Well, Andy over at Small Bites has another opinion on the matter. And honestly, his opinions have been ones I’ve come to respect and trust… and he really does back up what he talks about.

Since I started Small Bites, I have always said that, as far as I am concerned, “sugar is sugar is sugar”.  All sweeteners offer 4 grams of sugar (16 calories) per teaspoon.  The best thing you can do is limit all added sugars — whether it’s white sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, or agave.

That said, I don’t see the need to demonize agave, which brings us to this post.

Honestly, I was hesitant to present the original article because I do have reservations about The Huffington Post in general… but it seemed a worthy enough article that I figured I would move past my own prejudice and share it. Do I regret doing so? No, not really, but I think you are doing yourself a grave disservice if you don’t also read Andy’s article as well.

You Ask, I Answer: Agave Is The New Enemy? [Small Bites]

Unfortunately, masterful marketing has resulted in the astronomical popularity of agave syrup among people who believe they are doing their health a favor by avoiding refined sugars like high fructose corn syrup, and dangerous artificial sweeteners.

And if you’re diabetic, you’ve been especially targeted and told this is simply the best thing for you since locally grown organic lettuce, that it’s “diabetic friendly,” has a “low glycemic index” and doesn’t spike your blood sugar.

While agave syrup does have a low-glycemic index, so does antifreeze — that doesn’t mean it’s good for you.

Most agave syrup has a higher fructose content than any commercial sweetener — ranging from 55 to 97 percent, depending on the brand, which is FAR HIGHER than high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which averages 55 percent.

This makes agave actually WORSE than HFCS.

Male rats in particular ballooned in size: Animals with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained 48 percent more weight than those eating a normal diet.

“These rats aren’t just getting fat; they’re demonstrating characteristics of obesity, including substantial increases in abdominal fat and circulating triglycerides,” said Princeton graduate student Miriam Bocarsly. “In humans, these same characteristics are known risk factors for high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, cancer and diabetes.”

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First off, a lack of a good nights sleep may lead to weight gain… and if you get sick, taking antibiotics may increase your weight too!

Sounds like a good excuse for me to go shut myself away from everyone and take a nap.

But according to this article from smartplanet.com based on a Purdue study, you may want to move your stuff outta there… cause moisture could be making your supplements less effective.

Basically it talks about the increasing need to upgrade and super-size ambulances and other medical equipment to handle the growing trend of a growing girth in the American populace, and as he put it, Thoughts of EMTs dragging me out of the house on a tarp is one of the myriad reasons I chose to have WLS.

I have a couple to share real quick, one was posted by someone on twitter this morning and another from someone over on the BTV forums.

Confidence rises in weight loss surgery – at first I thought this was going to be about how the patient confidence rises, but it’s more about how WLS is increasingly becoming accepted as a treatment for morbid obesity.

Weight-Loss Surgery Pays For Itself After 2 Years, Study Shows – This is an older item, from September of 2008, but even then studies were showing how WLS would pay back in spades, not just from a health perspective, but also money wise.