Addictiveness of Sugar - More Serious Than We Thought?

This weekend, I was talking to the little kids I teach gymnastics to about Halloween, and all they kept saying was how excited they were to dress up and get tons of their favorite candy. I think the candy is what every kid loves about Halloween. It is one of the few days in the year where they can really stuff their faces with sugary sweets. It got me thinking, because I am older and don't really obsess over Halloween anymore, what the health effects of that much sugar are.

I did a little research, and I came across this article that talks about how addictive Oreo cookies can be. Although it is not exactly Halloween candy, it is still a very sugary snack. In the article, they talk about a study that was done that proved how addictive Oreos were. They say that Oreos "may be as addictive as cocaine". Research that has been done shows that the addictiveness of sugary snacks like Oreos can have affects on the brain, which, they claim, is part of the reason that fattening foods are so addictive and obesity is a problem.

I think that unhealthy snacks like Oreos are very addictive, and are a big factor of obesity in America. America has been known to have an obesity problem, and I think food is a big contributor to that, but lack of exercise, among other things are also factors. However, I don't know if it is right to compare Oreos to dangerous drugs like cocaine and morphine. They have serious mental affects, and I don't think cookies could cause the same kind of mental damage. I am not saying that the addictiveness level of both is high, but I don't think it is fair to compare drugs and cookies as a whole.

Do you think this is a fair comparison to make? Do you think this is the main cause for obesity in America today? Comment below.

League of Denial

I happened to catch a couple minutes of this movie over the weekend, called League of Denial. The movie was about the links between football and brain trauma/concussions. It was very eye-opening, to say the least. I have always known that football can be a very dangerous sport, and concussions were very common, but this movie definitely caught my attention. It focuses on a degenerative neurological disorder called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, otherwise known as CTE. It is a brain disorder that causes severe mental problems and often times leads to early death.

During the movie they talked about how the NFL tried to cover up all of the research being done by doctors about CTE. They didn't want people to freak out and have their kids stop playing; they wanted to keep the sport popular. However, the movie is told from the doctor's point of view. One of the doctors featured said that of the 46 brains of former football players she had studied, she diagnosed 45 of them with CTE. That is astonishing.

I think that the NFL had no right to try and cover up the head-injury problems. It should have been made public a lot sooner. They should have tried to find a way to alter the game, by adding more rules or changing rules, but they should not have just tried to ignore it. They should have taken responsibility. Since CTE was found in almost every football player examined, it makes me wonder if almost every football player that has ever played might have it too. This disorder causes mental problems, and often death. If the possibility that many NFL players have this, why should the NFL cover it up? Football is a big part of American culture, with kids all over the nation playing. America loves football. But, if football is causing such bad things to happen to players' brains, why should we keep playing the game the same way? They should at least alter the rules to help prevent bad tackles/hits.

Do you think the NFL should alter the rules? Do you think it is possible CTE has affected almost every player's brain? Or should we just continue the game the way it is and just expect the players to know the consequences of playing?

Article about movie: http://theweek.com/article/index/250743/frontline-how-the-nfl-covered-it-up-its-devastating-head-injury-problem

Readers Are Leaders

I am constantly reminded by my mom - "Read more! Readers are leaders!". And I try to get around to reading, but I don't read as often as I might like to. I find that to be a common trend among our generation - reading comes secondary to a lot of other things, which can be sad. Myself included, I think that our generation spends too much time on electronics (phone, TV, computer, etc.) and not enough time investing in a good book.

I came across an article in which the author talks about how he puts reading before almost everything else. He said that he is by no means a speed reader, but still can get through 3-5 books a week. That was shocking to me. I remember hearing that the average human spends approximately 7.5 hours in front of a screen. However, this guy seems to be the exception.

I think the amount of time Americans spend in front of a screen is unreal. We get so caught up in everything, whether it be the news or what's on TV tonight, and sometimes I think we need to give our eyes a break. We need to escape into a book, into a story. We need to give our eyes a rest. Technology has evolved so much over time that it seems to consume our life - we need to start reading more. Maybe not as much as the guy from the article, but it would definitely help give our minds a break to read.

Do you think that Americans should start reading more? Or does the evolution of technology mean we just need to keep up with the recent trends?

Article: http://theweek.com/article/index/250445/how-to-read-more

Are People Still "Keeping Up" With the Kardashians?

Reality television, over the past few years, has become increasingly popular. The list of reality television shows is never-ending: Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Real Housewives, The Bachelor/Bachelorette, etc. America has become obsessed with shows like these. One of the more famous ones is The Kardashians. It has already aired for almost 8 seasons. It has also resulted in multiple spin-off shows.

People used to be obsessed with this show. However, the whole concept of reality television seems weird to me. You sit down in front of your television to watch other people live their lives. Shouldn't you be outside doing something and living your own life? The majority of viewers have absolutely no connection to any of the Kardashians, yet they take time out of their days to watch them do things. It's great that these people are doing fun things, but why do we need to watch it on TV?

And it seems like some people are starting to understand that. According to the article attached, Keeping Up With The Kardashians has recently hit record low amounts of viewers. They lost almost three million viewers (4.1 mil in 2009 to 1.7 mil in 2013) in the past four years. The show is apparently on the brink of being cancelled. People just don't seem to care as much as they used to. It's shocking though how fast it gained popularity, and then how fast it lost that many viewers. It seems like the Kardashians have had their time in the spotlight, and people are starting to move on.

Do you think this will start to happen with other reality shows too? Will the E! Network keep the program and will it gain popularity just as fast as it did the first time? Comment with your thoughts.

Article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2443822/Kardashians-cancelled-Are-drugs-divorce-blame-E-shows-low-ratings.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490