Harmful Effects of Excess Sugar

The complex carbohydrates found in vegetables, grains, and fruits are good for you; the simple sugars found in sodas, candies, icings, and packaged treats can do harm, at least when eaten in excess. It's as simple as that. Here's why:
Excess sugar depresses immunity. Studies have shown that downing 75 to 100 grams of a sugar solution (about 20 teaspoons of sugar, or the amount that is contained in two average 12-ounce sodas) can suppress the body's immune responses. Simple sugars, including glucose, table sugar, fructose, and honey caused a fifty- percent drop in the ability of white blood cells to engulf bacteria. In contrast, ingesting a complex carbohydrate solution (starch) did not lower the ability of these white blood cells to engulf bacteria. The immune suppression was most noticeable two hours post-ingestion, but the effect was still evident five hours after ingestion. This research has practical implications, especially for teens and college students who tend to overdose on sodas containing caffeine and sugar while studying for exams or during periods of stress. Stress also suppresses immunity, so these sugar-users are setting themselves up to get sick at a time when they need to be well.
For example:Eating or drinking 100 grams (8 tbsp.) of sugar, the equivalent of two- and-a-half 12-ounce cans of soda, can reduce the ability of white blood cells to kill germs by 40 percent. The immune-suppressing effect of sugar starts less than thirty minutes after ingestion and may last for five hours. In contrast, the ingestion of complex carbohydrates, or starches, has no effect on the immune system.
Sugar sours behavior, attention, and learning. Studies of the effects of sugar on children's behavior are as wildly contradictory as a sugar-crazed four-year-old after a birthday party, but the general consensus is that some children and adults are sugar-sensitive, meaning their behavior, attention span, and learning ability deteriorate in proportion to the amount of junk sugar they consume.
Sugar promotes sugar highs. Some persons are more sugar sensitive than others, and children may be more sensitive than adults A study comparing the sugar response in children and adults showed that the adrenaline levels in children remained ten times higher than normal for up to five hours after a test dose of sugar. Studies have also shown that some children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) react to glucose intolerance tests with a dip to low blood sugar levels. High adrenaline levels or low blood sugar levels produce abnormal behavior.Find more here: http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/family-nutrition/sugar/harmful-effects-excess-sugar

The Scary New Butt Beauty Trend (Anal bleaching)

Anal bleaching isn’t just something porn stars and Bridesmaids characters do. More and more women are whitening back there...

from Cosmopolitan magazine

Wadley 

One of the most genius moments in Bridesmaids was when Kristin Wiig’s character very creatively disses fellow bridesmaid, uptight Helen, by accusing her of getting anal bleaching, insinuating that paying for a perfectly white bunghole was a sign of being prissy and just plain ridiculous. Then Maya Rudolph’s character Lillian turns that diss back around and said that yep, Helen had bleached her bum and she knew that because they’d gone together and they love their new, spotless anuses.
Well, it turns out Helen and Lillian aren’t alone in their decision to lighten up their rears; it’s a growing trend. But MDs say it’s not as simple and risk-free as spas make it sound. Read on to find out the deal with painting your backdoor white.
What Is Anal Bleaching Anyway?
It’s exactly what it sounds like and what is sounds like is frankly some sort of torture technique. An acid is applied to your freshly waxed anus and rubbed in, according to the spas we contacted that provide the service. Most places offer the initial application at the spa for about $100-150, then sell you a set of the bleaching lotion or gel to use at home. The whole in-spa process takes about 20 minutes, one Sacramento technician told us. Depending on how dark your skin is, you may need to reapply a number of times to see results. One Los Angeles spa even said that for some people they recommend applying it twice a week for up to eight weeks. And almost all of the spas we called were quick to let us know that customers could also opt for a package that includes both anal bleaching and vulva lightening, in which the bleach is applied to the opening of the vagina.
A Trend, Inspired by Stars
Porn stars, that is. There’s a widely believed rumor that a very famous former adult film star turned TV actress, who shall remain unnamed, got a full front-to-back wax one day and, upon seeing her totally bare nethers, asked the waxer if there was anything she could do to get rid of her anus’s dark hue. And so, anal bleaching was invented—though it was really only done by porn stars at first.
As Brazilians grew in popularity, more and more women began noticing that their anuses were darker than the rest of their skin. (This is totally common and normal, by the way, explains women’s health expert, Jennifer Wider, MD.) An employee at one Colorado spa said, “[Our technicians] do a lot of Brazilian waxes and sometimes the clients are surprised to see dark skin underneath. They are more self-conscious about the skin discoloration, so they want [it] lightened.”
In addition, porn became more ubiquitous, meaning more men and women were, well, exposed to bleached rear entrances, giving some of them a new idea of what a beautiful bum should look like. Add that to the fact that, according to information from the Center for Disease Control, anal sex is on the rise among women, and it’s no surprise that females were suddenly concerned with what they looked like from behind. Now, spas offering the bleaching say the product sells so quickly, they can hardly keep it on shelves. And many of the technicians affirmed they’ve noticed a definite spike in appointments booked in the past few years.

read the whole article here: http://www.cosmopolitan.com/advice/health/anal-bleaching-trend