🎧Health Brief: Sugary Drinks May Be a Bigger Threat Than Candy. Plus: Coffee, Gut Health, and RFK Jr.’s Plan to Reform the Food Industry.

Sugary drinks pose numerous health risks, and there are many healthier beverage options to replace them. rawpixel.com/Freepik

Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times Health Brief for Dec. 22. I’m Bill Thomas, we have some very interesting stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s going on.

A new study points out that sugary drinks may be more harmful to your health than candy regarding a very important organ in your body—the heart. Meanwhile, if your cholesterol goes up and down for seemingly no reason, you may be at a higher risk of developing a very serious brain condition. And there’s also a new trend happening in the health industry—it has to do with self-diagnosing a common disorder, and we’ll tell you all about it.

Also, that second cup of coffee you’re drinking every morning could be affecting your gut health in unexpected ways, and we’ll take a look at how Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to take aim at the American diet and begin a new era of food reform.

We'll break down each of these stories for you one by one, but we begin with some alarming information regarding sugary beverages that could make even die-hard fans of those 32-ounce sodas think twice about drinking them. Here’s what we know.

Sugary Drinks Like Soda Pose Greater Cardiovascular Risk Than Sweets, New Study Finds

New research from Sweden indicates that sodas and other sweetened drinks are much worse for your heart than other popular treats, including pastries and baked goods because they significantly increase the risk of heart failure, stroke, and other issues.

You should also know that another recent study points out that individuals who drink a lot of sweetened beverages are more likely to be diagnosed with what’s called atrial fibrillation, which is a type of irregular heartbeat.

These findings are in sync with a new Harvard research study, which shows that drinking sweetened beverages every day increases a person’s chances of developing cardiovascular disease by 18 percent—even for those who exercise regularly.

It’s also important to point out that some people often indulge in too many sugary drinks. They’re not as filling as sweet foods, so consuming too much is easy, leading to a sugar overload.

At the end of the day, an occasional sweet drink might not be detrimental to your health, but as with most things in life, moderation is key to good health.

Moving along, we know that blood markers can tell us a lot about our heart health, but one specific measure could give us clues about our risk of developing cognitive decline.

Unexplained Changes in Cholesterol May Point to a Higher Risk of Dementia

A new study presented at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting links significant year-to-year changes in cholesterol levels to an increased risk of dementia by a staggering 60 percent.

The six-year study looked at nearly 10,000 people who were in their 70s, and the results were truly remarkable.

Researchers believe that wild swings in levels of LDL, which is known as “bad” cholesterol, might destabilize plaque buildup in a person’s arteries, which could lead to reduced blood flow to the brain.

It turns out this disruption could potentially trigger a cascade of substantial effects that accelerate cognitive decline, which may, in turn, affect an individual’s memory and how fast they think.

On the other hand, fluctuations in HDL, known as the “good” cholesterol, and triglycerides, which are a type of fat found in your blood, did not correlate to similar cognitive problems.

However, it’s worth noting that some doctors disagree with these new findings. They argue that cholesterol levels fluctuate all the time, and they say that the measurements taken during the study are not enough to reach strong conclusions about accurate cholesterol levels.

But there’s a positive side to all of this—the recommendations for people to maintain stable cholesterol levels are fairly straightforward. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorses a lifestyle approach that includes eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, limiting alcohol, and, last but not least, no smoking.

We continue now with a topic that’s been getting a lot of attention lately regarding a common developmental disorder that even adults are now recognizing in themselves, and here’s more on that story.

ADHD or Something Else? One in 4 Adults Are Self-Diagnosing

A new survey by Ohio State University shows that one in four grownups believe they have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD.

This growing self-awareness has led to many people developing an increased focus on the disorder, including both understanding how society views people with ADHD along with effective strategies for managing the condition.

Here’s where it gets even more interesting: According to the CDC, over 15 million adults in the United States are affected by the disorder, and surprisingly, half of them were actually diagnosed after childhood.

Additionally, social media has been a valuable tool for raising awareness about ADHD because it allows people to share their experiences online with a variety of others who have the same condition, and it allows people to identify potential symptoms in themselves.

Over the years, our understanding of ADHD has changed dramatically. Once considered a childhood disorder primarily affecting boys, experts now recognize that symptoms vary widely across race, gender, and age.

