Build Up Catch Up - 6/30/23

IARC and Aspartame; Angst & Anxiety about Meds for Obesity; Podcast Picks; Book Recommendations; Why we have #Sponsored Posts; and 3 Things You May have Missed

Jun 30, 2023

Between the anti-sugar and anti-added sugar camp and the anti-artificial sweeteners camp, both with their messaging and news; consumers are in a bit of a pickle about what’s safe/good to use—but not the vegetable kind of pickle, that would be, at least according to IARC, a possible carcinogen —-class 2B.😉

Some #factsNotfears:

IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) is NOT a food safety agency, it is an intergovernmental branch of the World Health Organization (WHO). IARC is supposed to issue a report (July 14th) on ASPARTAME...

1. IARC will potentially designate aspartame as a Group 2B "possibly carcinogenic to humans" this is a HAZARD - NOT a risk assessment…from Food Insight, “What is IARC?” ”…IARC classification is a Hazard Identification determination only... IARC does not engage in risk assessments, so the IARC classifications do not mean that consuming a food containing those compounds will cause cancer in humans.”

A look at what else is in group 2B:

-kava extract

-aloe vera (whole leaf extract)

-being a carpenter or firefighter

-gingko biloba extract

-caffeic acid (found in wine, coffee and mint)

-pickled vegetables

2 #remainCalm - Aspartame is one of the most studied food additives in the human food supply (per FDA) and from EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) "The sweetener and its breakdown products have been authorized for human consumption for many years following thorough safety assessments."

3. How much aspartame WOULD be dangerous? - if you were to drink 36 or more cans of diet soda containing aspartame per DAY (via American Cancer Society https://www.cancer.org/.../chemicals/aspartame.html....)

Podcast Pick: Genetic Literacy Podcast: “Facts and Fallacies”- Dr. Liza Dunn and Cameron English look at IARC’s potential take on aspartame and why we should look at headlines cautiously.

Get 10% off for 1 year

More and More New Meds for Individuals with Obesity

First it was Wegovy (semaglutide) and then Monjauro (tirzepatide) and now there are a few more to add to your medication vocabulary list.

“…orforglipron, is easier to use and to produce, and it will probably be cheaper than existing treatments…retatrutide, has an unprecedented level of efficacy, and could raise the bar for pharmacological obesity treatment…”

“Retatrutide is an investigational single molecule that activates the body's receptors for three hormones – glucagon, glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), …” https://www.thelancet.com/.../PIIS0140-6736(23.../fulltext

BUT…some not so nice news on tirzepatide from NICE (The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) in the UK….”… NICE said nope to recommending tirzepatide use for type 2 diabetes in the NHS – for now.”

Meanwhile, there’s still some anxiety and hesitancy within the medical and dietetics community about the use of any of these medications. Canadian physician and medical director of the Bariatric Medical Institute, Yoni Freedhoff addresses several of the arguments that crop up in the media, like the concern that these medications have to be taken long term,

“…that’s how treatments for chronic conditions work and aside from weight, that notion doesn’t seem to bother anyone. For instance, if you have high blood pressure, and you start taking a medication that effectively treats your high blood pressure, you still have high blood pressure, and if you stop treatment, it’ll come back.”

Podcast Pick: “The Curbsiders” - Obesity Medicine FAQ with Dr. Fatima Stanford on Obesity Treatment and why obesity isn’t just a matter of will power. (note: this is geared towards MDs and has CME’s). Dr. Stanford talks about obesity as a disease, why language matters, how listening to patients is important. Dr. Stanford gets into the nitty gritty of prescribing medications and following up on patients with obesity as a chronic disease.

Bottom Line: The Pandora’s Box of medications for obesity has been opened. Obesity has been classified as a disease for several years. There are now more tools in the toolbox for providers to treat individuals with obesity.

Book Nook:

“Menus that Made History” by Vincent Franklin & Alex Johnson

For fans of food history, this book looks at different menus throughout history. From what was on the menu at the first vegetarian restaurant (cauliflower in butter sauce), to a school dinner menu in the late 1940’s (stewed steak) and what was served at Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s Wedding Breakfast (Roast suckling pig and Poached and Candied Salmon). The book also has recipes.

Build Up Q & A: “Why does Build UP Dietitians have #sponsored posts?”

Free Questions Question Mark vector and picture

Answer: Working with certain sponsors like checkoffs and food commodities (we don’t work with food brands or supplements) on boosted posts and ads on social media, in our newsletter and for events enables us to afford and pay for different things. Build Up Dietitians is not a non-profit. Here are a few ways we use income from sponsors/partners:

-Modest compensation (gift cards) biannually for our 20+ moderators

-Donations to food and nutrition related charities - usually at least annually

-Upkeep of our website (webmaster, security etc.) and other resources and tools.

-Putting on events

-To pay for content creation of infographics and images

-Offering gift cards for completing surveys