Summertime has arrived, and it is a great time to indulge on a scoop or two of ice cream and maybe some fizzy soda to your liking. There is something inherently satisfying about consuming these food delectables that it is second nature to want more. Undoubtedly, food manufacturers have employed a level of science to hone in on the art of addicting us to their delicious selection of products. I challenge you to have one bite from anything, whether it be a bag of chips, a chocolate bar, or a donut.

With 10 food and beverage companies such as Coco-Cola, General Mills, Kellogg’s, Mars, and Unilever owning several other food brands and realizing revenue in several billions of dollars, these corporations have exceptional reach and influence to what consumers buy (Business Insider, 2016). It is time to think about what goes into your shopping basket on the next trip to the grocery store. But then how can the consumer have the choice when grocery stores depend on the Big Food giants for inventory?

This question brings us to the question of whether the responsibility rests on the food industry in offering healthier options or the consumers in making healthy choices. A 2017 article by the American Journal of Public Health indicates the need for a more shared responsibility where the government may also need to be involved in implementing regulations to increase accountability to population health. Public policies aside, consumers have more power than they think when considering that the act of making the purchase is similar to voting for a food product with dollars. When food producers see their products selling, of course it is the case that they should continually manufacture more to satisfy their bottom line. Shoppers buy, and we see both parties perpetuating this consumer-producer cycle.

So the next time you visit the local grocery store for some food staple items, have a look at the nutrition facts labeling and ingredients listing. The number of calories is usually the biggest font of the labeling, but also focus in on the servings per container. If it’s greater than one, this is not a one-time meal. You will be consuming multiple amounts of the listed total fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, and protein if you consume more than one serving or the entire package.

Do a little quick math on how much calories you should have in a day. Try to stay under the number of calories you burn a day through physical activity and metabolism (the resting energy, or basal metabolic rate, needed to keep your body functioning). Go to the Statistics tab within the Health Data section in the DrugLyst app and obtain your Basal Metabolic Rate (your height, weight, age, and gender are required for this number).

As for product ingredients, the more hard-to-pronounce words you find on the list, the more you should consider putting the item back on the shelf. Also, pay attention to the sugars the food product contains, no matter the kind. A 2018 Nutrients article suggests fructose, high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, and glucose can contribute to subclinical inflammation that lacks signs and symptoms, with not one type of sugar having more of an impact than another. Naturally, when the body has to clear the bloodstream of sugar, it has to work harder such that the process causes inflammation. When this happens over time, this is similar to a very slow progression of damage to the internal organs, including the cardiovascular system, pancreas, liver, and kidney function.

The amount of it that should be limited per day and its alternatives is another topic of discussion for a later time (stay tuned), but recognize that while sugar is sweet, there is a dark side to it when consumed in excessive amounts.

References

Business Insider, (2016). These 10 companies control everything you buy. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/10-companies-control-the-food-industry-2016-9

Della Corte, K. W., Perrar, I., Penczynski, K. J., Schwingshackl, L., Herder, C., & Buyken, A. E. (2018). Effect of Dietary Sugar Intake on Biomarkers of Subclinical Inflammation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Intervention Studies. Nutrients, 10(5), 606. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/5/606

Tempels, T., Verweij, M., & Blok, V. (2017). Big Food’s Ambivalence: Seeking Profit and Responsibility for Health. American Journal of Public Health, 107(3), 402–406. https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303601

Metabolic syndrome is a developing health situation potentially leading to a higher risk for heart disease, diabetes, or a stroke if an individual has any three of the following**:

• Waist circumference greater than 40 inches in men and 35 inches in women
• Triglycerides greater than 150 mg/dL of blood
• High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), the good cholesterol, less than 40 mg/dL in men and 50 mg/dL in women
• Fasting blood sugar of greater than 100 mg/dL
• Blood pressure of greater than 130/85
  

**Sourced from StatPearls, a medical database for healthcare professionals

Biologically speaking, metabolic syndrome consists of an altered biochemical state where fat cells, energy metabolism, and hormones are working hard to keep the body in check, but the system is constantly stressed. In particular, “good” fat cells that are metabolically “active” work with others to prevent their growth, and they can release hormones such as leptin work to reduce appetite, and they have a cell component that helps create body heat according to an article from Current Hypertension Reports (2019). These processes are reduced in metabolic syndrome. The cause of the development of this ailment is associated with insulin resistance, and being overweight and physically inactive according to the Mayo Clinic (2019).

