Ah, to be able to eat all manner of cakes, cookies, candy bars and other assorted sweets without having to pay the price of sugar overload! Such has been the dream of sugar addicts and diabetics—not to mention scientists and manufacturers—since the late 1800s, when saccharine, the first artificial sweetener, was discovered. Since then, there have been many more sugar substitutes, all promising better health and fulfilment of the sweet-tooth dream—but delivering only a dangerous delusion. Although these products provide zero calories, they’re still sweet, and therein lies the rub.

If these products truly delivered what they promise, if calories truly were the only yardstick by which to measure the effect of sweet foods on the body, then a simple test would show the superiority of artificial sweeteners. Take some people eating something made with sugar and some people eating the same food but made with a sugar substitute, follow them for a while and compare the results. Without a doubt, the second group would be healthier. That’s exactly what researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine did (see article sources below). They tracked some 9,000 people for several years and compared the health of those who drank regular sodas and those who drank diet sodas. To everyone’s surprise, the two groups had roughly the same risk of heart disease. Only people who drank less sodas altogether, whether regular or diet, were at lower risk. Clearly the artifical sweeteners fared no better than sugar. And the experts have no explanation—only theories.

An explanation can be found in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). According to TCM, the taste of a food, among other things, determines how it affects us. For example, a cheese sandwich, a ham sandwich and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich affect our body differently, even if the sandwiches are adjusted to have the same caloric value.

Sweet foods have the characteristic of lowering heart energy. Over time, a diet that’s high in sweets is likely to cause heart problems. It doesn’t matter whether the sweetener is sugar, honey or an artificial substitute, the result will be the same.

There are a few easy steps you can take to minimize the risk to the heart:

1. reduce the amount of sweet foods and drinks in your diet
2. choose foods that are less sweet; in general, naturally sweet foods are better than foods made with concentrated sweeteners, such as refined sugar and sugar substitutes
3. eat more sour, spicy and pungent foods; they counteract sweetness
4. eat some beef or beans; they help sluggish digestion, which is often the cause of the craving
5. learn to listen to your body’s signals; it will usually tell you what your body really needs.

If you try any or all the suggestions above, chances are that you’ll soon be giving up artificial sweeteners for good—and improve your health and well-being in the process.

• Study: Diet Soda Linked to Heart Risks (AP)
• Diet, sugary sodas alike linked to heart disease factors (CNN)
• Cut out the sodas - cut down the metabolic syndrome risk! (News-Medical.Net)
• No safe haven: Diet sodas linked with health risks (Reuters)
• Soda linked to increased metabolic risk (Reuters)
• Soda linked to increased metabolic risk (Reuters)
• Study: Diet soda linked to heart risks (USA Today)

A recent study indicates that a diet low in fat and very high in fruits and vegetables does not prevent breast cancer from returning (“Fruits, Veggies Don’t Stop Cancer Return”, “Extra fruits, veggies fail to prevent breast cancer’s return: study”, “Intensive Vegetable-Fruit Diet Shows No Effect on Breast Cancer Return”, “Low-fat, high-produce diet doesn’t cut breast cancer return”, “Good Diet May Not Help Breast Cancer”, “Fruits, Veggies Don’t Stop Cancer Return”, “No Cancer Shield Found in Fruit and Vegetable Diet”).

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, cancer is caused by a condition called “excessive dampness”. A diet appropriate for cancer patients would be high in foods that reduce dampness and very low in foods that increase it. Vegetables, especially leafy green vegetables, reduce dampness. So do sour fruits, but sweet fruits increase it and are best minimized.

But even beneficial foods can have a negative effect if overdone. Too much of a food with a desired effect causes the opposite effect. Excessive amounts of vegetables and sour fruits thus increase dampness, rather than reduce it. To find out exactly how much we need, we only have to learn to listen to our body. When we feel we’ve had enough of something, it’s time to stop.

Please read the disclaimer before using any of the information presented here.

A recent study found that older Chinese women who eat a Western-style diet have a much greater risk of developing breast cancer than those who eat a typical Chinese diet (“Cancer Risk Higher With Western Diet”, “Western diet risk to Asian women”, “Western diet linked to breast cancer in Asian women”, “Western diet increases breast cancer risk in Asian women”, “Western diet ups breast cancer risk among Chinese”).

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, cancer is caused by a condition called “excessive dampness”. It so happens that many staple foods of the Western diet increase dampness. Over time, a diet that centres around beef, sugar, wheat and dairy products can raise the risk of cancer.

Fortunately, it’s easy to reduce the risk. Most vegetables naturally diminish dampness; have some at every meal. Sour foods also reduce dampness. All spices and pungent foods have a drying effect. Physical exercise and sweating help rid the body of excess dampness. And, of course, it's a good idea to cut down on foods that increase dampness.

Please read the disclaimer before using any of the information presented here. For more information, see blog entry “Western diet and cancer in Korea” and The Chinese Almanac.

A recent study found that older Chinese women who eat a Western-style diet have a much greater risk of developing breast cancer than those who eat a typical Chinese diet (“Cancer Risk Higher With Western Diet”, “Western diet risk to Asian women”, “Western diet linked to breast cancer in Asian women”, “Western diet increases breast cancer risk in Asian women”, “Western diet ups breast cancer risk among Chinese”).

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, cancer is caused by a condition called “excessive dampness”. It so happens that many staple foods of the Western diet increase dampness. Over time, a diet that centres around beef, sugar, wheat and dairy products can raise the risk of cancer.

Fortunately, it’s easy to reduce the risk. Most vegetables naturally diminish dampness; have some at every meal. Sour foods also reduce dampness. All spices and pungent foods have a drying effect. Physical exercise and sweating help rid the body of excess dampness. And, of course, it's a good idea to cut down on foods that increase dampness.

Please read the disclaimer before using any of the information presented here. For more information, see blog entry “Western diet and cancer in Korea” and The Chinese Almanac.

Experts are predicting that the increase in obesity will lead to an increase in the number of cases of Alzheimer’s disease (“Obesity to fuel Alzheimer’s rise”).

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, obesity and Alzheimer’s disease have the same root: they are both caused by low heart energy. It’s interesting to note that Western medicine is starting to see this link; in the article mentioned above, a professor is quoted as saying “There are very similar underlying pathologies for heart disease and dementia”, and a 2006 study links heart failure and Alzheimer’s disease (see blog entry “Heart failure and dementia”).