Dysfunctional Foods: How the Contemporary American Food System Creates Imbalanced Bodies, Minds and

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Dysfunctional FoodsHow the Contemporary
American Food System Creates Imbalanced Bodies,
Minds and Behaviors

• Margaret Adamek, University of MN
• Class of 1989
• February 9, 2005

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(No Transcript)
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How many of you know someone

• Who has struggled with alcoholism?
• Who suffers from depression or anxiety?
• Who has chronic issues with their weight or
  struggles with eating disorders?
• Who has a child with hyperactivity or attention
  deficit issues?
• Who has been diagnosed with diabetes?
• Who has a family with one or more of these issues?

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solving weight issues

• Standard Approach Individual Responsibility
• Cut calories
• Increase activity
• Reduce soft drink and fast food consumption
• Reduce time spent watching television and playing
  video games

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Why doesnt this work?

• Sugars (sweeteners and refined carbohydrates)
  have a drug effect on the brain
• Sugars cause the body to release its own opiates
  (beta endorphin)
• Sugars act on the same neurotransmitter system as
  alcohol, morphine and heroin
• You have a population in a constant state of
  withdrawal, craving and relapse

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from branches to roots the effects of diet on
people
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..the unraveling web
caffeine
sugar amphetamine
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neurochemical roots of the problem

• Volatile blood sugar
• Low serotonin
• Low beta endorphin
• Low dopamine

Glucose molecule
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Volatile blood sugar

• Tired all the time for little reason
• Restless and edgy
• Confused/foggy/spacey
• Irritable and easily frustrated
• Cranky
• Short-fused

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Low serotonin

• Depressed
• Impulsive
• Short attention span
• Scattered
• Aggressive
• Reactive
• Craving sweets and carbohydrates

Serotonin peptide
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Low beta endorphin

• Low pain tolerance
• Low self-esteem and feels inadequate
• Tearful
• Sensitive to criticism
• Feels isolated
• Seeks crisis
• Feels victimized
• Craves sugar and fat

Beta endorphin peptide
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Low dopamine

• Correlated with unhappiness
• Linked to aggressive behavior and violence
• Lack of positive emotionality
• Protein intake positively influences dopamine
  production

dopamine peptide
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Restoring health, land and food

• Dietary change is very difficult, even when more
  healthful options are available
• The addicted body must be stabilized to assist
  in the rejection of the contemporary diet
• As the land and diet are brought into balance, so
  too must the body

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Theory of Sugar SensitivityKathleen DesMaisons,
Ph.D

• DBA/C57 mice inherited suite of biochemical
  deficits that give rise to a set of emotional and
  physical symptoms
• Individuals who suffer from this profile seek out
  foods or substances that elevate these deficits
• Sugar, fat, alcohol and other drugs cause the
  brain to produce opiates

C57
DBA
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Sugar Sensitive Eating Habits

• Skip breakfast
• Low protein intake
• Erratic mealtimes
• High intake of refined carbohydrates and sugars
• Frequent meal skipping
• High consumption of caffeine
• True of alcoholics and of C57 sugar sensitive
  types

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Research Base

• Sugar and alcohol evokes beta endorphin
  (Gianoulakis 1994, 1996 Blass 1991, 1995)
• Low serotonin, carbohydrate craving, obesity and
  depression (Wurtman 1986, 1995)
• Fat consumption and beta endorphin release
  (Drewnoski 1983, 1987, 1992)
• Serotonin, and relationship to fat and sugar
  intake (Fernstrom 1971, 1986, 1987, 1995)

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More Research

• Sugar induces physical dependency (Colantuoni and
  Hoebel 2002)
• Sugar is a gateway substance that increases
  likelihood of addiction to other substances, e.g.
  amphetamines (Hoebel 2003)
• Sugar creates endogenous beta endorphin response
  (Schoenbaum 1989)
• Sugar and fat together create significantly
  increased consumption behavior (Kelley 2003)

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More research

• Palatability/sweet taste alone will evoke opiate
  response (Hoebel)
• High fructose corn syrup does not metabolize in
  ways that other sugars do, creating biochemical
  reactions that alter metabolism (Bray 2003)

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Further research.