Taken together, the excessive consumption of sugary drinks and a high-fat diet can stress the body where it is working hard to clear out external sugar and unnatural fats. Some may be left behind and cause chronic inflammation around the body, some of them being the cardiovascular system and pancreas, and hence cause ever so slight progressive damage long term and may increase the risk for heart disease and diabetes if there is no intervention. The body can potentially be left in a constant inflamed state the less efficient it becomes in clearing out external and foreign substances.

So what can you do if you happen to have at least one of the five criteria for metabolic syndrome described above? Lifestyle modifications are worth a start. Discuss with your healthcare provider on weight management strategies and consider taking up a dieting and exercise plan for the betterment of your health. Doctors, dieticians, and health coaches are great resources to get you started!

Having an annual physical checkup at the doctor’s office is essential. It involves performing a physical assessment, getting your blood work done (make sure you get a cholesterol test), and addressing any health concerns that you may have. More than likely, you don’t have a way of measuring your cholesterol at home, but you are certainly encouraged to perform your at-home blood pressure testing and waist circumference measurement.

Go to the Data Entry section in the Health Data tab and log your measurements. For more information on obtaining accurate measurements, tap the Information icon (‘i’) on the upper-right hand corner when you are at the Data Entry section. Check the Trends sections periodically to easily see whether your measurements are stable over time as you progress.

Also think about adding the following recommended dietary supplements to your DrugLyst: Turmeric, garlic, cinnamon, ginger, onions, fish oils, and broccoli where they are collectively antioxidants, and anti-inflammatories and help you better control blood sugar and insulin sensitivity (Source: Therapeutic Advances in Cardiovascular Disease, 2017). And then follow up on that by actually have these items in your diet in real life.

As a proverbial saying goes, “You are what you eat.”

References

Mayo Clinic. (2019). Metabolic Syndrome. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/metabolic-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20351916

Rochlani, Y., Pothineni, N. V., Kovelamudi, S., & Mehta, J. L. (2017). Metabolic syndrome: pathophysiology, management, and modulation by natural compounds. Therapeutic advances in cardiovascular disease, 11(8), 215–225. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1753944717711379

Saklayen M. G. (2018). The Global Epidemic of the Metabolic Syndrome. Current hypertension reports, 20(2), 12. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11906-018-0812-z

Swarup S, Goyal A, Grigorova Y, et al. Metabolic Syndrome. [Updated 2020 May 20]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459248/

With the increasingly convenient access to social media and news via our smartphones, it is easy to get caught up on the relentless amount of push notifications and online posts – A virtual drama if you will. The fast-changing updates on current happenings in the world can quickly change a person’s outlook on how the outbreak transpires such that each week can appear distinct to the next. A consumer can get lost from all of the digital whirlwinds.

An opinionated 2019 Washington Post article describes how we’re part of a digital revolution with all of the access of information at our fingertips. And yet, we can still be potentially powerless on the content initially presented to us given these “algorithms” feeding new articles based on our interests and spreading user posts like wildfire. It is a virtual cascade effect where we have a robust communication system and infrastructure influencing our minds and impacting the decisions we make moving forward.

What does this have to do with our health? Consider trying out this exercise, albeit a painful one if you dare. Check out the number of hours you spend per day on your phone by going to Settings and Screen Time. Now with that number in mind, is there something that you’ve been yearning to do today or planning to accomplish both in the short and long term? Be brutally honest with yourself. Do you think the hours spent online is holding you back from taking a step forward on a task? It will be up for you to decide, but what’s certain is that you have the power to reclaim your precious time and energy back towards devoting to a personal goal, cause, or the local community.

