Sugar blues: How added sweets affect your mental health
Chances are, you already know that added sugars and syrups fuel obesity, elevate triglycerides, cause cardio woes, trigger excess insulin secretion and boost inflammation. But did you know that they can amp up your risk for mental health issues, too?
In a new study in Scientific Reports, researchers looked at information collected from 1985 to 2013 on more than 10,000 participants. They found that over a five-year period, men with the highest sugar intake from foods and beverages – more than 2.3 ounces (70 grams) daily – had a 23 percent increase in the risk of common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, no matter how well or how poorly they took care of themselves or what their sociodemographic characteristics were.
This adds to lab-generated info on other mental health challenges that added sugar causes. It can trigger addictive behavior and cognitive decline: One study showed that it fueled food addiction; another found that rats preferred sugar water to cocaine. Yet another lab study found that a sugar-boosted diet can make rats forget how to get through a maze.
So if you want to keep your sweet attitude and a sharp brain, get tough on sugar. Check all ingredient labels for sugar, syrups, maltose and fructose, any malt, even agave. Leave it on the grocery-store shelf. That'll leave you smart and smiling.
Supplement safety
Poison control centers in the United States get a call every 24 minutes regarding overexposure to not only illicit drugs – although they get plenty of those – but also to dietary supplements. A new study shows that 70 percent of those calls are about kids 6 and younger accidentally ingesting a supplement, most often energy products and yohimbe.
Yohimbe is available as a standardized prescription drug for erectile dysfunction, and that's a different product than over-the-counter yohimbe, which claims to boost performance, aid weight loss and cure high blood pressure, diabetic neuropathy and impotence.
According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, yohimbe is associated with heart attacks, arrhythmia and hypertension, stomach problems, anxiety and seizures. So ...
No. 1: Adults, avoid OTC yohimbe and steer clear of most energy supplements, which can trigger increased heart rate, headache and mood changes. In kids, they can cause heart and breathing problems, even seizures.
No. 2: When buying any supplement, look for a seal from U.S. Pharmacopeia, NSF, ConsumerLab.com or UL indicating that the ingredients have been verified.
No. 3: Place all supplements in childproof bottles.
Meditate to be a better athlete
After taking over as head coach of the Chicago Bulls in 1989, Phil Jackson introduced mindful meditation to the team. They won six NBA Championships. In 1999, as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, he again introduced mindful meditation to his team. They won five NBA championships. "As much as we run and we pump iron to build our physical strength up, we need to build our mental strength up," Jackson later said. Michael Jordan admitted "that Zen Buddhist stuff" helped him become a better player. And at the end of game five of the 1989 Eastern Conference First Round, Jordan made what's known as "the shot," considered one of the most Zen-like baskets ever, to cinch the Bulls' 101-100 victory.
Now, according to a study in the Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, there's more evidence that Coach Jackson is spot-on: Researchers found that University of Miami football players who practiced mindfulness for 12 to 15 minutes a day were more able to withstand emotional and mental demands of hours of strenuous physical training. They had greater resilience and more sustained focus.
Your takeaway? Whether it's walking 10,000 steps a day, training for a charity bike ride or enjoying your daily workout at home, you can use mindful mediation to keep up your resolve and maximize your enjoyment. In short, you'll increase mental and physical toughness and become your best athlete, by finding time for mental clarity.
Mehmet Oz is host of "The Dr. Oz Show," and Mike Roizen is chief wellness officer and chair of Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic.
This story was originally published August 21, 2017 at 10:37 AM with the headline "Sugar blues: How added sweets affect your mental health."