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"&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;It has been reported that the average American consumes 22 teaspoons of sugar a day. Given that the American Heart Association recommends that the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/sf-sugar-warning-labels-2509551&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;intake of added sugar&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; not exceed 6 teaspoons daily for women and 9 teaspoons daily for men, it is easy to see how added sugar leads the charge when it comes to major causes of the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/the-difference-between-being-overweight-and-being-obese-2509582&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;obesity&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; and &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/obesity-and-diabetes-2509660&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot;&amp;gt;diabetes&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; epidemics.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;A major source of added sugar that has come under fire in recent years is soft drinks. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the average 12-ounce can of cola contains over 8 teaspoons of sugar! So, by drinking just one small soft drink, a woman would have already far exceeded her recommended daily sugar maximum (of 6 teaspoons), and a man would have nearly reached his (of 9 teaspoons).&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;One study showed that drinking sugar-sweetened beverages such as sodas were associated with shorter\u200B\u00A0&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/telomere-shortening-the-secret-to-aging-2224346&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;4&amp;quot;&amp;gt;telomeres&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;\u00A0(which are a marker of aging--longer telomeres, simply speaking, are a marker of youth, while telomere shortening is an indication of aging). This, in turn, was associated with higher risk for &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/obesity-and-cardiovascular-disease-2509658&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;5&amp;quot;&amp;gt;cardiovascular disease&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; and diabetes.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The study investigators concluded that &amp;amp;#34;regular consumption of sugar-sweetened sodas might influence metabolic disease development through accelerated cell aging.&amp;amp;#34; In other words, in one more twist to the added-sugar saga, drinking sodas could age your cells--and, therefore, you.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Due to such risks as well as the contribution of sugared beverages to the &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/ending-childhood-obesity-is-it-possible-2509572&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;6&amp;quot;&amp;gt;childhood obesity epidemic&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, several cities across the United States have introduced &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/sf-sugar-warning-labels-2509551&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;7&amp;quot;&amp;gt;warning labels&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt; or taxes on sugared drinks.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The Mediterranean-style diet is almost like magic when it comes to a sustainable way of eating that has been scientifically proven to prevent everything from cardiovascular disease to breast cancer to dementia.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Rather than being a fad diet that one chooses solely for the short-term purposes of weight loss, the Mediterranean Diet is a lifestyle choice, a way of eating for the rest of one\u2019s life.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;This is the natural style of eating for most of the inhabitants of countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea\u2014hence the name.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The Mediterranean Diet emphasizes consumption of whole fruits and vegetables, whole grains, tree nuts, extra-virgin olive oil, fish and poultry, and wine (particularly red wine) in moderation.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Several resources are available to those who wish to explore and adopt a Mediterranean style of eating. In addition to various cookbooks that are now available, readers can find resources including but not limited to the following, for starters:&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/mediterranean-diet-healthier-heart-and-longer-life-2506730&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;How to follow the Mediterranean diet&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/mediterranean-diet-to-reduce-cholesterol-697647&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;Mediterranean diet to reduce cholesterol&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/li&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/ul&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Most national and international guidelines recommend getting at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise every week. This can translate into 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise five times per week, for instance. And research has borne out the health benefits of a daily 30-minute walk: in the Nurses\u2019 Health Study, for instance, those who walked briskly or otherwise achieved moderate-intensity exercise for at least 30 minutes every day had a low risk of sudden cardiac death during 26 years of follow-up.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;What counts as &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/physical_activity_intensity/en/&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;1&amp;quot;&amp;gt;moderate-intensity exercise&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;? Physical activities such as\u200B\u00A0&amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;https://www.verywell.com/the-secret-that-gardeners-know-2509630&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;internalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;2&amp;quot;&amp;gt;general gardening&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;, brisk walking, ballroom dancing, and the equivalent fall into the category of moderate-intensity exercise.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The key is to start with an activity you enjoy and that you will be able to do most if not all days of the week.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Sources&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Johnson R et al. Dietary sugars intake and cardiovascular health: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation 2009.&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Leung CW, Laraia BA, Needham BL, et al. Soda and cell aging: associations between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and leukocyte telomere length in healthy adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Am J Public Health 2014 Oct 15:e1-e7. [Epub ahead of print]&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Tracy SW. History of medicine: something new under the sun? The Mediterranean diet and cardiovascular health. N Engl J Med 2013;368:1274-1276.&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Estruch R, Ros E, Salas-Salvad\u00F3 J, et al. Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease with a Mediterranean diet. N Engl J Med 2013;368:1279-1290.&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. United States Department of Health and Human Services. Accessed online at &amp;lt;a href=&amp;quot;http://www.health.gov/PAGuidelines/&amp;quot; data-component=&amp;quot;link&amp;quot; data-source=&amp;quot;inlineLink&amp;quot; data-type=&amp;quot;externalLink&amp;quot; data-ordinal=&amp;quot;3&amp;quot;&amp;gt;http://www.health.gov/PAGuidelines/&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<https://www.verywell.com/healthy-new-years-changes-2509636>