• Too much fructose alters metabolism (Teff, 2004)
• One serving of soft drink per day increases a
  womens chances of Type II diabetes by 85
  (Schulze, 2004)

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and yet more!!

• Addiction mechanism in the rat is similar to
  humans (Deroche-Gamonet et al., 2004)
• Areas in brain activated in food craving are also
  activated in drug craving (Raglund et al 2004)

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what do you get?
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Steps toward StabilityKathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.

• Eat breakfast everyday within one hour of
  waking adequate protein complex carbohydrates
• 2. Journal what and when you eat/how you
  physically and emotionally feel

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Steps toward StabilityKathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.

• Eat three meals a day spaced 5 6 hours apart
  adequate protein, complex carbohydrates and
  vegetables move sugar consumption to meals
• 4. Vitamins and Nightly Potato vitamin C (free
  radical scavenger) B-complex aids in
  detoxification and restoration zinc omega 3
  fatty acids//potato for serotonin synthesis

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Steps toward Stability

• 5. Whites to Browns slowly move refined grains
  to whole grains
• 6. Remove Sugars slowly remove overt and
  covert sweeteners

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Steps Toward Stability

• 7. Stabilize beta endorphin receptor increase
  and stabilization explore food allergy issues
  adequate fatty acids consumption increase
  insulin receptor sites to heal insulin resistance

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Effects of diet

• Regulates blood sugar no dips and spikes
• No sleepies less irritability not moody
• Elevates serotonin
• Able to say no and no impulsive behavior
• Increases beta endorphin
• Secure sense of self strong self-esteem and
  self-acceptance
• Increases dopamine
• Less aggressive, diminished violence and anger

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How do you feel?

• Consistent, steady energy without fits of fatigue
  or drowsiness
• Happy, upbeat, not feeling done to
• Secure and relaxed not anxious
• Productive and able to concentrate
• Compassionate and patient
• Good at self-care

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Beta endorphin

• Activating Opiates
• Skipping meals
• Binge sugar dose
• Super Size Me sugar and fat
• Compulsive exercise

• Stabilizing Opiates
• Regular mealtimes
• Adequate food for blood sugar
• Removal of excessive refined carbs
• No sugar on an empty stomach!
• Exercise fun!

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What are we seeing?

• 92 long term success rate with alcoholism
  recovery
• Drastic improvement in depression, ADHD, OCD,
  ODD, anxiety, weight, self-esteem, diabetes
• Improved triglycerides, lipids, blood glucose
  levels, cholesterol

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Connecting the body to community

• How we produce food
• What we produce
• How we process food
• How we consume food
• What are the economic, ecological, cultural and
  health impacts?
• Healing the sacred web of life

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Obesity Where are we today?

• 64 of U.S. adults are estimated obese or
  overweight (NHANES 1999-2000)
• 31 of Americans are estimated obese - (NHANES
  National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
  19992000)
• 106 increase in obesity nationwide since 1981
  (French et al. 2001)
• 5 7 increase in obesity each year (CDC)
• All but one state has 15 or greater rate of
  population as overweight (CDC)
• 58 of Minnesotans are overweight or obese (CDC)

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Obesity Trends Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 1991-2002
(BMI 30, or 30 lbs overweight for 5 4 woman)
2002
No Data lt10 1014
1519 2024 25
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Diabetes where are we now?

