How Misinformation is making Singapore Unhealthy. It's time to know the truth.
Hi there Readers. I want to tell you about a webinar that I will be posting on 4 September. If you are a parent whose child is approaching adolescence or already a teen, this webinar is for you. It addresses the issue of an Argumentative Teen: what is causing it and how to deal with it.
It is free for paid subscribers only.
Enjoy.
Parcsen
The recent breaking news about Presidential Candidate RFK Jr. suspending his campaign for presidency and endorsing former President Donald Trump, placed health at the forefront like no other news has. If Trump becomes president again, RFK Jr will potentially become the Health Tzar and he will shine a spotlight on Big Food, the USFDA, the CDC, and many other government agencies to expose the corruption that’s happening unbeknownst to the public. This also prompted me to share some of the truth I have uncovered about what’s healthy food and what’s not.
The phrase "when we know better, we do better" is a powerful philosophy that highlights the importance of learning and growth. It suggests that individuals will improve their actions and behaviors as they gain more knowledge, understanding, and experience. Misinformation, with regards to health, can lead an entire nation to sickness and disease. The United States of America is a case in point.
Obesity
"One hundred and 20 years ago, when somebody was obese, they were sent to the circus," said RFK Jr, a Presidential Candidate. "There were literally case reports done about them. Obesity was almost unknown." Now, obesity is a health problem that millions of Americans face. Twenty percent of children and 40 percent of adults have obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The story is not very different here in Singapore.
Singapore’s obesity rate is rising, following a worrying global trend. 30% of us are overweight and 10% of us are obese.
Sugar
There are a few known culprits that is cause the obesity problem in this nation. One of them is sugar.
Singaporeans are consuming on average twelve teaspoons (or 60g) of sugar daily. More than half of Singaporeans’ daily sugar intake comes from sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), of which pre-packaged SSBs contribute 64 per cent of this intake. More pre-packaged SSBs are consumed per person per day in Singapore than in many other Asian jurisdictions. (From MOH website)
What is the daily allowable amount of sugar?
Adults should have no more than 30g of free sugars a day, (roughly equivalent to 7 sugar cubes).
Children aged 7 to 10 should have no more than 24g of free sugars a day (6 sugar cubes).
Children aged 4 to 6 should have no more than 19g of free sugars a day (5 sugar cubes).
There's no guideline limit for children under the age of 4, but it's recommended they avoid sugar-sweetened drinks and food with sugar added to it.
High-fructose corn syrup (or HFCS) is among the sweeteners that mostly replaced sucrose (table sugar) in the food industry. Compared with regular sugar, it’s cheaper and sweeter, and is more quickly absorbed into your body.
HFCS, made of corn starch, is 76% carbohydrates and 24% water, containing no fat, protein, or micronutrients in significant amounts. One tablespoon of HFCS contains 53 calories.
High-fructose corn syrup can contribute to increased liver fat. This is because of its high fructose content, which is metabolized differently than other carbs.
Research continues to highlight the role of high-fructose corn syrup and fructose in obesity. It can also add visceral fat, a harmful type of fat that surrounds your organs.
Excessive intake of high-fructose corn syrup can lead to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome, which are both key contributors to type 2 diabetes and many other serious diseases.
6 Reasons Why High-Fructose Corn Syrup Is Bad for You
12 Common Foods with High Fructose Corn Syrup
Saturated vs Unsaturated Fat
We have been told that saturated fat is bad. But is it true?
Saturated #fats are found in animal-based foods like beef, pork, poultry, full-fat dairy products and eggs and tropical oils like coconut, and palm. We’ve been told that saturated fats are bad for our health because they are a major cause of cardiovascular disease.
For generations, human beings have been consuming animal fats. This was till recently (in the 1950s) when vegetable oils were promoted as being the more healthy type of #fat. This claim, as it turns out, is not based on science. Rather, it was based on profits.
In The Big Fat Surprise, Nina Teicholz, a New York Times bestselling investigative science journalist, traces the origins of the marketing of vegetable oils and the corresponding increase in heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other illnesses.
In recent times, doctors are agreeing that saturated fats are good for you.
In the Sydney Diet-Heart Study, researchers separated study participants into two groups. Both groups consumed the same amount of #fat and oil, but the first group’s fat came primarily from vegetable oil sources like safflower oil and margarine while the second group’s fat came from sources like olive oil and butter. Everything else about their diets and lifestyles remained unchanged.
Both groups were monitored and evaluated regularly for the next seven years. The result? The group consuming more vegetable oil had a 62% higher rate of death during the seven-year study compared to the group eating less vegetable oil.
Consuming vegetable oil increases your risk of death more than physical inactivity and heavy drinking, and for all the attention that red meat and sodium get, eating vegetable oil is 12 to 20 times more deadly.
Source:
Ramsden C E, Zamora D, Leelarthaepin B, Majchrzak-Hong S F, Faurot K R, Suchindran C M et al. Use of dietary linoleic acid for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease and death: evaluation of recovered data from the Sydney Diet Heart Study and updated meta-analysis BMJ 2013; 346 :e8707 doi:10.1136/bmj.e8707
Cholesterol
The traditional view of cholesterol and heart disease is backwards. New research shows that cholesterol seems to be a symptom of heart disease, not a cause. High levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), traditionally called “bad cholesterol,” is actually a good thing, especially if you’re on a high-fat, low-carb diet. Inflammation is what damages arterial walls and contributes to cardiovascular problems. Cholesterol is the repair molecule that comes in and tries to fix the damage. You should be more concerned about inflammation, not high cholesterol.
Low cholesterol was related to high mortality even after excluding deaths due to liver disease from the analysis. High cholesterol was not a risk factor for mortality.
A 22-year follow-up study involving 177,000 individuals reveals that low LDL cholesterol is associated with higher cardiovascular-specific mortality.
The authors of this study write, “…the lowest risk for long-term mortality appears to exist in the wide LDL-C range of 100–189 mg/dL, which is much higher than current recommendations.”
Here's the full breakdown:
Kip, K. E., Diamond, D., Mulukutla, S. & Marroquin, O. C. Is LDL cholesterol associated with long-term mortality among primary prevention adults? A retrospective cohort study from a large healthcare system. BMJ Open 14, e077949 (2024).
Jurin, I. et al. Outcomes of Patients with Normal LDL-Cholesterol at Admission for Acute Coronary Syndromes: Lower Is Not Always Better. J. Cardiovasc. Dev. Dis. 11, 120 (2024).
Nago, N., Ishikawa, S., Goto, T., & Kayaba, K. (2011). Low cholesterol is associated with mortality from stroke, heart disease, and cancer: the Jichi Medical School Cohort Study. Journal of epidemiology, 21(1), 67–74. https://doi.org/10.2188/jea.je20100065
So, here, you now know the truth…and the truth will set you free.
If you wish to receive more balanced health related information, come on over to my Telegram chat group.
Thanks for reading. Go, and be healthy again.
Parcsen