Do you enjoy Coca-Cola? 

Even the most health conscious people would find it hard to say no to that question. 

Although this is something you may enjoy, is it actually good for you? What really happens to your body with each sip an ice cold Coca-Cola?

Thanks to new discoveries by The Renegade Pharmacist blog, it shows us just how one can of Coke can affect your body within an hour of its intake.

The blog is run by a retired pharmacist from the UK, and after years of encouraging and helping his patients, he found that so many people suffering from obesity related diseases still had trouble losing weight under strict diet care. This confusion allowed him to discover the trigger that was causing these patients to struggle in vain.

That secret trigger turned out to be fructose in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). High fructose corn syrup is found in ready made meals, fast foods, sweets, ‘low fat’ healthy alternatives and even in weight loss products. Guess where else HFCS is found?

Yep. You guessed it. That beloved can of Coca-Cola. 

Glucose is a type of sugar that our body actually loves. It gets used by all of the cells in our body and is very easily broken down with minimal toxic by-products. Glucose also has the ability to tell the brain to stop eating, by knowing when you are actually full. 

Fructose, on the other hand, is another type of sugar sound in sucrose which breaks down into glucose and fructose. 

Fructose is actually only broken down by the liver and it’s very similar to ethanol (the alcohol in drinks). When you consume the fructose, it’s actually like ethanol but without the high. This then disrupts the liver into making lots of bad fats as a result. 

Even worse, fructose doesn’t signal to your brain that you are full. This is why people who drink large amounts of Coke that is loaded in HFCS often overeat because the fructose percolating in their system seriously confuses their brain.

If the brain doesn’t receive the signal of being full, the person knows no limit. It’s as simple as that.

 

So… another appalling fact is that fruit also contains fructose. 

Wait.. WHAT?! 

Take it easy over there. 

Fruits contain fructose, sure, but nature has given them an awesome assistant. Fruits are packed with fiber which prevents your body from absorbing too much of the fructose it contains.

According to research by health writer Wade Meredith, she explains that a 330ml can of Coca Cola contains so much sugar, your body should vomit – but the phosphoric acid “cuts the flavor”, helping you keep the liquid down.

via tori.ng.com

 

In relation to gut health, sugar is the largest and most abundant enemy inside every soda–specifically high fructose corn syrup that acts like a nemesis inside our body. Sugar serves as a direct energy source for the bad bacteria that reside in your body, and acts as fuel for them to grow at a rapid pace.

Sugar is also an advocate for candida yeast in the gut. There are many symptoms involved with overgrowth of candida such as ADD, fatigue, diarrhea, and anxiety just to name a few.

Not a Coke drinker? Well, if you indulge yourself in any of these, it’s important for you to see where they stack up. Be smart, skip on the sodas and reach for water!

via tori.ng.com

You can admit, when it comes to your children’s health, you are an extremely concerned parent.

If your child catches an infection that cannot be cured with a lot of TLC, off to the doctor you go… from there your child is examined; then you receive the doctor’s advice which comes on the form of scribble on a notepad with an antibiotic prescription.

Afterward it’s straight over to the pharmacy to fill the doctor’s orders. Then you give this to your little one for upwards of 10 days and all is well in your world again. Right?

Does this sound all too familiar? What if I told you that the standard procedure of rushing off to the doctor’s office to get that antibiotic was not the safest course of action?

According to recent study at NYU Langone Medical Center, parents are seriously putting their children’s health in jeopardy with the use of antibiotics.

Obviously there are going to be certain situations and illnesses that need to be treated with antibiotics to avoid serious health risks, but the problem lies in the fact that antibiotics are often over prescribed as a “just in case” treatment. And this hypothetical preventative of antibiotics is often times not a requirement to get your child healthy again. With every dose of antibiotics, there is a profoundly negative impact to your health. The truth is, rather than improving the overall health of your child, antibiotics are harming it. Considering antibiotics can be interpreted as “anti-life”, this shouldn’t really be that much of a surprise. Antibiotics do not have the ability to determine the difference between the good living organisms that keep you healthy and the bad ones that make you sick. So what do they do? They just kill them all.

Typically prescribed antibiotics given to children (think amoxicillin and tylosin) have been linked to several health problems. Weight gain, stunted growth and destructive bacterial changes in the gut have been proven to come as a result of the two antibiotics mentioned above.

Amoxicillin has been linked to abnormalities in bone growth, while tylosin has been proven to show an increased weight gain–and both of these antibiotics diminish healthy gut bacteria.

The Reality of the Situation

Not only are antibiotics themselves a problem, but their implementation on a developing child should be seriously considered beforehand. When antibiotics are consistently introduced to treat infections from an early age, this can seriously affect a child’s development, growth, etc.

Dr. Martin Blaser explains that in the United States, the average child has already received 10 courses of antibiotics by the time they reach 10 years old.

Parents should not only look for the immediate cure for their child’s illness, but also take special interest in how an antibiotic can affect a child’s health over their life span. If just one round of antibiotics can seriously affect your health as an adult, then imagine what 10 can do to the body of a child?

The Harsh Truth on Antibiotics

As antibiotics continue to be administered, our bodies can develop immunities to them. Infection can occur in a child and an antibiotic is administered, but once illness subsides another infection can occur immediately after as a direct result of the antibiotic.

Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is a gut infection that results in an abundance of diarrhea and abdominal pain–which can become present after a course of antibiotics. These symptoms can lead to dehydration and hospitalization if not properly treated–and in some cases, the results can be fatal.

