Dr. Mark and Dr. Chip's Healthy Blogs

  STORY AT-A-GLANCE New evidence shows artificial sweeteners can change beneficial bacteria in your gut into pathogens that attach, invade and penetrate the intestinal wall, potentially contributing to inflammation, infection and sepsis Artificial sweeteners are advertised as zero-calorie options to help reduce weight and lower the risk of diabetes. However, studies have linked these to an increased risk of diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome Animal studies demonstrate artificial sweeteners damage the DNA in healthy gut bacteria, increase the risk of early death, affect neurobehavioral health and may trigger liver damage Consider alternatives for low-calorie artificial sweeteners and sugar, including stevia, Lo Han Kuo and allulose After years of investigation about the dangers of artificial sweeteners, I wrote my book, “Sweet Deception: Why Splenda, NutraSweet, and the FDA May Be Hazardous to Your Health,” and published it in 2006. Since then I’ve been warning about the ever-...

Want to Defeat Coronavirus? Address Diabetes and Hypertension  Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola TORY AT-A-GLANCE In Italy, more than 99% of fatalities from COVID-19 occurred among people who had underlying medical conditions The finding came from an examination of 18% of Italy’s COVID-19 deaths, which revealed that only three people who died — or 0.8% — had no underlying conditions Among Italy’s COVID-19 fatalities, 76.1% had high blood pressure, 35.5% had diabetes and 33% had heart disease Underlying health conditions like heart disease and diabetes are linked to “poorer clinical outcomes,” such as admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), a need for invasive ventilation or death, among COVID-19 patients To beat COVID-19, one of the best strategies is to get your underlying chronic conditions under control; even diabetes and high blood pressure can often be reversed via healthy diet and lifestyle While the World Health Organization has put the death rate fro...