There are only 24 hours in a day, a good number of which should be for sleep, and the rest on your responsibilities everyday responsibilities. Knowing that you can’t see into the future, you can make time for yourself and strategize how you’ll push forward in this new decade. It’s time to make time for a walk or exercise outside. If done regularly over time, you can beat mental stress and improve and maintain heart health as well as many other benefits described by a Harvard Health Publishing article (2018).

Stress management goes a long way too. One powerful technique is visualizing an outcome. Despite the online media portraying the doom and gloom due unexpected events that has taken place in the new decade, imagine that one day we will return to normalcy, and also that we’ll emerge stronger because we have become mindful of taking care of ourselves. You can choose to be scared in these precarious times, or you can endure and ascend, bringing out your inner hero.

References

Harvard Health Publishing. (2018). Walking, your steps to health. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/walking-your-steps-to-health

Von Drehle, D. (2019). Do we owe it to society – and ourselves – to tune out the news? The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/do-we-owe-it-to-society–and-ourselves–to-tune-out-the-news/2019/05/14/144c9810-70eb-11e9-9eb4-0828f5389013_story.html

Life is already complicated as we know it. We have commitments to attend to whether it be work, education, significant others, family, and then ourselves. It’s not to say that we tend to put the needs of others before us, but rather, the happenings of everyday life may be things diverting our attention away from caring our #1 asset: Our health.

There is no fun in going to work or performing in general when you’re ill or under the weather. “Exercise at least 30 minutes a day” and “Reduce the number of calories” are said by healthcare professionals and the media every now and then that the idea itself is placed in the back burner. There apparently seems to be no quick fix nor silver bullet to the mysteries of health ailments. Why bother?

Well actually, health is an ongoing process and a very long one indeed. The health, food, and behavioral choices an individual makes day-in and day-out have everlasting effects such that any consequences are very hard to undo in the future. Realizing this is one giant step towards becoming better engaged in one’s healthcare.

Take for instance high blood pressure, dubbed the “Silent Killer.” Years of having high-salt meals, lacking exercise, and feeling stress leading to unhealthy habits such as drinking or smoking, all while having little to no “symptoms” of high blood pressure, could amount to a high risk for heart disease [Mayo Clinic, 2019]. You can’t “feel” high blood pressure, but you can track it, see how it is trending over time, and have an idea on how to lower it if your number is high. For example, given the normal blood pressure is below 120/80, if you’re getting higher than normal readings on several occasions, it’s time to consider your dieting and exercising patterns as well as stress levels and act now to change.

There is no better time than now to start tracking your health progress. Go to the Data Entry section under Health Data in DrugLyst and log body measurements and vitals whenever you can. At least try once a week. Check out the graphs in the Trends section also under Health Data and have a quick glimpse of how you’re trending on a measure over time. And then rinse and repeat. DrugLyst is here to guide you.

Also, for any medications that you are taking, go to the Drugs section under Medication List, enter a medication that you’re taking, and write some focused ‘Notes To Self.’ Anything from your thoughts, possible side effects, and any symptoms related to the drug you’re taking. This way, it is much easier to look back at your personal records and not having to fumble with multiple paperwork, or trying to remember what happened over the past year, last month, or let alone last week.

The path to wellness takes one step at a time, one health measurement at a time, and one understanding at a time towards your personal commitment and control over health.

Reference

Mayo Clinic, 2019. High blood pressure: The silent killer. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/high-blood-pressure-the-silent-killer

Transparency is a core philosophy of DrugLyst and trustworthy healthcare. What you enter into the medication list is yours and is not transmitted to the “Cloud” or the Internet. Your data resides within your device and belongs to you. We do not collect or store any data, period.

Web services and apps have increasingly used analytics to help developers to make improvements on customer service and the user experience. DrugLyst can measure the average amount of time users spent viewing a screen and searching for drug items to add to the medication list, which helps in determining the user-friendliness of the app.

Also, DrugLyst can measure the daily total number of searches, popular search terms, and searches yielding no results to see if users are finding what they need. These kinds of information will only be used for quality control purposes and never for advertising and disclosure. DrugLyst does not collect personally identifiable information.

If you have any questions, please contact do not hesitate to contact Support.

Last updated: June 04, 2020

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