Alex Willett, Research, Week 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXUy_6jyVgQ

This particular commercial uses a buildup of movement, sound, & color to draw attention to "bigger marshmallows" being put into the Lucky Charms. The beginning of the commercial states "something big is happening!" and as soon as those words are emitted, a frantic energy is released in the commercial which captivates the audience. There is a release of movement and chaos, which draws the eye in, and finally moves into an explosion. As soon as the explosion hits,and the sound is finished building up, the final sentence stated is about bigger marshmallows being part of a big good breakfast. That sentence is the last thing the audience remembers about the commercial.

60 Minutes Video:

Within the first minute of the video, Dr. Lusty bluntly stated that yes, sugar is toxic. He blames sugar on the rise of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease that is currently taking its toll on our generation. The good news is that all of the previously stated diseases are 75% preventable. The bad news is that unless our generation is properly educated, this situation is going to increasingly get worse and worse. 

Since the 1970’s, sugar consumption has actually gone down by 40%. However, high fructose corn syrup use has skyrocketed. The reality of it is, that high fructose corn syrup is literally the equivalent of table sugar. Both are awful for you and have fructose in them. Dr. Lusty also stated that before processed foods, humans used to get their fix of fructose from fruits. This was fine because humans couldn’t take in an abundance of it. Once processed food came into existence, sugar and fructose become cheaper and we began eating a lot more of it. Today, humans on average take in 1/3 pounds of sugar each day.
One doctor began a five year project testing the effects of sugar on patients. These patients were paid to stay at a hospital for weeks at a time, and the calories they consumed were carefully monitored and weighed. During the first days of their stay, they had a diet of low sugar. Their blood levels were measured. After a couple of days, their low sugar diet was replaced with 25% sweetened drinks. Blood samples were then taken. The spike in their blood levels showed a huge increase for cardiovascular disease in just two weeks. It was also shown that humans should limit sugar to decrease the odds of cancer. By decreasing sugar, you are decreasing insulin, which is the main catalyst for cancer.

One more study linked sugar to cocaine in the brain. It was shown that when a human consumed sugar, blood increased in the brain and the brain responded to sugar like it does with cocaine and other drugs. You get a certain high from it. Also, the more sugary foods you eat, the less you feel the “reward”. Thus, humans are consuming more and more sugary foods to make themselves feel better.