients from local farms within a 150mile radius of San Antonio. Beer and wine tastings from local vineyards and microbreweries will also be available. , president of , will lead a cheesemaking demonstration.

Farmers will answer questions about the foods' origins and sustainable farming practices, and food will be served on plates and with cutlery that is biodegradable.