• 70 of diagnosed Type II diabetes is attributable
  to obesity (NIDDK NIH)
• 6.3 of American population is diabetic
  (NIDDK-NIH)
• 6 increase in diabetes per year (NIDDK-NIH)
• Between 1990 -1998, prevalence of diagnosed
  diabetes increased 33 (CDC 2002)

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Diabetes and Gestational Diabetes Trends Among
Adults in the U.S., BRFSS 1990, 1995 and 2000
1990
1995
2000
Source Mokdad et al., Diabetes Care
2000231278-83 J Am Med Assoc 2001286(10).
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Depression anxiety today

• 9.5 of American adults suffers from depression
  each year (National Institutes of Mental Health -
  NIH Publication No. 01-4584 )
• 13.3 of American adults suffer from anxiety
  disorders (National Institutes of Mental Health -
  NIH Publication No. 01-4584 )

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Attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder

• 7.5 of children exhibit this disorder 3 times
  as many boys as girls (data taken from Minnesota
  Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
  2002)
• 80 of prescriptions for amphetamines are written
  for children diagnosed with ADHD (DEA
  Congressional Testimony, 2000)
• Administration of amphetamines to children has
  risen 3000 in the last ten years (DEA
  Congressional Testimony, 2000)

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Alcoholism

• More than 50 of American adults have a close
  relative who has/had a drinking problem (Dawson
  1998)
• 7.4 of American adults are dependent or abuse
  alcohol in 2000 (Grant 1994)
• 20 of individuals seeking primary healthcare are
  alcoholic (Bellas, Rand Corporation, 2000)
• 6.3 of adult Minnesotans report chronic drinking
  (NIAAA 1984-2002)
• 90 of alcoholics are likely to experience at
  least one relapse during the four years after
  treatment (NIAAA 1989)

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Economic Impact - Obesity

• 78.5 billion in healthcare costs for obesity
  (National Health Accounts, CDC)
• 7 of US healthcare costs are obesity-related
  (French, 2003)
• 1.307 billion in healthcare costs for Minnesota
  (CDC)
• Obesity-related disability claims up 130 between
  1984 and 1996 for ages 30 49 (Rand Corporation)
• By 2020, 20 of healthcare expenditures would be
  for obesity-related issues.

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Economic Impact - Obesity

• Obesity is associated with a 36 increase in
  inpatient and outpatient spending
• Obesity is associated with a 77 increase in
  medications (Sturm 2002

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Economic impact depression/anxiety/alcoholism

• Cost of depression is 83.1 billion (Greenberg et
  al. 2003)
• For diabetes.98 billion per year (premature
  mortality, disability, healthcare costs,
  workloss)
• For alcoholism, estimated productivity loss is
  134.2 billion (NIAAA 2001)
• Alcohol-related illness costs 87.6 billion
  premature death 36.5 billion (NIAAA 2001)
• For alcoholism, estimated cost of alcohol abuse
  is 185 billion for 1998 (NIAAA 2001)

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impact on our children

• 27 of children are overweight (Centers for
  Disease Control)
• Obesity rates among children have doubled in the
  last ten years and tripled for adolescents
  (Troiano, 1998)
• Children born in the year 2000 have a 33 chance
  of becoming diabetic if theyre boys 39 if
  theyre girls (Venkat Narayan et al, 2004)
• Childhood tantrums are positively correlated with
  obesity (Agras et al. 2004)

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How do these public health issues relate to diet?
Public Health Crisis
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Change in Carbohydrate Consumption

• Increase of 50 in refined carbohydrates from
  1970 (USDA Economic Research Service)
• Americans consume less than one serving per day
  of whole grains (USDA Economic Research Service)
• 4000 increase in consumption per annum per
  person of high fructose corn syrup (USDA Economic
  Research Service)
• Additional average 300 daily calories consumed
  attributed to increase in carbohydrate
  consumption (CDC 2004)

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U.S. Sugar Intake

• Sugar intake rose 30 percent between 1983 and
  1999 and was at 158 pounds per person/year
  (Center for Science in Public Interest
  222.cspinet.org/new/sugar_limit.html)