Beyond traditional medical approaches, which include prescriptions like Adderall, researchers are now exploring whether or not a number of lifestyle factors, including diet, contribute to the developing symptoms of and being diagnosed with ADHD.

You should know that some experts say that managing ADHD isn’t about forcing a brain to work differently. Instead, they believe that controlling the disorder is more about creating environments and strategies that complement how the brain of a person who’s been diagnosed with ADHD normally operates.

One clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment of ADHD recommends focusing on six key factors to effectively manage the disorder, including sleep, exercise, nutrition, medication, meditation, and meaningful social interactions. She says that the key to effectively handling life with an ADHD diagnosis is making the treatment personal—what works for one person might not work for another.

We’ll add a jolt to your Health Brief now, and if you love coffee and drink it every day, your daily brew might be doing more than keeping you alert. Here’s what we’ve learned.

New Study Illustrates Coffee’s Unique Influence on Your Gut

A recent international study from both Harvard University and the University of Trento in Italy points out that drinking coffee regularly might affect the balance of bacteria in your digestive system, and scientists are just now beginning to understand what it all means.

The study analyzed data taken from over 77,000 people living in 25 countries, and the authors found that coffee drinkers consistently exhibited up to eight times more of a certain type of gut microbe than non-coffee drinkers.

Their research zeroed in on a particular bacterium, and it found that the growth rate of that specific microorganism increased significantly when it was exposed to coffee, both regular and decaf.

The authors of the study point out that it is still uncertain how this bacterium affects overall health.

Additionally, the study shows that the presence of this particular microorganism varies dramatically throughout different parts of the world. While the bacterium was found to thrive in people living in certain coffee-loving countries like Luxembourg, Denmark, and Sweden, the microbe was barely traceable in places such as China, Argentina, and India.

In the end, researchers think they can apply this new information in a very positive way. They say that one day, using this information, they might even be able to improve our diets with precision simply by understanding how specific foods interact with the bacteria inside our digestive system.

We have just enough time for one more story today, and this one deals with a potential major shake-up regarding our nation’s nutrition policy. It could begin sooner than you think. Here’s what’s going on.

RFK Jr.’s Food Fight: Can He Change America’s Diet?

As you may already be aware, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the incoming Trump administration’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, and he is planning to overhaul how the government makes food recommendations to people in the United States.

A number of nutrition experts say that in the past, U.S. food guidelines were based on faulty studies, and if confirmed, RFK Jr. says he’ll develop a new set of food and dietary guidelines.

Additionally, if confirmed, RFK Jr. is planning potential reforms that go beyond simply changing what foods we should eat. He also plans to take aim at what he calls widespread issues with regard to how nutrition policies are formed here in the United States.

RFK Jr. has been vocal about addressing what he describes as the “corporate capture” of federal health agencies, and he promises to remove pervasive conflicts of interest from government panels that deal with food advice and public policy.

You should know that many people involved with creating recommended guidelines reportedly have financial ties to food companies, and critics say this connection raises serious questions about objectivity, public trust, and the integrity of the guideline process.

A number of people say the biggest challenge for RFK Jr., if he’s confirmed, might be confronting the massive influence of ultra-processed foods, which currently make up about 60 percent of the average person’s daily caloric intake.

RFK Jr.’s exact plans are not yet known, but it appears that his approach points to a comprehensive strategy to improve food quality, dietary guidelines, and the health of the U.S. population.

And now, it looks like our time is just about up for today, so we'll call it a wrap for this edition of the Epoch Times Health Brief.

Just a reminder—you can reach out to us anytime via email at [email protected], and you can also leave comments for us on the Epoch Times app, which you can download for free.

And don’t forget the Health Brief Motto: We’re portable, affordable, and always on-demand.

And finally, as we do each and every week on this program, we wrap everything up with a very notable quote, and this one is often attributed to Hippocrates, who said: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

Hippocrates was a Greek physician known as the “father of medicine.”

For all of us here at the Epoch Times Health Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.

The Epoch Times Health Brief program was written today by Hristina Byrnes.

Thank you for making us your one-stop source for a concise, accurate, and unbiased weekly synopsis of the many health stories you should know about.

Enjoy the rest of your day, and we'll see you right back here next time for another edition of the Epoch Times Health Brief.

For now, let’s all continue to watch out for one another and have an absolutely superb day. Bye for now, and happy holidays!