The National Institute of Health Says Yes and You Won’t Believe What They Found…

If you think the health of your gut doesn’t influence just about every other function in your body, think again. Since 2008, the National Institute for Health has been collecting date on how gut health influences overall wellbeing. Before we discuss any specifics, it’s important to understand the role and relevance your gut plays in your general health. 

Firstly, the human intestinal tract is home to a wide variety of complex microorganisms known as the gut microbiota. It’s this delicate microbiota that contributes significantly to overall health and wellbeing. This vital ecosystem plays a considerable role in things like metabolism, body physiology, nutritional absorption and immune system function. In fact, our gut microbiota evolves with us while playing a key role in the prevention of disease. 

It has also been suggested that an imbalance in the gut or a dangerous shift towards an unhealthy gut microbiota can contribute to chronic diseases like obesity. Along with serious weight issues, there is also the possibility of more systemic diseases–like diabetes, metabolic syndrome and autoimmune disease. 

Your gut health determines nutrient absorption, the handling of toxins, combating against allergens and decides which other microbiomes are permitted entry. This crucial role in your overall health and wellbeing makes gut health a major priority. If disease begins in the gut, then keeping your gut healthy and safe has the power to keep you free of disease.

Interestingly enough, common conditions that are seemingly unrelated to gut health can be directly traced back to an unhealthy microbiome. Conditions such as arthritis and even autoimmune issues (like psoriasis) can be linked to an unhealthy gut. Only a thin single layer cell wall protects your body’s immune system, so when gut health is compromised this can lead to an actual leakage of toxins spreading throughout your body. When the barrier is broken, you become sick and cause your immune system to overreact to ward off illness. This condition can cause systemic inflammation, which is extremely damaging to your body.

Your gut also has its very own intact nervous system and actually contains more neurotransmitters then the brain. When the gut is damaged, the gut’s nervous system is affected as well. This leads to an abnormal communication between the gut and your brain and also contributes to poor health.

As you can see, gut health plays a major role in everything from digestion and nutrient absorption to immune system function. A shift in gut health can cause a range of diseases and conditions that you may have never suspected were related. To help you learn more about the role between your gut and your current level of health, we have created a simple free gut health assessment to give you a better understanding of your gut health.

Simply click on the link below and discover just how your gut may be negatively impacting you. After you take the assessment, you’ll receive personalized instructions on how you can regain your health and overcome any chronic health problems that you currently suffer from. Take the assessment now to discover how healthy your gut is.

Have you ever noticed the distinct correlation between your mood and your bodily functions? Troubling issues like diarrhea, indigestion, and abdominal pain that creep up on you when there are changes in your emotional state?

For centuries, clinicians have observed a clear connection between your brain and your gut —cleverly referred to as the brain-gut connection. It has also been shown that 95% of the body’s serotonin is created in the gut. With this being said, the state of your mood can have a serious effect on your overall well-being if there are complications in your gut. Conditions such as depression, rumination, and aggression can occur if there are underlying issues in the gut. Hippocrates developed the powerful theory that “all disease begins in the gut” and thousands of years later we are finally learning just how true this really is.

Due to the gut-brain connection, your gut “talks” to your brain on a consistent basis. If there are gastrointestinal issues affecting your body, it can signal depression, mood swings and irritability. It can also trigger other issues that can seriously alter one’s mood and behavior. All of these conditions can be clear indicators of “leaky gut” which can seriously affect your health.

If you didn’t already know, there is such a thing as “good gut bacteria.” It is this bacteria that keeps your body healthy and allows your GI tract to flourish and process effectively. With the discovery of probiotics, which allow healthy bacteria to enter your body and work their magic, there is a way to encourage healthy gut flora and regulate elimination as well as positively impact the gut-brain connection.

What Researchers Are Finding

In a triple blind study conducted in the Netherlands to discover if taking probiotics could decrease feelings of rumination and aggression, there were promising results. This study showed that healthy people using a multi-strand probiotic (like Essential Flora-7) for 4 weeks had a notable reduction in cognitive reactivity scores, which serve as a sign of future depression.

Cognitive reaction or reactivity is when your mood triggers bad thought patterns. Examples of thought patterns include:

• Hopelessness
• Thoughts of hurting oneself
• Rumination (compulsively focused attention on the symptoms of one’s distress)
• A loss of motivation for life

The Results

Doctors found that the college students who took the probiotic mixture for 4 weeks showed a significantly lower score toward cognitive reactivity in connection with sad mood. There were proven lower levels of:

• Reduction in rumination
• Aggressive thoughts

Why Is This so Important?

With the developments in this study, it is clear that supplementing with a high-quality probiotic can help prevent depression. If the cognitive theory of depression says that a person’s negative thinking is the root of the problem of depression, then maintaining a healthy gut can decrease the chances of both ruminative and aggressive thoughts. And as a leaky gut can generate symptoms of depression, a decrease in leakiness can work to reverse damage.

The Big Picture on Probiotics

This study I mentioned above, along with countless others, have shown reduced signs of depression with the help of probiotic supplementation. But not all probiotics are equal.

Research suggests up to 80% of probiotic brands are useless. The main reason probiotic supplements fail is because they’re weak. Typically, capsules and tablets can’t protect the sensitive cultures from harsh stomach acids. This means, the beneficial bacteria never reach your intestine, where they can benefit your health.

That’s why doctors, medical professionals, and the Gut Health Project recommend taking a high quality daily probiotic supplement, like Probiotic America. 

If you want to learn more about how Probiotic America will rebalance your gut and help cleanse your colon, click here.