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The secret sugar in your food and its impact on your health

By WTOP Staff

WASHINGTON – Most of us love things that are sweet, but many wonder if sugar consumption is part of the reason why America’s obesity rate continues to rise.

Sugar is directly causing multiple growing health problems, according to Dr. Robert Lustig, a professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco and author of “Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity and Disease.”

He says sugar is the major culprit contributing not only to weight, but to weight-involved diseases.

“There are many, many different things than can make you obese. In fact, the thing that is correlated with the most rate of weight gain is actually potato chips and french fries,” he says citing a recent study by the Harvard School for Public Health.

Sugar-sweetened beverages come in a distant third, Lustig says.

“The reason why I focus on sugar as opposed to say potato chips and french fries is not because of its effect on weight, but its effect on chronic metabolic disease — the diseases that go along with obesity.”

Diseases caused by obesity

  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Hypertension
  • Lypid problems
  • Heart disease
  • Stroke
  • Cancer
  • Dementia

“Those [diseases] very specifically are driven by sugar, irrelevant to the amount of weight gain. In fact, the total calories there are not the issue. The actual issue is the amount of sugar. And that’s where all the money is going,” Lustig says.

Lustig says he’s helping file a class-action lawsuit against food manufacturers for misbranding and mislabeling when it comes to sugar.

“The specific issue is for evaporated cane juice. ECJ is not a sanctioned sweetener by the Food and Drug Administration, yet every health food manufacturer uses ECJ as its method for sweetening their products. Because people don’t know it’s sugar and they seem to be able to get away from it,” Lustig says.

He takes issue with food that consumers think are healthy but are loaded with sugar, like yogurt for example.

“If you knew how much sugar was in your yogurt, you might think otherwise. Usually a 6-ounce yogurt has about as much sugar as a bowl of Cap’n Crunch,” Lustig says.

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(Copyright 2013 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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