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Candy and Other Confectionary Products US Per
Capita Consumption, 1966 2000, Pounds/ Year
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(No Transcript)
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US Per Capita High Fructose Corn Syrup
Disappearance 1967 2000, Pounds / Year
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Introduction of new, larger portions, 19701999.
Number of Large-Size Portions Introduced
Year
Young Nestle 2002
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Portion sizes

• Energy dense, nutrient poor foods comprise 27 of
  diet ( 4 alcohol) (Kant 2000)
• Standard portion size for factory-made cookies
  exceeds USDA standards by 700 muffins by 333,
  and bagels by 195
• French fries, hamburgers and sodas increased 2
  5 times since 1970
• 7-11 Big Gulp contains the caloric equivalent of
  more than one third the energy requirement of
  large segments of American population
• (Young and Nestle 2002)

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Media Attention

• The Sunday Telegraph UK Food Industry has
  known for years that foods high in fat and sugar
  impact consumption (August 2003)
• Atlanta Constitution Sugar Nation Series
  (November 2002)
• New York Times Sunday Magazine What if Its
  All Been a Big, Fat Lie? (July 2002)
• World Health Organization Diet, Nutrition and
  the Prevention of Chronic Diseases (February
  2003)

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Our love affair with fast food

• One in four adults eats fast food everyday in the
  United States
• One in three children eats fast food everyday in
  the United States
• Soft drink consumption up 135 since 1977
• Average number of soft drink servings per day
  climbed from 1.96 in 1977 to 2.39 in 2001

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Policy Attention

• Soda machines and fast food removed from schools
• Federal funding for fresh fruits and vegetables
  in school lunches
• Support for physical and nutrition education in
  school and community contexts

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Political Pressure

• Suppression of WHO information and federal
  recommendations on reduction of refined
  carbohydrates
• Congressional movement to ban litigation against
  fast food corporations

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A complex system of addiction
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with complex consequences
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The Sugar Project

• Healing culture from the molecular to the social
• Mending the sacred web of life
• Generating wellness creation, NOT wealth creation

culture
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Sugar Project Mission

• to restore individual, community, ecological and
  social wellbeing through health-creating diets

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Sugar Project Approach

• Ecologically restorative food production
• Economic development through enterprises related
  to healing (new food products, etc.) that
  encourage strong, local economies
• Low cost dietary intervention that improves
  public health outcomes

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a complex system of change

• Economic development
• Healthcare Policy
• Child and Youth Nutrition
• Ecological renewal
• Agricultural Policy
• Re-emergence of local food systems and economies
• Restoration of community health

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Outcome

• Healthy Ecologies
• Healthy Economies
• Communities that thrive
• People who feel well
• Wellness from the inside out!

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Sugar Project Priorities

• Children school hot breakfast lunch
  academics/behavior
• Indian Country food sovereignty through
  addiction recovery and prevention
• Research controlled studies on addicts,
  children and in Native American communities
• Education development of materials, training
  curricula for various audiences
• Media/Public Policy use of popular media to
  develop and influence policy agenda

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Partner Efforts

• New cropping system in Upper Midwest
• Economic development to encourage local food
  systems
• University research on brain biochemistry, diet,
  addiction and public health
• Generating new collaborations with entities as we
  move forward

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amphetamine
drug-free
sugar caffeine
mending the web of life
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What can I do right now?

• Personally.
• Read DesMaisons material and start the process
• Try eating breakfast with protein carbs for a
  few days to notice the difference
• Potato Experiment
• Transition away from corn syrup

• Politically.
• Explore opportunities for changing food options
  in dining service
• Explore ways to change school hot breakfast and
  lunch options in Northfield
• Identify different research questions tied to
  these issues

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For further information

• www.radiantrecovery.com or radiantkd_at_mindspring.co
  m
• Sugar Addicts Recovery Program, by Kathleen
  DesMaisons
• The Sugar Project, Maggi Adamek
• University of Minnesota
• madamek_at_umn.edu
• 612-624-7451

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Sources

• Obesity and related healthcare costs statistics
  http//www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/economic_c
  onsequences.htmNational20Estimated20Cost20of2
  0Obesity
• http//www.rand.org/publications/RB/RB9043/
• http//nutrition.about.com/library/weekly/aa010503
  a.htm
• Troiano, Richard P., Flegal, Katherine M. (1998,
  March). Overweight children and adolescents
  description, epidemiology, and demographics.
  Pediatrics, 101, 497-504.
• Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2001,
  unpublished data. National Center for Health
  Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and
  Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human
  Services.

