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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 19, 2015)
8 A SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2015 J OEL F UHRMAN , MD The effects of soda on children’s behavior www.shoppelocal.biz The standard American diet, chock full of soda and other sugary drinks, fast foods, and other low-nutrient foods, can have a major impact on the health and lives of our children. Rising rates of childhood obesity driven by this way of eating have received much attention; however, low-nutri- ent foods are still having nega- tive effects on the physical and mental health of children who are not overweight. Children are not immune to the damaging health effects of the standard American diet, which can set them up for a lifetime of poor health ranging from heart disease to behavior problems and lower cognitive performance. On average, U.S. children and teens consume over 200 calories a day from soda and other sugary drinks, and it is estimated that about 14 percent of their calories come from fast food. As a result of the poor diets of American children, more than one-third of normal- weight teenagers (and about half of overweight teenagers) have at least one diet-related risk factor for heart disease. These dietary patterns have the potential to dramatically affect not only public health but the productivity of our future adult population; studies have implicated poor diet in limiting intelligence and academic per- formance, and also has drawn parallels between consumption of sweets during childhood and violence in adulthood. A study on soda consump- tion found an increase in behavior and attention prob- lems in five-year-old children (as assessed by their mothers) with increasing daily consump- tion of soda. Forty-three percent of the five-year-olds in the study drank soda at least once a day. The authors adjusted their results for potential confound- ing factors that might affect behavior, such as hours of tele- vision and a stressful home environment, and still found a significant association between soda consumption and aggres- sion, withdrawn behavior and poor attention. They proposed that caffeine and/or fluctuations in blood sugar might be responsible for the association between soda and behavior problems. Blood glucose levels do affect the workings of the brain, and habitual high sugar intake has been shown to impair cognitive function. Several previous studies on high school students have also associated soda consumption with aggressive behavior, as well as depression and self- harm. Plus, higher sugar sweet- ened beverage consumption is linked to diabetes, cardiovascu- lar disease, and cancers. In addition to soda, higher fast food consumption in fifth grade (four or more times per week) has been associated with poorer academic progress in Soups On to discuss reality of reality On Monday, Sept. 21, at 6:30 p.m., everyone is invited to 875 Seventh St. in Florence to join a group with diverse spiritual paths who enjoy dis- cussing life’s big questions. This week the subject will be “Is reality one?” Abdu’l-Baha says, “…every individual member of humankind is exhorted and commanded to set aside super- stitious beliefs, traditions and blind imitation of ancestral forms in religion and investi- gate reality for himself. Inasmuch as the fundamental reality is one, all religions and nations of the world will become one through investiga- tion of reality.” The evening will begin with bowls of navy bean soup, fruit, homemade warm bread and vegetables, followed by the evening’s topic until 8:30 p.m. The gathering will end with prayers for the requests left in the Prayer Pole in the garden of the Florence Playhouse and those shared by the group. Visit the Siuslaw News online at WWW.THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM math, reading and science between fifth grade and eighth grade. Children who ate fast food one to three times per week-a common level of intake-compared to those who ate no fast food had lower scores in math. These results suggest that children eating fast food frequently could slow their academic progress. The food habits children develop in their early years have a substantial impact on their physical health and men- tal well-being throughout the rest of our lives. Parents need to know this information, so that they can help their children to live healthfully, maintain a positive mindset and reach their full cognitive potential. Dr. Fuhrman is a New York Times best-selling author and board certified family physi- cian specializing in lifestyle and nutritional medicine. Visit his website at Dr Fuhrman.com, or submit ques- tions and comments to news questions@drfuhrman.com. Windjammer Salon Welcomes Valerie Clairissa Paxston Clairissa is Accepting New Clients Friday and Saturday appointments welcome! 541-513-9351 • Graduate of Paul Mitchell Hair Academy, Ren o. • Specializes in cut and color, gel and polished nai ls • Siuslaw High Gra duate. www.facebook.com/hairandnailsbyValerieClairissa SPONSORED BY FLORENCE AREA HUMANE SOCIETY- FAHS “KITTEN PALOOZA” *****ADOPTION EVENT***** SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2015 • 10AM-2PM INSIDE MINI PET MART • 2360 HWY 101 • FLORENCE We have some of the cutest kittens you have ever seen ready for their “Forever Homes.” They have all been spayed or neutered, have their vaccinations, have been microchipped and have had a health exam by our veterinarian. These kitties all have a reduced adoption fee and it is even cheaper if you adopt two through our “Better-with-a-buddy program”. “A KITTEN IN THE LAP MAKES A HOUSE A HOME.” THE FIRST FIVE ADOPTIONS COME WITH A FREE WASH GIFT CERTIFICATE COURTESY OF CAR WASH & SHINE, 1779 27TH & HIGHWAY 101. A Big THANK YOU from Florence Habitat for Humanity to all the following 2015 BeachWalk Sponsors and great appreciation to all those that came to the beach! St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church Medical Group Peace Harbor Hospital PHOTOS by Brittan, Inc.