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Sources (contd)

• http//www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/statisti
  cs/index.htm
• http//www.niddk.nih.gov/health/nutrit/pubs/statob
  es.htm
• http//www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/statisti
  cs/index.htm
• http//www.niddk.nih.gov/health/nutrit/pubs/statob
  es.htm

68
Sources (contd)

• http//www.ajc.com/living/content/living/special/s
  ugar/18sugarsouth.html
• http//www.who.int/nut/documents/trs_916.pdf
• http//www.psychiatrist.com/issues/greenberg.pdf
• http//www.ers.usda.gov/publications/FoodReview/DE
  C2002/frvol25i3a.pdf
• http//www.psychiatrist.com/pcc/pccpdf/v03n06/v03n
  0611.pdf
• http//www.niaaa.nih.gov/databases/abdep2.htm
• http//www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1280/mr1280.
  ch2.pdf

69
Sources (contd)

• http//www.nyu.edu/education/nutrition/PDFS/young-
  nestle.pdf
• http//www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/numbers.cfm
• http//www.psychiatrist.com/pcc/pccpdf/v03n06/v03n
  0611.pdf
• Grant B.F., et al. Prevalence of DSM-IV alcohol
  abuse and dependence United States, 1992.
  Alcohol Health Research World 18(3)243-248,
  1994.
• Dawson, D.A., Grant, B.F. Family history of
  alcoholism and gender Their combined effects on
  DSM-IV alcohol dependence and major depression.
  Journal of Studies on Alcohol 59(1)97-106, 1998.
  
• Harwood, H., et al. The Economic Costs of Alcohol
  and Drug Abuse in the United States, 1992.
  Rockville, MD National Institute on Drug Abuse,
  1998. http//www.naaso.org/news/19980902.asp
• Sturm, R. 2002. The effects of obesity, smoking,
  and drinking on medical problems and costs.
  Health Affairs.
• Centers for Disease Control (2002). Major
  increase in diabetes among adults occurred
  nationwide between 1990 and 1998.
  http//www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/press/archive/diab
  etes_increase.htm

70
Sources (contd)

• http//www.ajc.com/living/content/living/special/s
  ugar/18sugarsouth.html
• http//www.who.int/nut/documents/trs_916.pdf
• http//www.psychiatrist.com/issues/greenberg.pdf
• http//www.ers.usda.gov/publications/FoodReview/DE
  C2002/frvol25i3a.pdf
• http//www.psychiatrist.com/pcc/pccpdf/v03n06/v03n
  0611.pdf
• http//www.niaaa.nih.gov/databases/abdep2.htm
• http//www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1280/mr1280.
  ch2.pdf

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Sources (contd)

• NIAAA (2001). Economic perspectives in alcoholism
  research. Alcohol Alert. http//wwww.niaaa.nih.gov
  /publications/aa51-text.htm
• NIAAA (1989). Relapse and craving. Alcohol Alert.
  http//www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa06.htm
• Kant, A. (2000) Consumption of energy-dense,
  nutrient-poor foods by adult Americans
  nutritional and health implications. The third
  National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey,
  1988-1994. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Oct72(4)929-36.
  
• Young, L. and Nestle, M. (2002) The contribution
  of expanding portion sizes to the US obesity
  epidemic. American Journal of Public Health.
  February 92(2)246-249.